Let's see . . . it was 2003 when I discovered the wonders of WordPress. Way back then (and in Internet years, that's actually a lot of time), I was using Movable Type as my blogging platform. My friend Chelle introduced me to the WordPress software. "Try it," she said. "You'll really like it."
As a creature of habit, I felt reluctant to make the change. But I haven't looked back. I've been with WordPress ever since.
Blogs are here to stay. Authors, students, parents, business owners, academics, hobbyists — you name it — use blogs as a matter of course.
WordPress has been a huge part of the blogging boom. Today, it's the most popular blogging platform for personal, business, and corporate bloggers alike.
To a brand-new user, some aspects of WordPress can seem a little bit intimidating. After you take a look under the hood, however, you begin to realize how intuitive, friendly, and extensible the software is.
This book presents an in-depth look at two popular versions of WordPress:
The hosted version available at
WordPress.comThe self-hosted version available at
WordPress.org
The book also covers managing and maintaining your WordPress blog through the use of WordPress plugins and themes.
If you're interested in taking a detailed look at the blogging and Web site services provided by WordPress, you happen to have just the right book in your hands.
This book covers all the important aspects of WordPress that new users need to know to begin using the software for their own blog (or blogs). I cover the two most popular versions of WordPress, highlighting all the important topics, such as these:
Locating good hosting services for the self-hosted version of the software (available at
WordPress.org)Installing and setting up the
WordPress.orgsoftwareNavigating the Dashboards of both the hosted and self-hosted versions of WordPress
Adding media files to your blog
Finding and installing free themes to use in your WordPress blog
Using basic coding to design your own WordPress theme or modify the one you're using
Using templates and tags in WordPress
Choosing to use the multiple-site WordPress Network option to host a network of multiple blogs on your domain
Discovering the potential pitfalls associated with each version
Understanding the challenges you face when running a WordPress–powered site, such as dodging comment and trackback spam
Exploring RSS feed syndication
Migrating your existing blog to WordPress (if you are using a different blogging platform, such as Blogspot, Movable Type, or TypePad)
Discovering the power of WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS) to create a full Web site, not just a blog
Upgrading your WordPress blog and staying up to date and informed about ongoing WordPress software development
Finding support, tips, and resources for using the WordPress software
With WordPress, you can truly tailor a blog to your own tastes and needs. All the tools are out there. Some of them are packaged with the WordPress software; others are third-party plugins and add-ons created by members of the WordPress user community. It takes a little research, knowledge, and time on your part to put together a blog that suits your needs and gives your readers an exciting experience that keeps them coming back for more.
Throughout the book, I apply the following typography conventions to guide you through some of the information I present:
When I ask you to type something, the text that you're supposed to type is in bold.
When I suggest a keyword that you may want to enter in a search engine, that term appears in italics.
Text that appears in this
special fontis certain to be a URL (Web address), e-mail address, filename, folder name, or code.When I use a term that I think you may not be familiar with, I apply italics to that term to let you know that I'm defining it.
In some instances, I give you a basic idea of what a Web address or block of code looks like. When the text that you see may be different, depending on your settings and preferences, I apply italics to that text.
Don't read supermarket tabloids. They're certain to rot your brain.
This book covers the details of how to set up, use, and maintain the software for WordPress.com and WordPress.org. I don't intend for you to read this book from cover to cover (unless you're my mother — then I won't forgive you if you don't). Rather, hit the Table of Contents and the Index of this book to find the information you need.
If you never intend to run a hosted WordPress blog on your own Web server, you can skip Chapters 6–8.
If you have no interest in setting up a hosted blog at WordPress.com, skip Chapters 3–5.
If you aren't interested in digging in to the code of a WordPress template, and don't want to find out how to apply CSS or HTML to enhance your design, you can skip Part V of this book (Chapters 12–15).
Long story short: Take what you need, and leave the rest.
I'll never know what assumptions you've made about me at this point, but I can tell you a few things that I already assume about you:
You know what a computer is. You can turn it on, and you understand that if you spill coffee on your keyboard, you'll have to run out and get a replacement.
You understand how to hook yourself into the Internet and know the basics of using a Web browser to surf Web sites and blogs.
You have a basic understanding of what blogs are, and you're interested in using WordPress to start your own blog. Or you already have a blog, are already using WordPress, and want to understand the program better so that you can do more cool stuff and stop bugging your geeky best friend whenever you have a question about something. Or, even better, you already have a blog on another blogging platform and want to move your blog to WordPress.
You know what e-mail is. You know what an e-mail address is. You actually have an e-mail address, and you send and receive e-mail on a semiregular basis.
This book is made up of six parts that introduce you to the WordPress platform, including detailed information on two very popular versions of WordPress: the hosted version of WordPress.com and the self-hosted version of WordPress.org. Also included is detailed information on WordPress themes and templates.
Part I: Introducing WordPress
The first part gives you an overview of WordPress and the advantages of making it your blogging platform. You may think of WordPress as coming in three "flavors": vanilla (WordPress.com hosted solution), chocolate (WordPress.org self-hosted solution), and Neapolitan (WordPress MU, the multiuser solution). In this part, you also discover some of the fun aspects of blogging, such as RSS feed syndication and reader interaction through comments.
Part II: Using the WordPress Hosted Service
Part II takes you through signing up with the hosted service for a blog. You tour the Administration panel, explore writing and managing your blog, find out how to change the various themes available in this version, and discover how to enhance your blog and widgets.
Part III: Self-Hosting with WordPress.org
Part III explores the single-user version of the WordPress software available at WordPress.org. You install this software on your own hosted Web server, so I give you valuable information about domain registration, Web hosting providers, and a few of the basic tools (such as FTP) that you need to install to set up a WordPress blog. I also familiarize you with the Administration panel, where you personalize your blog and explore many of the settings that you need to manage and maintain your WordPress–powered blog.
Part IV: Flexing and Extending WordPress
This part shows you how to add images to your pages, including how to create a photo gallery on your site.
This part also reveals how to find, install, and use various WordPress plugins to extend the functionality of your blog. It also steps into the world of WordPress themes, showing you where to find free themes, install them, and use them.
Part V: Customizing WordPress
Part V takes an in-depth look at the structure of a WordPress theme by taking you through each of the templates and explaining the template tags each step of the way. You find information on basic CSS and HTML that helps you tweak the free theme that you are using or even create your own theme.
This part also looks at the use of WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS) to power a full-blown Web site as well as a blog. Additionally, this part of the book takes you through how to configure WordPress to allow multiple sites, which gives you the option of running a network of multiple sites with one single installation of the WordPress software.
If the topics covered in this part of the book aren't ones you're interested in getting involved with yourself, the last chapter of this part talks about bringing in the professionals — the consultants who can help you achieve a custom-designed blog, as well as assist you with search engine optimization.
Part VI: The Part of Tens
The Part of Tens is in every For Dummies book that you will ever pick up. This part introduces ten Web sites that have really stretched the functionality of WordPress through plugins and themes. This part also shows you ten popular free WordPress themes that you can use to create a nice, clean look for your blog. Further, in this part you discover ten great WordPress plugins that you can use to provide your visitors (and yourself) some great functionality.
Tip
Icons emphasize a point to remember, a danger to be aware of, or information that I think you may find helpful. Those points are illustrated as such:
Tips are little bits of information that you may find useful.
Warning
I use this icon to point out dangerous situations.
Note
All geeky stuff goes here. I don't use this icon very often, but when I do, you know you're about to encounter technical mumbo-jumbo.
Note
When you see this icon, read the text next to it two or three times to brand it into your brain so that you remember whatever it was that I think you need to remember.
As I mention in the "What You Are Not to Read" section of this introduction, take what you need, and leave the rest. This book is a veritable smorgasbord of WordPress information, ideas, concepts, tools, resources, and instruction. Some of it will apply directly to what you want to do with your WordPress blog. Other parts deal with topics that you're only mildly curious about, so you may want to skim those pages.