You'll need one of these too.
[This post is part of the Ultimate Guide to Launching a WordPress-Powered Blog series.]
Before we get started there’s a few things that you should definitely know since I’ll be walking through my particular way of starting a WordPress blog.
My hope is that if you meet these “requirements” that you’ll be well situated to walk with me through this series without much trouble.
But, if you do not meet the requirements, I hope it’ll encourage you to meet them! Your blog content is worth the time required to make it the very best, right?
So here’s the list of things that you’ll need as well as a few assumptions:
- I assume that you’ll be using WordPress as your blogging platform. Some of these strategies that I’ll outline can definitely be applied to other blogging software but the vast majority will be related to WordPress. Here’s why I choose WordPress over all the other options out there.
- We’ll be walking through setting up a self-hosted WordPress blog: WordPress.org, not WordPress.com. If you find yourself in the latter camp here’s a post on how to quickly migrate from .com to .org. Interested to know the difference? I’ve written a post on the differences here.
- As such, I assume that you have a hosting provider and a server solution. Direct access to these things is very important and will be necessary.
- I assume that you are familiar enough with WordPress to know your way around the admin interface.
- You’ll need to have some very basic knowledge of editing your theme file via FTP. When we get to those spots I’ll have more info on how to do these things so no need to worry too much.
- You’ll need to know how to download and install WordPress Themes and WordPress Plugins.
- You need to be comfortable copy and pasting code that I will give you.
- I assume you understand how to signup and use other web applications. I will walk through these as well. Launching the blog itself will be only a part of the entire experience as I will help you with the right 3rd party applications that you need to be running as well!
- I assume that you’ll be doing this yourself and not someone doing these things for you. Your goal is to become a better blogger and a lot of these things that I will attempt to share and teach you will not be transferable unless you do them yourself.
- I assume you want a better blog and that you’ve got the gumption to go for it!
Great! That should cover about 99% of what you’ll need to get started.
Have any questions or clarification on any of the core assumptions? Need any help getting these things in line? Comment below!
[This post is part of the Ultimate Guide to Launching a WordPress-Powered Blog series.]
I’m so stoked for this series! I launched today, but will be following your posts closely to course correct as needed.
great!
Sounds great!! Ready to go!
sweet!
Great – looking forward to it!
sweet greg!
Dude, I feel like this series is prophetic
Can’t wait for these posts!
yikes! that’s ominous…
I went out and got me one of those old IBMs you had pictured, but I am having problems reading my Google analytics with my monochrome screen.
Good one! I wonder if my “Tandy Sensation” bought at Radio Shack in 1993 will have what it takes…
I wonder if those old computers will be collector’s items one day. Wish I still had my Commodore VIC-20, along with its 1530 C2N-B Datasette(probably the first external storage).
How about the Commodore 64 I had…that was pretty much good for nothing but playing Pong!
All a boy needs is a Commodore 64, an Intellivision or ColecoVision game system, a Donkey Kong cartridge, and a stack of Mad Magazines;)
We are really showing our age.
My daughter had to ask, “There was another Tron?”
Ah, the memories.
pwned!
i was thinking of mad magazine just the other day….. wow.
Haha…Mad Magazine…hadn’t thought of that in a long time. …and ColecoVision…wow! That seems like another lifetime ago.
whoa!
hahaha.!
excellent. you’re all set then.
Sounds great! I am excited about this series.
cool adam!
Great timing John. Looking forward to your magical touch.
sweet! glad you’re joining me!
I’m tracking with you. I definitely want to know and understand FTP and simple coding, along with plugins like Google analytic better, and what plugins you recommend. I like how you are going about building tentblogger and want to continue to harvest some of your mojo! Thanks for doing this series!
cool. did you see my post today about the tools i use?
http://tentblogger.com/code-editors-and-ftp-apps-that-i-use-mac-windows/
Looking forward to learning from your new series. Definitely stoked. Bring the rain.
ok. i will!
You know what they say about when you assume….
Looking forward to this.
…………….. k.
Hi!
Wish this series was available last spring when I switched to a hosted site via Go Daddy. But I just recently installed your Standard theme and have been playing around with customizations. Looking forward to getting on the forums to see what can be done! I was able to start a fan page and link it from my website, install Google Analytics (although I’m learning how to do more than see how many visitors I have, and install some plug-ins suggested by Michael Hyatt. I also signed up with Amazon Affiliates and hoping to make $1 this year! Thanks for all your advice and for starting this community…it has been just what I needed! PTL!
tammy,
thanks for joining me on this journey! excited!
As always, job well done. So looking forward to this series!
sweet sean!
You can assume I’ll be following along as well.
John, you said, “You’ll need to have some very basic knowledge of editing your theme file via FTP.”
Where do I learn this? I feel like you are speaking a foreign language when you mentions putting things into the theme coding, etc. What are the things I need to learn and where do you recommend I learn them?
you can actually learn by starting in wordpress! it’s a little backward, for sure, but editing a few things via your theme files is a great place to start!
First I registered domain , sign up with host , finally download WordPress ?
Or begin at WordPress , I have domain name and have researched dreamboat . Need to register domain, which is available?
Exhausting!
not sure what you’re asking.
go to dreamhost and then sign up. install wordpress from there.
Email berify
Hi John,
I wonder how to get rid off “broken theme” (in attempt of making child theme) that sits among my installed theme.
Thank you,
Zlara