Episode 29: How to Make a WordPress Blog

In the twenty-ninth episode of the WordPress Briefing, Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy reminds us of our WordPress roots — running a blog — and discusses the fundamentals of beginning your first weblog on WordPress.

Have a query you’d like answered? You can submit them to wpbriefing@wordpress.org, both written or as a voice recording.

Credits

References

Transcript

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:00:00]  

Hello everybody. And welcome to the WordPress Briefing. The podcast the place you’ll be able to catch fast explanations of the concepts behind the WordPress open supply undertaking, some perception into the group that helps it, and get a small listing of huge issues arising within the subsequent two weeks. I’m your host, Josepha Haden Chomphosy.

Here we go.

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:00:39]  

All proper. So you’ve been listening to this podcast for a whereas. You could also be considered one of these contributors I hold mentioning; you could be an company proprietor or freelancer. Maybe you’ve puzzled how to make a WordPress weblog in your huge concept. Or, possibly you’re one of many many individuals who use WordPress for his or her undertaking or enterprise. Before WordPress was generally known as a content material administration system, as a approach to get websites on-line quick, it was a running a blog device.

We have lengthy since outgrown that, however even 19 years into our journey, running a blog continues to be a key a part of what WordPress permits you to do. That’s as a result of even after these 19 years, the mission of WordPress continues to be the identical. And that’s to democratize publishing, to assist folks have a place on-line the place they will inform their tales or share their tasks or arrange their companies.

If you’ve ever tried to arrange a weblog, that there isn’t a lot of details about what to know earlier than you get going in any respect. So I’m going to speak about that a little bit at the moment. And simply by the best way, in the event you heard the phrase weblog proper now and thought, oh, Josepha, how quaint? I feel it’s necessary to keep in mind that there’s a enterprise benefit to having well-written, related content material in your web site.

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:01:59]

And in the event you’re not running a blog for enterprise, as a result of not all of us are, then the advantages are a little totally different however nonetheless necessary to my thoughts. Things just like the cathartic advantages of journaling, a probability to construct group, and the final significance of preserving knowledge for the ages. Anyway, again to the subject at hand. Before we are able to get to any of the flowery issues that WordPress can do these days, it’s necessary to know a few issues as you prepare to arrange your first ever web site.  

So let’s dive in. Here is the way you want to get your self began. First, have an concept and a plan. So have an concept for what you’re doing, the idea of your content material, who you need to attain, and a few idea of a area title. I might encourage you to not essentially get your coronary heart set on a area title at first. Cause, like, if you need the area title, wordpress.org, like we personal that, you’ll be able to have that! But if that you really want a area like WordPressbloggingforthefuture.com, like that one is likely to be extra obtainable. And if the sort of phrases you need in your area, you could be a bit versatile about what’s there. 

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:03:09]

The second factor that you simply want to do is that in case you are simply getting began, ask your self the query, what kind of host do I need? We sort of talked about all alongside the WordPress course of that, like, you want a good host, however it’s not all the time clear the place that call has to occur. It occurs proper right here in the beginning, earlier than you even know what WordPress is more often than not.

So, the earliest query that you’ve to reply for your self is what kind of host do I need? Where do I need my web site to dwell? So ask your self how a lot you need to get into the upkeep and configuration of your web site and the {hardware} that it lives on versus creating content material or holding your store up to date. 

There’s this entire spectrum of internet hosting choices, and so they vary from full service the place they are going to hold your WordPress software program up to date, present each day backups, and have buyer help if one thing goes actually incorrect. So it ranges all the best way from full service like that each one the best way down to primarily zero providers, simply sort of hands-off.

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:04:11] 

They offer you a area to hold your WordPress software program, to hold your WordPress web site. But they go away every thing else up to you. They go away the backups up to you. They go away updating up to you, issues like. So that’s the very first thing you may have to ask your self. And the primary query you may have to have the option to reply. Most of the time, you will have to begin with one of many full-service choices. That approach, that your software program is about up accurately and safely from the beginning. And as you study extra concerning the software program and what you need and what you want, and you’ve got the flexibility to study within the time that you’ve, the extra which you can add on both service with the prevailing hosts that you simply selected or shifting to a totally different host; nevertheless that works out for you.

So if that one feels like the proper choice, you then select a host, go to their web site, and really most of them may have a approach to stroll you thru how to arrange a WordPress web site inside their system. Most of the time, it’s only one click on after which they ask you some questions to get some configurations proper.

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:05:10] 

The different choice that on the like zero, zero service aspect, that’s not fairly honest, however , the opposite aspect of that spectrum that most likely might be interesting to you in case you are already aware of code or already understand how to handle a server or, or you understand how to work on this factor known as c-panel, et cetera.

So if you have already got a lot of knowledge on how all of that works, you’ll be able to, if you need to, head over to wordpress.org/obtain, and you may obtain a zip file of the WordPress software program and set that up in your individual surroundings. 

Okay, fast verify right here. If this all sounds roughly doable to you, or at the least it appears like we’re in the proper start line, however you end up pondering, gosh, I simply want she would decelerate a little.

I’ve received you coated. In the present notes, you’ll discover a hyperlink to one of many Learn WP programs for getting began with WordPress. There’s a part on selecting a host in addition to numerous different early steps of this course of. So in the event you felt like I blazed via all of that, which actually I sort of did, you’ll be able to work via these classes in that course, at your individual tempo, and it’s, and it’s actually a superb information.

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:06:24] 

All proper. Let’s faux we did all of that. Now you’ve received your self a web site. The factor that you will have to do subsequent, or slightly the very first thing that you simply’ll discover when you get your web site up and operating, is that there’s this ‘Hello World’ publish– there’s a publish that already exists in there. The Hello World publish is a placeholder for the frequent options of a weblog publish.

There, you could find your featured picture, your title, your content material, and even some pretend feedback. You can both edit this publish as a way to see how your writing will look from the beginning, and you may sort of examine like, okay, the Hello World half over right here on this web page, exists on this discipline over right here on this web page. So you’ll be able to sort of see the place every thing works, the way it all appears to be like collectively. Or, in the event you’re extra aware of WordPress or CMS usually, you’ll be able to merely take away that and begin recent. 

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:07:17]

So we’ve received now a web site, we all know, sort of, how to take a look at our posts and create posts, the place feedback are, the place they will sort of be moderated and stuff. And so, essentially the most enjoyable activity for everybody is selecting a theme. But if it’s not a enjoyable activity, if it doesn’t sound like a enjoyable activity to you, I may help you sort of do some, select your individual journey guiding questions right here. 

Firstly, you’ll be able to ask your self the way you need the positioning to look. Do you need it to largely be a lot of images or solely phrases, largely animations? You can head to the theme listing and seek for a theme with a lot of the options that you really want. There’s like a filtering system the place you’ll be able to put in, like, you need three columns as a way to have three columns of textual content if you need it to look sort of like an old style newspaper sort of format and issues like.

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:08:12]

There’s additionally a approach to search for themes inside your occasion, your WordPress web site, however like, in the event you haven’t set that up but, however you do nonetheless need to see sort of what your theme choices are, you’ll be able to go to wordpress.org/themes and and take a take a look at what’s on the market. Just as a fast aspect be aware, in the event you get to that theme listing, in the event you get to wordpress.org/themes, and it feels overwhelming, which I can perceive, I like to recommend beginning with a theme that’s designed for running a blog particularly as a way to see how issues look instantly.

And there’s truly a theme that does include each WordPress web site. So in the event you’re not prepared, you’ll be able to skip this factor solely and simply work with the theme that’s already there. Every phrase, press occasion ships with a theme and it’s absolutely practical once you, once you get your web site up and operating. So you don’t want to select a theme proper now in the event you don’t really feel prepared.

And then the opposite very enjoyable factor that folks do with their WordPress websites is to add plugins to them. So plugins are these little items of software program that you simply add on to the WordPress software program that lets it do extra issues. It provides extra performance. The questions which you can ask to sort of information your self via what types of plugins you may want, what types of performance you may want to add to your web site are a little comparable to those that you really want to ask for determining which theme. 

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:09:36]

So work out if there are duties that you simply want guests to do. Do you want them to contact you? Do you need them to watch a video? Should they overview and reply to questions?

If you may have a idea of the issues that you really want customers to do in your web site, then you’ll be able to head to the plugin listing and seek for a plugin with options that you simply want. Also, there are simply infinite lists of advisable plugins on the market; if that’s one thing that you simply discover priceless as a part of your analysis, these are additionally straightforward to discover.

And as a basic aspect be aware right here, there are much more plugins than there are themes. So you probably have gotten to this level and really feel such as you don’t fairly know the solutions to the questions that I shared, and, and it’s going to be a whereas till you’re feeling like you’ll be able to know what these solutions are. That’s completely high quality.

I’ll inform you this. I’ve by no means seen a web site with out a contact kind. So be at liberty to start your journey there. There are a lot of nice plugins for contact varieties and it may sort of assist you determine how to work with plugins in that approach. So yeah, I made it sound like you will get a WordPress web site inbuilt like seven minutes and on the one hand you positively can.

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:09:36]

And alternatively, it’s nonetheless a little bit extra sophisticated. So right here I’ve a last be aware for everybody. You will hear across the WordPress ecosystem. And clearly, right here, are some issues that would make you’re feeling a little nervous about doing this for the primary time. Things just like the five-second set up, which WordPress has been well-known for years.

But additionally about how straightforward and easy all of it is. And as any individual who was as soon as within the place of studying WordPress for the primary time, like I first encountered a WordPress web site in 2009 and I began studying how to use WordPress in 2010. So I can say with confidence that when you study it, it’s straightforward.

We are the best of the laborious choices for CMS. Like content material administration methods are simply sophisticated, however we’re the best one on the market. And so, as you’re studying, I need to simply remind you to have fun your small wins alongside the best way. If you’re feeling such as you’re late to this running a blog recreation, like you need to have had a web site for years. I imply, positive that might be true. And sure, the most effective time to plant a tree was 20 years in the past. But the second-best time to plant that tree is at the moment. 

WordPress didn’t begin out powering over 40% of the net, and your first web site can’t be instantly measured within the thousands and thousands of readers. So, what is going to your small starting lead you to? 

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:12:25]

And now that brings us to our small listing of huge issues. 

The first one, the subsequent launch of WordPress, WordPress 6.0, has reached its beta part. That means the complete focus is on discovering and fixing the bugs we unintentionally created throughout this improvement cycle. Beta two comes out tomorrow and you may comply with alongside within the core channel within the Making WordPress Slack.

If you’ve by no means seen how these releases get packaged, and in the event you simply need to regulate what everyone’s doing as a way to be the primary to know, yeah, Making WordPress Slack is the best way to go. 

The second factor on our small listing is that talking of WordPress 6.0, we had the general public stroll via a couple of weeks in the past, which implies that in a few weeks, I’ll do a WordPress 6.0 sneak peek. I’ll share some highlights of the discharge options and why I feel they’re tremendous necessary for you to take a look. Sooner slightly than later. 

Josepha Haden Chomphosy [00:13:22]

And then the ultimate, huge factor, in case you are new to WordPress and this episode has you all fired up to begin your weblog, we have now a bunch of contributors over on the Learn WP staff which have simply the factor for you.

You can be part of the web social studying area known as How to Make a WordPress Blog. It’s a free on-line occasion that may aid you get began. I’ll hyperlink the data within the present notes beneath. And I’ll additionally share within the present notes, a listing of WordPress Meetup teams, the place you could find extra alternatives to study and get help from different folks domestically who’re additionally doing issues with WordPress. 

But you may also discover a listing within the dashboard of your newly put in WordPress weblog you little question have after this podcast.  

And that my pals is your small listing of huge issues. Thank you for tuning in at the moment for the WordPress Briefing. I’m your host Josepha Haden Chomphosy, and I’ll see you once more in a couple of weeks.