Teach Yourself VISUALLY™ Complete WordPress®

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Planning Your WordPress Site

Understanding WordPress and Blog Terms

Choose a Blog Topic

Plan Your Blog’s Content

Research Blog Titles

Research Domain Names

Think Ahead about Passwords

Get to Know WordPress Types

Look Closer at WordPress.org

Look Closer at WordPress.com

Sign Up at Gravatar.com

Chapter 2: Setting Up Your WordPress.com Blog

Sign Up with WordPress.com

View Your New Blog

Get to Know Your Blog’s Dashboard

Understanding the WordPress.com Admin Bar

Understanding the WordPress.com Home Page

Create Your WordPress.com Profile

Select Your General Settings

Consider Premium WordPress.com Options

More about Upgrades

Buy a Domain at WordPress.com

Map a Domain to WordPress.com

Choose Your Personal Settings

Make Your Site Private

Add Viewers to Private Blogs

Chapter 3: Setting Up Your WordPress.org Blog

Choose a Host for Your Blog

Buy a Domain

Install WordPress via Your Host’s Automatic Installation

Get an FTP Application for Manual Installation

Download WordPress Software

Set Up the MySQL Database

Upload the WordPress Files

Complete the Configuration and Installation

Troubleshoot Installation Errors

Create the Configuration File

Log On to Your Blog’s Dashboard

Review the Welcome Module

Get to Know the Dashboard

Understanding the Admin Bar

Customize and Navigate the Dashboard

Set Your General Settings

Create Your Profile

About Privacy Settings

Select Your Search Engine Visibility

Set the Permalinks Structure

Understanding Other Settings

Chapter 4: Creating Written Content

Understanding Pages and Posts

Review the Writing Settings

Get to Know the New Post Page

Introducing the Visual Editor and Toolbar

Introducing the Text Editor and Toolbar

The Text Editor

Understanding Categories and Tags

Create and Edit Categories

Create and Edit Tags

Write and Publish Your First Blog Post

Apply Categories to Posts

Apply Tags to Posts

Recall an Earlier Version of Your Blog Post

Write and Publish a Page

Edit or Delete What You Write

Add Formatting to Your Text

Add Text Hyperlinks to Your Post or Page

Paste Text from Other Sources

Using the More Option to Break Your Posts in Two

Convert Categories and Tags

Chapter 5: Creating Visual and Audio Content

Consider Media Issues

Understanding Display and Image Dimensions

Review Media Settings

Prepare Images for Uploading

Upload and Insert an Image While Posting

Edit an Image While Uploading

Format an Image from the Edit Image Window

Add Images to the Media Library

Insert Images from Web Sources

Using Images to Enhance Posts

Add a Caption to an Image

Wrap Text Around an Image

Determine the Image Target

Understanding Unattached Images

Attach Images to a Post

Insert an Image Gallery

Add a Slide Show to Your Posts

Link to YouTube and Other Videos

Upload Video Files to Your Host

Link to a Podcast or Sound File from Your Blog

Chapter 6: Changing a Site’s Look and Function

Understanding Themes

Find and Activate a WordPress.com Theme

Find a WordPress.org Theme

Install and Activate a WordPress.org Theme

Customize Your Header Art with a Built-in Tool

Identify and Use Your Theme’s Options

Change the Background

Introducing Widgets and Plugins

Choose and Insert Widgets

Rearrange and Remove Widgets

Add Sidebar Items Using HTML in a Text Widget

Get a Key and Activate Akismet

Find Plugins

Install and Activate a Plugin

Deactivate and Delete a Plugin

Understanding and Using Jetpack

Optimize Your Site for Mobile Devices

Create Custom Menus

Create and Install a Favicon for a Self-Hosted Blog

Chapter 7: Engaging Your Readers

Write an About Page

Choose the Discussion Settings

Create a Comment Policy

Moderate Comments

Edit a Comment

Allow and Use Threaded Comments

Respond to Comments on Your Blog

Deal with Comment Spam

Review Notifications

Include Avatars with Comments

Understanding Gravatar Hovercards

Change Hovercard Settings

Create a User Poll

Create a User Survey

Let Readers Rate Content

Understanding and Joining RSS Feeds

Add an RSS Feed to Your Sidebar

Create a Category RSS Feed Link

Sign Up with FeedBurner and E-Mail Subscriptions

Offer E-Mail Updates at WordPress.com and Jetpack

Add a Contact Page and Form

Add Cross References to Your Posts

Let Readers Share Your Posts

Add Share Buttons

Chapter 8: Building Traffic to Your Blog

Understanding Blog Traffic

Create a Links List

Comment on Someone Else’s Blog

What to Say on Someone Else’s Blog

Connect with Facebook

Connect with Twitter

Connect with LinkedIn

Auto-Post to Other Networks

Understanding Trackbacks and Pingbacks

Optimize Your Blog for Search Engines

Using an SEO Plugin

Research Keywords

Chapter 9: Tracking Blog Statistics

Understanding What Statistics Offer

Track Feed Traffic with FeedBurner

Track Feed Traffic with FeedBlitz

Access WordPress Site Stats

Track Feed Traffic with WordPress Site Stats

Find Popular Posts with Site Stats

Find Important Keywords with Site Stats

Find Major Referral Sources with Site Stats

Find Popular Links with Site Stats

Sign Up with Google Analytics

Get to Know Google Analytics

Identify Traffic Patterns

Find Popular Posts with Google

Review Traffic Sources with Google

Find Important Keywords with Google

Find Useful Links with Google

Using Analytics Dashboards

View Statistics from Log Files

Choose Among Statistics Trackers

Understanding Your Statistics

Chapter 10: Maintaining Your WordPress Blog

Understanding WordPress Backups

Back Up Using VaultPress

Back Up Using Your Web Host

Back Up Using Dropbox

Understanding WordPress Updates

Update WordPress Automatically

Update WordPress Manually

Install Plugin Updates Automatically

Install Theme Updates

Clean Out Outdated Drafts

Remove Post Revisions

Check Your Site for Outdated Links

Get to Know WordPress Support Options

Find Support at WordPress.com

Find Support at WordPress.org

Take Action When Your Blog Breaks

Make a Suggestion

Read Blogs that Focus on WordPress

Chapter 11: Expanding Your Posting Options

Set Up to Post with iOS App

Post from Your iPhone or iPad

Moderate Comments from Your iOS Device

Edit from Your iOS Device

Post a Photo from Your iOS Device

Using Apps on Other Mobile Devices

Post via E-Mail

Post with QuickPress

Create a Post with QuickPress

Post via the WordPress.com Home Page

Post with Press This

Consider Using a Blogging Client

Create a Post with Windows Live Writer

Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org

Import Posts from Another Blogging Platform

Download and Install Evernote

Create a Basic Evernote Note

Create an Evernote Image Note

Install the Evernote Web Clipper

Using the Evernote Web Clipper

Create an Evernote Notebook and Stack

Post from Evernote

Chapter 12: Expanding Your Content Options

Understanding Shortcodes

Using a Shortcode

Identify Related Content with Zemanta

Insert a SoundCloud Audio Player

Add Music with Spotify

Add Music with 8tracks

Post by Voice at WordPress.com

Add Video with Blip.tv

Add Video from Vimeo

Embed a SlideShare Slide Show

Share Flickr Images

Using a Gallery Plugin

Display a Pinterest Feed

Embed a Google Document

Embed a Google Spreadsheet

Embed Other Content

Chapter 13: Customizing Your Site’s Look

Understanding Featured Images

Add a Featured Image

Understanding Post Formats

Using Post Formats

Understanding the Theme Editor

Theme Editor Components

Add Copyright Information to the Footer

Add an Image to the Category Template

Create and Use a Page Template

Introducing CSS

Try CSS with the Web Developer Extension

Try CSS with the Chrome Web Developer Tool

Create a Child Theme

Change WordPress.com Languages

Change WordPress.org Languages

Using a Static Page as Your Home Page

Using Sticky Posts as a Static Page Alternative

Chapter 14: Managing Content and Multiple Users

Understanding User Capabilities

Add Authors and Contributors

Work with Multiple Authors and Contributors

Manage Publishing Details with Edit Flow

Manage Roles and Capabilities

Sign Up and Collaborate with Trello

Add Registered Members

Manage Registered Members

Create a Simple Member Community

Create a BuddyPress Social Network

Add a Forum to Your Blog

Manage Documents

Manage Documents with a Plugin

Add a Blog to an Existing Static Website

Create a Portfolio of Your Photos or Art

Considerations for Your Portfolio

Chapter 15: Making Money from Your Blog

Introducing Blog Economics

Place Ads on Your Blog

Add Google Ads to Your Site

Consider WordPress.com WordAds

Add Amazon Affiliate Ads to Your Site

Add Amazon aStore to Your Site

Get Set for E-Commerce

Use an E-Commerce Plugin

Teach Yourself VISUALLY™ Complete WordPress®

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Published simultaneously in Canada

Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

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Credits

Acquisitions Editor

Aaron Black

Project Editor

Lynn Northrup

Technical Editor

Donna Baker

Copy Editor

Kim Heusel

Editorial Director

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Business Manager

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Quality Control Technician

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Proofreading

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Indexing

BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services

About the Author

Janet Majure is an author, writer, and editor with more than 30 years in the publishing industry. She writes or has written for WordPress blogs (individual blog Foodperson.com and group blog Ethicurean.com) as well as two business sites using WordPress (Janetmajure.com and Givemestrength.net). She also has written and edited books, newsletters, and articles for daily newspapers, and edited technical white papers.

Author’s Acknowledgments

The author gratefully acknowledges the WordPress community, which has made this remarkable software available, as well as the ongoing support of family and friends. In particular, she thanks friend, neighbor, colleague, and agent Neil Salkind; Acquisitions Editor Aaron Black; Project Editor Lynn Northrup; Technical Editor Donna Baker; and previous Project Editor Sarah Hellert.

How to Use This Book

Who This Book Is For

This book is for the reader who has never used this particular technology or software application. It is also for readers who want to expand their knowledge.

The Conventions in This Book

Steps

This book uses a step-by-step format to guide you easily through each task. Numbered steps are actions you must do; bulleted steps clarify a point, step, or optional feature; and indented steps give you the result.

Notes

Notes give additional information — special conditions that may occur during an operation, a situation that you want to avoid, or a cross-reference to a related area of the book.

Icons and Buttons

Icons and buttons show you exactly what you need to click to perform a step.

Tips

Tips offer additional information, including warnings and shortcuts.

Bold

Bold type shows command names or options that you must click or text or numbers you must type.

Italics

Italic type introduces and defines a new term.

Author’s Note

This book is intended to provide everything you need to know to start, run, and maintain a website using WordPress software. It should be noted, however, that no book can be truly complete where WordPress is concerned. That is because software developers are continually adjusting, modifying, and updating WordPress and its addons. Developers also are creating new addons and abandoning old ones, in the form of visual themes and plugins. Those options number in the thousands, and this book gives details on only a handful.

Also, because the software is open source — meaning, essentially, that anyone can use it and modify it — a really complete book on WordPress would tell you how to write code in the PHP language and how to write cascading style sheets, or CSS, to make your site look just the way you want it. Those subjects are beyond the scope of this book.

The great thing is, you do not need to know all there is to know about WordPress to run your WordPress site. My hope is that this book is complete enough to answer most of your questions, give you ideas, and steer you toward other resources when the answers are not here.

Chapter 1: Planning Your WordPress Site

WordPress is the platform of choice for new blogs, and increasingly it is the software chosen for websites of many different descriptions. WordPress lets you get your message out quickly and easily while giving you all the control you want.

Understanding WordPress and Blog Terms

Choose a Blog Topic

Plan Your Blog’s Content

Research Blog Titles

Research Domain Names

Think Ahead about Passwords

Get to Know WordPress Types

Look Closer at WordPress.org

Look Closer at WordPress.com

Sign Up at Gravatar.com

Understanding WordPress and Blog Terms

Learning a few WordPress and blog terms before you dive in makes the process of learning the software and starting your website easier. Terms in this section arise again and again. These terms generally apply regardless of whether you host your own blog or use the WordPress.com hosting service. They are also pertinent even if you use WordPress to run a static website, meaning the information published on a site rarely changes. Terms that seem abstract now become clearer as you develop your site.

Blog versus Static Site

The term blog, which merges the words web and log, came about when software advances made it possible for nontechnical people to easily publish information to the World Wide Web. Although blogs typically publish posts in reverse chronological order and allow for reader interaction, WordPress also lets you create static websites, or sites that have fixed content and are not interactive.

Posts and Posting

Each entry in a blog is known as a post, and the usual presentation of posts is with the newest entry at the top of the screen. Post is also what you do. That is, you post a new post to your blog. Posts usually follow a standard visual style, although WordPress offers alternative post formats for specific kinds of posts, such as posts that highlight a quotation.

Pages

Think of a website as a collection of web pages, with each web page having its own content. With WordPress, the running blog page typically — but not always — is the home page, which usually displays the most recent posts. Themes provide page templates to display posts by category and to display an individual blog post with its own web address. You can have static pages, too. The most common static page on websites is an About page that explains the site to visitors.

Dashboard

The WordPress Dashboard is the online but behind-the-scenes control panel from which you create and modify your website. A panel is a display screen in the user interface. The Dashboard differs a little between the .com and .org versions of WordPress. “Get to Know WordPress Types,” later in this chapter, describes those versions. The Dashboard main features are a left-hand navigation menu bar and a set of panels with information and links.

Permalinks

A permalink is the permanent link to a specific post or page. If you host your WordPress installation, WordPress gives you options on what your permalinks look like, which may make it easier for search engines to find your post.

SEO

SEO is an acronym for search engine optimization, and your interest in it depends on the purpose of your blog. SEO aims to improve your site’s ranking in search results by search engines such as Google. A higher ranking leads more search engine users to find your site. SEO relies partly on making generous use of searched-for words.

Themes and More

Other terms you need to know are themes, which refer to the sets of files that determine the overall design of your site; widgets, which give you options for presenting information; and plugins, which you can add to a self-hosted WordPress installation to add functionality. WordPress offers flexibility as to the content of your site’s menus, your theme’s options, and more.

Choose a Blog Topic

You can choose anything as your blog topic, but doing some research may help you identify the topic that you will love to write about and that readers will look for. In general, the more focused your topic, the greater your success in attracting readers. Even if you do not care about getting a large audience, you will spend less time trying to figure out what to write on your blog if you have consistent subject matter. You also may discover that you learn more about your topic the longer you blog. Consider different approaches before you decide.

Expertise

If you are an expert in some field, your knowledge could make an excellent blog topic. By writing about your area of experience you will have plenty of content and confidence, and you may be able to use your blog to attract business and advertising.

Hobby

Perhaps you have a hobby that you avidly pursue and continue to learn more about. This, too, is a good subject for a blog. Fellow hobbyists may look to you for ideas and advice, and they can offer ideas and advice in return.

Business

A blog is a great way to keep in touch with your customers and to attract more customers. It is like a newsletter, only easier. As with a hobby, you surely have plenty of content to offer readers, whether news about products, special offers, or holiday hours.

Scattershot

One option is not to choose a topic at all and simply write your blog as you might write a diary. This unfocused, or scattershot, approach is fine as long as you are content to attract a small audience. Only a few people, by virtue of their fascinating lives or captivating writing styles, can write a scattershot blog and attract a large number of readers.

Focused

The more focused your topic, the easier it will be for search engines to find it. A focused blog also has greater potential to generate advertising revenues later, if that is one of your goals.

Useful and Entertaining

Whatever topic you choose, you will get more readers if your blog is useful or entertaining — or both. As you narrow your list of possible topics, think about which ones give you the greatest opportunity to be helpful or engaging. Those may be your best bets.

Competition

If you are unconcerned about developing an audience or if you want your blog to focus on your personal life, you need not worry about competition. For other subjects, however, check out the competition before you settle on a blog topic.

Research the Competition

You can get clues as to what is being written about and what is popular at these websites:

• http://wordpress.com/tags: See the most popular recent tags, which are like keywords, on WordPress.com blogs.

• www.alexa.com: Search for websites on your topic, and Alexa lists them and their traffic ratings.

• www.technorati.com: Click Top 100 or Tags to see the 100 most popular blogs among Technorati users and most popular tags.

• www.stumbleupon.com: Sign up with this service, select your topic of interest, and then stumble, which takes you to blog post after blog post on that subject.

• http://google.com/blogsearch: Search on a topic to find existing blogs and blog posts on the topic.

Plan Your Blog’s Content

Your blog will be easier to create and maintain and easier for readers to follow if you plan your content before you start blogging. By planning ahead, you can give your blog a consistent approach that works for you, your content, and your readers. The word content refers to whatever you publish on your website. Aspects to consider include everything from writing style to visual presentation. WordPress gives you considerable flexibility to change, but you will be well served to consider these factors just as if you were publishing a book.

Words, Pictures, or Both?

Your choice of having content that is word heavy, picture heavy, or a balance of words and pictures affects not only the appearance of your blog, but also how you spend your time preparing your posts. Give thought now as to what medium best expresses the ideas you want to share.

Consider Post Length

Although there is no ideal length, there may be an ideal length for you and your blog. Having a somewhat predictable length for your posts enables you to know how long it may take to write a post, and lets regular readers know how much time to allow for reading. You can break up long subjects into a series of posts.

Consider Post Frequency

Some bloggers post multiple times a day; others post once a week. Your blog’s topic and your time constraints may dictate how often you can post, and that is fine. More is not necessarily better, but predictable is definitely better!

Make Your Blog Stand Out

After you study other blogs in your subject area, ask what will make your blog unique, aside from its being written by you? If your topic is broad — cars, perhaps — yours will stand out better and be easier to plan if you narrow the subject to, say, restoring Chevrolets from the 1950s, or reviewing late-model, two-seat sports cars.

Make Your Blog Accurate

Even if you are an authority in your subject area, you need to check your facts and, where possible, link to your sources. Yes, you can find popular sites that use dubious information, but if you want credibility with most readers, you need to get your facts straight. Include fact-checking as part of your content plan.

Suit the Content to the Subject

If your blog is about sculpture or carpentry or any other highly visual subject, you need to have pictures. Podcasts are desirable on an interview blog. Make sure you have the equipment you need for the media you plan to use. If your blog is about grammar or creative writing, you can probably skip buying a top-flight digital camera.

Research Blog Titles

If you do not take care in naming your blog, you may find down the road that your choice does not serve you well. It may duplicate the name of an existing blog, or you may decide you want to get a domain name and find that a website with your blog’s domain name already exists. You also want to avoid using a trademark as your blog title. Various strategies can help in your search for a memorable title that reflects your blog’s content.

Blog Title versus Domain

Your blog title generally appears across the top of your blog’s front page. A domain name is the part of a web address that includes .com, .net, .info, or one of the other domain name extensions. You can read about buying a domain name in Chapters 2 and 3.

Corresponding Names

It is helpful for the blog title and domain name to match, or at least to correspond, so that people can find you more easily. If you want to name your blog In My Opinion, it would be wise to see whether a domain such as inmyopinion.net or imo.com is available.

Consider the Long Term

If you are going to keep your blog private or are certain that you do not want to develop a significant audience, the blog title makes no difference. Most people start blogs, though, because they want to be heard. If you are one of those people, then consider the advice on these pages.

Brainstorm Names

Your blog topic is the place to start your search for blog titles. Write as many words and phrases as you can think of associated with your topic. If you have a personal blog, you may simply want to use your real name. But even your real name may not be as unique as you think, so write down many options. Narrow the options to a dozen or more and then see whether another blog uses those names.

Try for a Unique Name

Increase your odds of having a unique blog title by:

• Typing your proposed title into the Google blog search engine at http://google.com/blogsearch to find blogs that use your title in full or in part.

• Typing your proposed title in your browser’s address box followed by wordpress.com. For example, you could type mythoughts.wordpress.com to see if a WordPress.com blog by that name pops up.

• Typing the proposed title in the address box followed by blogspot.com, as in mythoughts.blogspot.com.

All the Good Names Are Taken!

So many sites are on the web these days that it may seem that all the good names are taken, but forge ahead. You can try alternate spellings, whimsical expressions, or combinations of your name and your interest. If you can make the title memorable and easy to spell, all the better. You also can try tools described in the following section, “Research Domain Names,” to devise a good blog title.

Avoid Duplication

If someone else has a website with your preferred title, you can still use it, but it is a bad idea. Besides the potential for legal conflict if someone decides to trademark the title, the bigger issue is that readers may get your blog and the other site confused.

Research Domain Names

By researching domain names before you commit to a blog title, you can avoid the frustration of being unable to match your domain to your title. A few websites provide good brainstorming tools to help you. Most of these sites also link to pages where you can buy and register a domain, and they can advise you whether the name of your choice is available for purchase. However, you do not need to buy a domain name right away. Instead, you can use options described in Chapters 2 and 3.

Research Domain Names

In your web browser, go to www.dotomator.com.

In the Beginnings box, type a few words that describe your blog idea.

Note: This example uses healthy food.

Click the drop-down list .

Choose a category of endings.

A Endings related to the category appear.

B Suggested domain names appear.

C If a results list does not appear, click Combine.

Click a name that interests you.

D The name appears under Scratchboard.

Repeat Steps 2 to 5 until you have several potential domain names.

Click Check.

E A separate window operated by Dotster opens and displays availability of domains related to the names you chose.

Record the available names you like for future reference.

Type www.panabee.com in the address bar.

The Panabee home page opens.

Type two words related to your blog topic in the search box.

Click Search.

F Availability of a domain combining your words appears.

G A list of other suggestions and their availability appears.

Record the names you like for future reference.

TIPS

If I see a name I really like on these sites, should I go ahead and buy it?

You can, but in the long run you may be happier if you buy your domain registration through the web host you eventually choose. Doing so makes life simpler and potentially could save you money. Also, be assured that these sites do not have exclusive rights to sell the names they suggest to you.

Are there other sites that help with researching domain names?

The sites in this section are two of several such sites. Another good one is www.bustaname.com. Each of these sites has a slightly different approach to name generation, which is why it is handy to try more than one. Others include www.nameboy.com, www.namestation.com, and http://impossibility.org.

Think Ahead about Passwords

Making a password plan now will make life easier as you go about setting up your WordPress site, because chances are you are going to need multiple usernames and passwords before you are done. You may use some all the time, such as your site’s logon information, but you may use others less often. You, of course, are too smart to use the same password for all situations, right? If not, plan to start using different ones now.

What Not To Do

Remember first what not to do: Do not use easily guessed words such as your spouse’s or child’s name, the word password, your license plate number, widely used combinations (such as qwerty or 123456), or any word in the dictionary spelled forward or backward. Also, do not put your password on a sticky note on your computer, and do not use the same word on multiple sites.

Choosing Passwords

Numerous strategies exist for choosing passwords. The basic approach is to choose a memorable phrase such as “My country tis of thee,” use the first letters of the phrase’s word — Mctot — and add numbers and special characters to get something like *Mctot!1. The longer the password, the better. Have four or five passwords ready before you start your WordPress experience.

Saving Passwords

Experts agree that having your computer or browser remember your password for you is generally a bad idea because the bad guys are good at cracking those bits of software. The most secure plan is to remember your passwords, but that is not possible for many of us. Although there is some debate, the idea of writing them down and putting the list in a safe place is considered more secure than doing any of the items on the what-not-to-do list.

Get to Know WordPress Types

Whether you are setting up a WordPress blog or are using one set up by someone else, it is helpful to understand that WordPress comes in multiple flavors. They range from the relatively simple WordPress.com and basic WordPress.org installations to the enterprise-scale WordPress.com VIP and WordPress.org MultiSite options. After a quick look at each, you can get more detail on the focus of this book in the next two sections, “Look Closer at WordPress.org” and “Look Closer at WordPress.com.” One nice feature is that you can choose one version and change to another later with few problems.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is for individuals and organizations that like the WordPress ease of use and flexibility but do not want to concern themselves with details of hosting a website. If you skip some options, you can operate a WordPress.com site for no money.

WordPress.org

WordPress.org offers the greatest degree of flexibility and options for its users. It does, however, require a willingness to be involved at least on a low to moderate level with such website details as arranging for hosting and keeping software up to date.

WordPress.com VIP

The WordPress.com VIP service is aimed at large-scale websites, such as those of CNN and Dow Jones. It is expensive and not the service for beginners. This book does not cover operating a WordPress.com VIP site.

WordPress.org MultiSite

As the name implies, WordPress.org MultiSite is intended for running a network of websites. It uses the same software that you use for running a basic WordPress.org installation but is considerably more complex to operate. If you work for a large organization such as a public school system, your school may be running a WordPress.org MultiSite installation. This book does not cover installing and operating such an installation. If you are a user at such an organization, the information here for WordPress.com users generally applies to you.

Look Closer at WordPress.org

WordPress.org lets you take advantage of open-source software, meaning you — or anyone — can download it, use it, and change it, generally for free and with few restrictions. It has been around since 2003 as a program for self-hosted blogs, and this book uses versions 3.3.1-3.5. With WordPress.org you can customize all you want. Those customizations of everything from appearance to function usually are simple to create or install. WordPress.org websites also are known as self-hosted sites, because the trade-off is that you also have to take more responsibility for site management.

Hosting

With a WordPress.org installation, you need to find and engage a web host as well as a site name. If you plan a small site with low traffic, you may be able to operate it on your Internet service provider’s site for no additional cost. More likely, you may seek out a host that caters to small site operators or one that provides automatic installation of WordPress.org software.

Appearance

Your WordPress.org site can look just about any way you want it to look. You can choose among some 1,600-plus themes that meet WordPress.org requirements — and many of them provide for further customizations. Most are free. Commercial sites that require a fee and often provide more support also are available.

Plugins

Plugins are program-like extensions that work with WordPress to add functionality. You can have as many as you want on your self-hosted WordPress blog. Plugins, which are discussed in many places in this book, let you add innumerable functions, such as providing translation of your website, improving security, or linking to Facebook. Plugins let you make your site your own.

Advertising

With a self-hosted WordPress blog, you can publish zero to endless amounts of advertising. It is up to you. You can try the full range of Internet advertising media, from links that pay commissions when people purchase a product to pay-per-click ads, such as those provided by Google.

Business

You can use your self-hosted WordPress website to sell your own products or services without restriction, other than restrictions in law or in your web host’s rules. Sell real estate, hand-made candies, computer advice, or whatever your business has to offer, and you will not have an issue with WordPress.org.

Cost

You pay nothing for your WordPress.org operating software. For a self-hosted site, you most likely will need to pay for a web hosting, which can run as low as $3.50 a month. Sometimes, your web host will provide one free domain registration when you sign up for hosting. If not, you may pay from a few dollars and up to buy a domain.

Support

In the spirit of WordPress’s open-source development, support likewise is free and open source. That is to say, WordPress.org does not have staff to answer your questions. Many, if not most, answers can be found either in the WordPress.org support pages, called the Codex, or in the WordPress.org forums.

Look Closer at WordPress.com

With WordPress.com as your blog host, you can start blogging within minutes. The user interface is simple and similar to that of self-hosted WordPress.org blogs, but WordPress.com handles updates and maintenance and has staff to answer questions. WordPress.com developed as the hosting business of the people who started WordPress.org. The trade-off of giving WordPress.com the management duties, however, is that is has limitations that may or may not work for you. Also, although the hosting is free, you may choose options that do cost money.

Appearance

WordPress.com offers about 220 themes, and they are good ones. About 20 percent of them are premium themes, meaning you must pay for them. If you want to customize your theme by editing the Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS, you must pay an annual fee. With a self-hosted WordPress blog, you can choose among countless free themes or purchased themes, or create your own.

Widgets

Although WordPress.com, unlike self-hosted installations, does not let you add plugins, it has many more widgets than self-hosted blogs. A widget allows you to arrange sidebar information without writing code. The additional widgets at WordPress.com provide the same functions as similar plugins. The downside is that you have fewer options and that the widget panel can get a little cluttered.

Ads

At WordPress.com, the blog host itself occasionally posts ads on your blog, unless you pay a no-ad fee. Also, WordPress.com does not allow most types of ads, including Google AdSense, and only allows affiliate ads — those that pay you a commission when someone buys by way of a link on your site — under special circumstances. WordPress.com offers WordAds to allow some, but not all, bloggers to make money on their WordPress.com sites.

Cost

It costs nothing to publish your blog at WordPress.com. You may, however, decide to pay fees for a variety of options. Among them are options to eliminate their ads, buy a domain name, and edit the Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS, which set such styles as color and type face for your site’s appearance. You also can pay to post videos — a cost absent from independent blogs — although you still can embed videos from sites such as YouTube.

Key Differences: Support

WordPress.com has a clearly written support section, redesigned in 2011, plus forums and a contact form for support. The support documentation for WordPress.org blogs is the Codex. Written by WordPress volunteers, its quality gets better all the time, but it is inconsistent. At WordPress.org, no support contact exists except for the forums, but they are excellent.

Sign Up at Gravatar.com

By signing up at Gravatar.com, you create a profile that promotes your online identity. Gravatar is a globally recognized avatar, which is an image that you associate with your e-mail address and that appears when you write a blog post or comment on someone else’s blog. You can use a personal photo, your business or site logo, or some other image that you want associated with you or your brand. Although you are not required to have a Gravatar, it adds to the personal touch that makes WordPress popular.

Sign Up at Gravatar.com

In your browser, go to http://en.gravatar.com.

Note: You can type http://gravatar.com, and the browser may take you to an address that presents the site in your language, such as http://es.gravatar.com, the Spanish-language version of the site.

Type your e-mail address.

Click Get Your Gravatar.

A confirmation screen appears.

In your e-mail inbox, open the message from Gravatar.

Click the activation link.

Type a username.

Type a password.

Retype the password.

Click the check box ( changes to ) to agree to the terms of service and privacy policy.

Click Signup.

The Gravatar home page appears in your browser.

A The presence of the My Account button shows you are signed in to the site.

TIP

I am signed up, but how do I add an image with my membership?

You can add an image or images by clicking My Account and then selecting Manage My Gravatars from the pop-up menu. A new window appears with a link that says Add one by clicking here! When you click that link, Gravatar takes you step by step through the uploading process. Other items on the account menu let you add profile information for public view, such as favorite links or a brief bio about yourself.

Chapter 2: Setting Up Your WordPress.com Blog

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!