WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition

The bestselling guide to WordPress, fully updated for newest version of WordPress WordPress, the popular, free blogging platform, has been updated with new features and improvements. Bloggers who are new to WordPress will learn to take full advantage of its flexibility and usability with the advice in this friendly guide. Previous editions have sold nearly 50,000 copies, and interest in blogging continues to explode. WordPress is a state-of-the-art blog platform that emphasizes aesthetics, Web standards, and usability WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition covers both the free-hosted WordPress.com version and WordPress.org, which requires users to purchase Web hosting services Written by an expert who works directly with the developers and cofounder of WordPress Shows readers how to set up and maintain a blog with WordPress and how to use all the new features Like its earlier editions, WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition helps bloggers quickly and easily take advantage of everything this popular blogging tool has to offer. WordPress For Dummies®, 3rd Edition......Page 1 Table of Contents......Page 8 Foreword......Page 15 Introduction......Page 17 Part I: Introducing WordPress......Page 23 Discovering the Benefits of WordPress......Page 25 Choosing a WordPress Platform......Page 29 This Crazy Little Thing Called Blog......Page 33 Dipping In to Blog Technologies......Page 34 Moving On to the Business of Blogging......Page 41 Part II: Using the WordPress Hosted Service......Page 43 Creating a WordPress.com Account......Page 45 Navigating WordPress.com......Page 48 Using the WordPress.com Dashboard......Page 50 Setting Important Options Before You Blog......Page 56 Ready? Set? Blog!......Page 67 Organizing Your Blog by Subject......Page 79 Creating and Categorizing Your Blogroll......Page 81 Managing and Inviting Users......Page 85 Managing Comments and Comment Spam......Page 88 Creating a Static Page......Page 94 Setting Up Your Front Page......Page 96 Publishing a Public or Private Blog......Page 98 Establishing Trust Relationships with OpenID......Page 99 Changing Your Blog’s Look......Page 101 Widget Wonder: Adding Handy Tools to Your Sidebar......Page 103 Upgrading Your Hosted Service (For a Fee)......Page 108 Naming Your Domain......Page 110 Part III: Self-Hosting with WordPress.org......Page 111 Establishing Your Domain......Page 113 Finding a Home for Your Blog......Page 116 Transferring Files from Point A to Point B......Page 119 Installing WordPress......Page 120 Logging In to the Dashboard......Page 131 Navigating the Dashboard......Page 132 Arranging the Dashboard to Your Tastes......Page 141 Configuring the Settings......Page 144 Creating Your Personal Profile......Page 161 Setting Your Blog’s Format......Page 163 Staying on Topic with Categories......Page 169 Link Lists: Sharing Your Favorite Sites......Page 174 Examining a Blog Post’s Address: Permalinks......Page 181 Discovering the Many WordPress RSS Options......Page 187 Blog It!: Writing Your First Entry......Page 189 Look Who’s Talking on Your Blog......Page 197 Part IV: Flexing and Extending WordPress......Page 201 Chapter 9: Media Management: Images, Audio, and Video......Page 203 Inserting Images into Your Blog Posts......Page 204 Inserting Video Files into Your Blog Posts......Page 213 Keeping Media Files Organized......Page 215 Chapter 10: Making the Most of WordPress Plugins......Page 219 Finding Out What Plugins Are......Page 220 Getting the Most out of the Plugins Included with WordPress......Page 226 Using Plugins: Just the Basics......Page 229 Installing Plugins Manually......Page 231 Uploading and Activating Plugins......Page 235 Setting Plugin Options......Page 237 Uninstalling Plugins......Page 238 Understanding the Open Source Environment......Page 240 Getting Started with Free Themes......Page 243 Activating a New Theme......Page 248 Browsing and Installing Themes from the Dashboard......Page 250 Deciding to Use Premium Themes......Page 252 Part V: Customizing WordPress......Page 255 Chapter 12: Understanding Themes and Templates......Page 257 Using WordPress Themes: The Basics......Page 258 Contemplating the Structure of a WordPress Blog......Page 261 Examining the Anatomy of a Template Tag......Page 263 Getting Familiar with the Four Main Templates......Page 264 Customizing Your Blog Posts with Template Tags......Page 276 Putting a Theme Together......Page 277 Using Tags with Parameters for Sidebars......Page 281 Checking Out Miscellaneous but Useful Template Tags......Page 294 Styling with CSS: The Basics......Page 297 Changing the Background Color......Page 303 Using Your Own Header Image......Page 306 Creating Custom Navigation Menus......Page 308 Changing Font Styles, Colors, and Sizes......Page 312 Chapter 14: Beyond Blogging: WordPress as a Content Management System......Page 315 Creating the Front Page of Your Web Site......Page 316 Adding a Blog to Your Web Site......Page 320 Defining Specific Templates for Static Pages......Page 322 Creating a Template for Each Post Category......Page 326 Pulling In Content from a Single Category......Page 327 Using Sidebar Templates......Page 330 Custom Styles for Sticky, Category, and Tag Posts......Page 331 Working with Custom Post Types......Page 333 Optimizing Your WordPress Blog......Page 338 Chapter 15: Hosting Multiple Sites with WordPress......Page 343 Considering Web Hosting Services......Page 344 Enabling the WordPress Network Feature......Page 345 Setting Up the WordPress Network......Page 349 Exploring the Super Admin Dashboard Menu......Page 351 Using Plugins within Your Network......Page 363 Part VI: The Part of Tens......Page 365 Chapter 16: Ten Great Sites That Use WordPress as a CMS......Page 367 Mosaic Consulting, Inc.......Page 368 Queensryche......Page 369 MommyCast......Page 370 John James Jacoby......Page 371 E.Webscapes Design Studio......Page 372 WP Print......Page 373 ShareThis......Page 374 All in One SEO Pack......Page 375 WP Super Cache......Page 376 In Chapter 2, I explain the relationship between PHP and MySQL.Twitter Tools......Page 377 WordPress.com Stats......Page 378 Hybrid......Page 379 designPile......Page 380 P2......Page 381 Carrington Blog......Page 382 iTheme......Page 383 Gridline Lite......Page 384 Appendix: Migrating Your Existing Blog to WordPress......Page 385 Movin’ On Up......Page 386 Preparing for the Big Move......Page 387 Converting Templates......Page 388 Moving Your Blog......Page 389 Finding Other Import Resources......Page 396 Index......Page 397 Bloggers love WordPress! If you're ready to start using this free blogging software, WordPress For Dummies, 2nd Edition is just what you and your blog need to make a splash. Professional blog designer Lisa Sabin-Wilson shows you how to use all the latest upgrades to WordPress and helps you decide whether to use the Wordpress.com hosted service or self-host your blog with WordPress.org. Whether you're just venturing into the blogosphere or you want to shift an existing blog to WordPress, WordPress For Dummies, 2nd Edition will help. Explore theme development and learn where to find free WordPress themes Extend WordPress through plug-ins, CSS, custom fields, and more Find out about archiving, interacting with readers through comments, tracking back, and handling spam Get the scoop on domain registration, Web hosting providers, basic tools like FTP, and more Create a unique blog theme and presentation by using template tags with CSS Sign up for WordPress.com, log in, set options, and create a profile Install WordPress.org, set up a MySQL database, explore RSS feeds, and organize a blogroll Discover the secrets of creating a blog that draws readers Get tips on wonderful widgets, upgrades, and plugins you can add to make your blog extra cool Learn how to use the Dashboard, manage comments, and make permalinks work with your Web server With WordPress For Dummies, 2nd Edition on hand, it's easy to make the most of the free software and build a blog that stands out in a crowd. The bestselling guide to WordPress, fully updated to help you get your blog going! Millions of bloggers rely on WordPress, the popular, free blogging platform. This guide covers all the features and improvements in the most up-to-date version of WordPress. Whether you are switching to WordPress from another blogging platform or just starting your first blog, you'll find the advice in this friendly guide gets you up to speed on both the free-hosted WordPress.com version and WordPress.org, which requires the purchase of web hosting services, and figure out which version is best for you. You'll be able to take full advantage of the flexibility and usability of WordPress. WordPress is a state-of-the-art blog platform that emphasizes aesthetics, web standards, and usability Previous editions of this guide have sold more than 85,000 copies, and interest in blogging continues to explode Illustrates how to set up and maintain a blog with WordPress and how to use all the new features Covers both the free-hosted WordPress.com version and WordPress.org, which requires users to purchase web hosting services Written by an expert who works directly with developers and the cofounder of WordPress This guide helps bloggers quickly and easily take advantage of everything this popular blogging tool has to offer. Introduction Introducing WordPress. What WordPress can do for you ; WordPress blogging basics Using the WordPress hosted service. Getting started with WordPress.com ; Writing and managing your blog ; Enhancing your blog with themes, widgets, and upgrades Self-hosting with WordPress.org. Setting up blogging base camp ; Understanding the WordPress.org Dashboard ; Establishing your blog routine Flexing and extending WordPress. Media management: images, audio, and video ; Making the most of WordPress plugins ; Finding and installing WordPress themes Customizing WordPress. Understanding themes and templates ; Tweaking WordPress themes The part of tens. Ten popular WordPress plugins ; Ten free WordPress themes ; Appendix: Upgrading, backing up, and migrating. The bestselling guide to WordPress, fully updated for newest version of WordPressWordPress, the popular, free blogging platform, has been updated with new features and improvements. Bloggers who are new to WordPress will learn to take full advantage of its flexibility and usability with the advice in this friendly guide.Previous editions have sold nearly 50,000 copies, and interest in blogging continues to explode.WordPress is a state-of-the-art blog platform that emphasizes aesthetics, Web standards, and usability__WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition____WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition__