Setting Up Your Blog Part 2 – Wordpress

I’ve already taught you how to setup a blog using blogger.com, and I promised that I’d show you how to setup a wordpress.org blog, so I’m keeping to that.  It’s taken me some time to gather up my thoughts, but now I’m ready; so here it is:

WordPress is the most popular blogging software used online today. This is because it is not only free to use, but has a huge support community that helps new and veteran users alike.

The biggest advantage to using WordPress, is that it is constantly being updated and improved upon. In fact, because it is open source software, there are hundreds, if not thousands of programmers constantly creating WordPress plugins.

These plugins are basically like bonus features you can use with the software, to upgrade its functionality (Making your life much, much easier).

One major feature of the software, is that it automatically creates a RSS feed for your blog (The benefits of RSS will be discussed later on).

Each time you post to your blog, the software automatically updates your feed. This is a dynamic feature that will help expose your blog to a wider audience, and best of all, requires no extra work on your part.

Installing WordPress

The first step you will need to take, is to download WordPress.

You can then follow the detailed installation instructions. Should you run into any problems, don’t hesitate to use the support forum.

After you have installed the software, you will want to change your theme. The theme is simply the layout/design of your blog. You can make it look as simple, or as creative as you wish.

Once you have chosen your preferred theme, simply download the file to your hard drive. The zip file should contain easy installation instructions for changing your theme in a few simple steps. Then upload it to your webserver in your wordpress themes directory, and in your wordpress admin menu, click design, themes, and then select your new them.

These are just the basics you need to get started using WordPress to power your blog. As you become more familiar with the software, you can slowly begin to use more of the advanced features and plugins.

And there you have it, the simplest way to setup your wordpress.org blog.  Does anyone have any tips and tricks that you have learned as you’ve run into issues in getting started?