Word Press Setup

May 31

Word Press Setup

After you log in, click on OPTIONS (Top Right) and just double check your new settings (under the GENERAL tab).

One setting that WILL need changing here is your TIMEZONE – get that one fixed up NOW!

Also, while here, click on PERMALINKS and select the second option – Date and name based – and hit the update button. This will avoid those index.php?p=xxx horrible links in your posts… Permalinks give your visitors a better idea of what the page is about and make it easier for you too…

While you’re still in the OPTIONS section, click on DISCUSSIONS. I like to moderate/approve ALL COMMENTS that are made before they appear. The default options are pretty OK, but I DO also tick the “An administrator must always approve the comment” box in the “Before a comment appears” section… Basically, check that ALL the boxes are ticked and then hit the UPDATE OPTIONS button.

Finally (for the OPTIONS section) click on WRITING and change the “Size of the post box” to 15 or 20 lines then save it. The default of 10 lines just doesn’t give you enough room!!!

Next up – click on MANAGE and then the POSTS tab, and delete the Hello World post.

Now you are ready to go to WRITE your first POST – just click on WRITE in the menu, and then the POSTS tab.

Initially, everything you write will go into the UNCATEGORIZED category – but if you want the post in another NEW category, just type in the name (on the RHS) and click the ADD button – for example, I just added the new WordPress category for this post… (I think I’ll be writing lots of other items about WordPress, so it might as well have it’s own category here…)

The only other thing I might change on new posts as I write them (at this early stage) is the POST SLUG…

The WHAT???

With permalinks, the filename which appears in the address bar of your browser is made up form the TITLE of the post… but sometimes that’s NOT what you might want to appear.

So if you want something ELSE to appear – type it in the POST SLUG section.

When you’ve finished writing your post – click the PUBLISH button.

I like the fact that WordPress saves the post as I type… so if I get distracted, I’m not going to lose my work!

Now I’d also like a spellchecker, so I’m gonna see if I can find one that checks my posts as I type… will let you know!

After you’ve published your post, click the preview button and go see what your new blog looks like!

That’s it for now.

I’ve still got to change a few other things like finding a new theme, and adding some really useful plugins, but more on that later…

Go look at that new first page of yours!!!

I’ll be back after looking at my page…