Teach Yourself VISUALLY Complete WordPress E-Book

Janet Majure

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Serie: Teach Yourself VISUALLY (Tech)
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 574

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Take your WordPress skills to the next level with these tips, tricks, and tasks Congratulations on getting your blog up and running with WordPress! Now are you ready to take it to the next level? Teach Yourself VISUALLY Complete WordPress takes you beyond the blogging basics with expanded tips, tricks, and techniques with clear, step-by-step instructions accompanied by screen shots. This visual book shows you how to incorporate forums, use RSS, obtain and review analytics, work with tools like Google AdSense, and much more. * Shows you how to use mobile tools to edit and update blogs, implement SEO, and incorporate blogs into other services such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter and vice versa * Shares insight on best practices for maximizing WordPress.com and WordPress.org, customizing templates, and creating written and visual content * Offers advice for working with a variety of other tools and sites to get maximum results for your blog Beef up your blog completely with Teach Yourself VISUALLY Complete WordPress!

Leseprobe

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.10475 Crosspoint BoulevardIndianapolis, IN 46256

Published simultaneously in Canada

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

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Credits

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Project Editor

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Technical Editor

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Copy Editor

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Editorial Director

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Business Manager

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Indexing

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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.

CIf 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. Gravataris 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

Once you decide to run your blog on WordPress.com, setting it up is a snap. In this chapter, you sign up with WordPress.com, get familiar with its workings, choose among settings, and select a visual theme for your new blog’s appearance.

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

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

Sign Up with WordPress.com

With just a few simple steps, you can sign up with WordPress.com. When you do, you can start communicating, customizing, and getting in touch with the world as soon as you want.

Sign Up with WordPress.com

Navigate to http://wordpress.com in your web browser.

Click Get Started.

The signup screen appears.

Type your e-mail address.

WordPress.com inserts your e-mail name in the Username and Blog Address boxes. You can change those if you want, and WordPress.com will tell you if your selection is unavailable.

Type a password.

Click Nothanks, I’ll use the free address.

Scroll to the bottom of the page.

A This link shows the site’s terms of service.

Click Create Blog.

WordPress.com sends a confirmation link to your e-mail address.

Click Activate Blog in the e-mail you receive to confirm your account.

Note: WordPress sends you a second confirmation e-mail with links to helpful information for beginners.

TIPS

Can I just sign up without starting a blog?

Yes. You can add your own blog or site later. To sign up without starting a blog, click Sign up forjust a username next to the Blog Address box, and follow the signup instructions. Signing up lets you comment on WordPress.com blogs or, if you are a WordPress.org user, gives you access to some services managed by the WordPress.com servers.

Now that I am a member, how do I sign in?

You can go to the home page at WordPress.com and sign in at the top of the page; you can type your blog’s address plus /wp-admin, such as example.wordpress.com/wp-admin. After your blog is set up you may have a Meta section, which provides a link to log in from your blog’s home page.

Once you confirm you want a WordPress.com blog, you can get a jump-start on blogging and on full involvement with the WordPress.com community. You do it by making choices in the series of welcome screens that WordPress.com presents. By making selections there, you soon have a set of blogs to follow on topics that interest you and a general look, or theme, for your blog. You also can look for friends and change the title of your blog, all before you have published a single blog post.

A WordPress.com welcome screen appears.

Click a category or two that interest you.

B The Follow button changes to Following after you click.

Click Next Step.

The Follow Your Friends screen appears.

Click Next Step.

Note: You can connect later with your friends, as described in Chapter 8.

The Set up your blog screen appears.

Type a blog title.

Type a tagline.

Note: You can leave the default tagline, delete it, or create your own.

C The Language drop-down listlets you choose among several languages.

Click Next Step.

The theme screen appears.

Click a theme you like.

Click Next Step.

The customization screen appears.

Click Next Step.

The Create your first post screen appears.

Click Finish.

WordPress opens the first of four introductory screens.

TIP

What are the introductory screens?

They are a set of self-explanatory screens that give you a mini-tour of the WordPress.com administration pages. They give a brief introduction to all aspects of your WordPress.com installation. It is easy to be overwhelmed, so go ahead and view them, and then you can come to this book to review what you need later.

View Your New Blog

Now it is time to learn the parts and pieces that make up your new blog. That general understanding can help you to make decisions as to your blog’s appearance and content and help you understand controls behind the scenes. See your new blog by typing your blog address. For most new WordPress.com users, that address is myblog.wordpress.com, where myblog is your blog name. There, you see your blog as the world sees it, plus blogging tools if you are logged in at WordPress.com. The About page, at myblog.wordpress.com/about, is created by default and shows many aspects of a WordPress page or post.

The Home Page

A The header, which runs across the top of the screen, displays the blog title and tagline, in this case “A topnotch WordPress.com Site.”

B When you are signed in as a WordPress.com member, you see the black Admin Bar. It gives easy access to WordPress.com resources and tools.

C Most themes include a sidebar, also known as a widget area, and you get to choose items that appear in them. Your first installation may include the Meta widget. Meta refers to metadata, or information about your blog and its contents. The Search and Archives widgets appear by default.

D Once you create content, the blog posts appear in this area.

E Your initial site lists two pages in the menu bar, About and Home, which WordPress creates by default.

The About Page

A The title of the page, in this case About, corresponds with the page’s web address, such as myblog.wordpress.com/about.

B The default About page text explains the page’s purpose and how to change it.

C Sharing tools let readers tell their friends about your pages and posts. The Press Thisbutton, which is for sharing on WordPress.com, appears only to viewers who are logged in at WordPress.com.

D The Like button lets readers endorse a page or post. If they are not logged in, they are asked to log in at WordPress.com or join.

E The comment area lets readers respond to or comment on your page or post.

F When you are logged in, your pages and posts include an Edit link. Clicking it puts you behind the scenes to edit the page or post you are viewing.

Get to Know Your Blog’s Dashboard

Your blog’s Dashboard is information central. The Dashboard’s modules give you an overview of current and past activity on your blog, and you can add to your blog’s content. WordPress includes introductory text and a video on the Dashboard when you are new. You can click Hide this screen to make it go away permanently. The address for your WordPress.com administrative panels is myblog.wordpress.com/wp-admin. If you are not logged in, typing that address prompts you to do so. If you are logged in, you can find several links to the Dashboard, depending on your location.

Dashboard Modules

A Left Menu Bar

Contains navigation links for working on your WordPress blog. Most of the items expand when you click them to reveal more options.

B Right Now

Provides the facts on how many posts, pages, and other content items your blog has.

C Screen Options Tab

Expands module that lets you choose what content modules appear on your Dashboard. Other administration panels also have a Screen Options tab, and module choices vary according to what panel is active.

D Help Tab

Expands module that provides links to WordPress.com support information and to information specific to the administration panel that is active.

E QuickPress

Lets you type and publish a blog post when you are in a hurry and do not need to do anything fancy.

F Recent Comments

Reveals the names of recent commenters, the name of the post that they commented on, and the first line or two of the comment. You also can moderate comments from here.

G Recent Drafts

Shows posts and pages you have written but not published.

H Stats

Gives a snapshot of how many times people are viewing your WordPress.com blogs and what blog posts are getting the most interest.

I Your Stuff

Lists your recent posts, edits, comments made, and comments received.

J What’s Hot

Offers links to WordPress news and blogs.

K View All

Links to a page of detailed WordPpress.com statistics.

Screen Options

A Show on Screen

Indicates with a checked box () that the content item appears on your Dashboard.

B Screen Layout

Shows with a selected radio button () how many columns WordPress uses to display your Dashboard information.

C Admin Preferences

Shows with a selected radio button () the color scheme for your administration panels.

D Screen Options Collapse Button

Collapses the Screen Options box when clicked.

Understanding the WordPress.com Admin Bar

When you are logged in at WordPress.com, the Admin Bar provides a wealth of tools. With just a click, you can start a new blog post, visit other blogs, and check out your site statistics. You also find links that let you log out, search WordPress.com blogs, and go to your Dashboard. In short, if you want to do something related to WordPress.com, you probably can get to the right location from the Admin Bar. Some Admin Bar menu offerings vary depending on where you are on your own blog or other WordPress.com blogs. Simply position your mouse pointer over the menu of interest to reveal its options.

The Admin Bar

A Opens the WordPress.com menu.

B Opens blog menu, specific to the blog being viewed.

C Toggles among Follow, Following, and Unfollow the blog being viewed.

D Toggles between Like or Unlike a post or page.

Note: This toggle is not visible on blogs’ home page.

E Shows statistics graphic and links to blog statistics.

Note: Items A, B, C, and D are visible on all WordPress.com blogs when you are logged in at WordPress.com. Item E is visible only when viewing your own blog. A Reblog button appears when you are logged in and visiting another WordPress.com site.

F Opens New Post pane at the top of the screen.

G Shows recent activity on your blog or blogs.

H Opens your account menu.

I Opens WordPress.com search box.

The WordPress.com Menu

A opens the WordPress.com home page for logged-in members. That page has tabs that correspond with the items on this WordPress.com menu — New Post to open a new post panel, Reader for reading blogs you follow, Notifications that list activity on your blogs, Stats for site statistics, My Blog for blog information overview, and Freshly Pressed, which displays featured posts on WordPress.com sites. See the following section, “Understanding the WordPress.com Home Page,” for more information.

B Opens your WordPress.com settings panel.

The Blog Menu

A Shows name of blog you are visiting.

B Takes you to your blog’s Dashboard.

C Opens a menu to choose to add a new post, page, or favorite link or to upload new media.

D Opens administrative panel associated with item named — comments, menus, and widgets, all explained in later chapters.

E Provides a shortlink for current page or post, handy for Twitter or e-mail.

F Goes to a random post on the current site.

G Lists theme name.

H Opens a dialog box where you can report to WordPress.com that the post you are viewing — on your own or on some other blog — should be reviewed by WordPress.com staff as adult content, as spam, or for other reasons.

Note: Items B, C, and D are visible only when you are visiting your own site.

Your Account Menu

A Opens friend-finding page at WordPress.com.

B Opens My Blogs tab at WordPress.com home page.

C Opens main support page at WordPress.com.

D Signs you out of WordPress.com.

E Opens flyout menu for your blog. If you have more than one blog, each is listed here, and pointing to one opens the flyout menu for that blog.

F Provides links to each of the panels listed.

Note: The Read Blog option takes you to your blog’s front page from other WordPress.com sites.

Understanding the WordPress.com Home Page

When you are logged in at WordPress.com, you have access to your WordPress.com activity at the WordPress.com home page. It has links that let you create a new post, read other WordPress.com blogs, review your site statistics, and get an overview of your blogs. In addition, the Settings panel, accessible through the home page, gives you one spot to update such account details as your password and the e-mail address where you get WordPress notices. WordPress.com offers multiple paths to the same destination. Go to the home page by typing http://wordpress.com into your web browser or by clicking the WordPress menu icon ().

Home Page Links

A Opens pages corresponding to tab names. The default landing page is Reader, which shows posts in blogs you are following. The other pages let you see your site’s statistics, see an overview of your blog or blogs, or take a look at “Freshly Pressed,” blog posts that WordPress.com staff have selected to highlight. Chapter 9 discusses WordPress.com site statistics in detail.

B Lets you manage your Reader page content.

C Adds topics to Reader page content.

D Opens a create new post page within the WordPress.com pages, as opposed to your administration panels.

E Reveals list of recent activity related to your blog or blogs.

F Opens menu leading to your administration panel, settings, help, and more.

My Blogs Page

A Links to your Posts, Pages, and Comment panels in your blog’s administrative area.

B Link to your blog’s Dashboard.

C Link to your blog’s Themes panel.

Freshly Pressed

A Posts recommended by WordPress.com staff.

B Toggle to switch between list and grid views.

Create Your WordPress.com Profile

Your WordPress.com public profile allows you to tell the world who you are through words, pictures, and links. This information is public and displayed at Gravatar.com, so do not include any information you want to keep private. The image also appears along with your name whenever you leave comments on other WordPress.com blogs. You can complete your profile by clicking Users and then My Profile in the left menu bar of your blog’s Dashboard. If you prefer, on the WordPress.com home page when you are logged in, you can click your avatar, then click Settings in the menu that appears, and then click PublicProfile.

Create Your WordPress.com Profile

Note: This example is on the My Profile panel in your administration panels.

Type your first name.

Type your last name.

Type the name that you want to appear on your blog as your posts’ author.

Type a sentence or paragraph about you that you think readers might want to know.

Click Update Profile to save changes, and scroll down to reveal more profile options.

Click Change your Gravatar.

The Upload your Gravatar window opens.

Choose an option for uploading an image if you want, and follow the directions that appear.

Choose Edit My Profile from the Main Menu.

The My Public Profile page opens.

Type the web address in the URL box of any web page you like plus a name for the page in the Title box.

Click Add Link.

Click Update Profile.

TIPS

Where does my profile appear?

Several places, all served through Gravatar.com, which is operated by the same company, Automattic Inc., that owns WordPress.com. Your Gravatar and pop-up profile, or Gravatar Hovercard, appear with comments you make on WordPress.com blogs and on posts where you click Like. It is associated with your e-mail address.

I do not want my picture and information all over the place. Can I opt out?

Not exactly, because you automatically have a Gravatar account when you sign up with WordPress.com. However, you can leave your profile information blank, and only a symbol and your username appear when you comment or like a post.

Select Your General Settings

You can polish your site’s title, add a tagline, and choose time formats, among other options, on the General Settings page. You can also upload an image to serve as a favicon, which appears in the address bar next to your blog’s address. And if you do not like your choices, you can always change them later.

Select Your General Settings

On the Dashboard, click Settings to open the settings list.

If you want to modify your blog’s title, type the new name in the Site Title box.

Type your blog’s tagline in the Tagline box, which by default contains the tagline “Just another WordPress.com site.” Or delete it and leave it blank.

In the Timezone box select a city in your time zone from the pop-up list or your time relative to UTC, or coordinated universal time.

Note: Scroll up in the pop-up list to find cities. If you choose a UTC setting, you must manually reset the zone for daylight saving time.

Review the date and time formats and click to choose one other than the default ( changes to ).

Click Browse to find an image on your computer for your Blog Picture/Icon.

Once you locate an image, click Upload Image to upload it.

The image appears on a new screen.

Click and drag the white selection box to choose the area you want for your image.

Note: You can click the box’s edge, and then drag it to stretch or shrink the selection.

Click Crop Image.

A confirmation screen opens with a Back to Blog Options link. Click it to return to General Settings.

Select the first day of the week you prefer for WordPress calendars from the drop-down menu.

If you plan to write in a language other than English, choose it from the drop-down menu.

Click Save Changes.

TIPS

What is the difference between the Gravatar on the profile page and the Blog Picture/Icon on the General Settings page?

The Gravatar is an icon, also known as an avatar, associated with your e-mail address and appears with comments you make. The Blog Picture/Icon on this page — known as blavatar to indicate a blog avatar — is an icon specifically for your blog. It appears as the favicon in your blog’s URL when people visit as well as in the WordPress.com Admin Bar.

Can I have the same image for both Gravatar and blavatar?

Absolutely. Many people prefer to use the same image for consistency, but you must upload the image twice — once for each purpose.

Consider Premium WordPress.com Options

You can do more customizing of your WordPress.com site when you buy premium features. These let you use your own domain name, do a custom Cascading Style Sheet, or CSS, and more. WordPress.com gives you many prompts to find the premium options, but the easiest and most consistent may be to click Store