Title Details

Choose a Version of WordPress 4

Choose a Blog Topic 6

Think Ahead about Passwords 8

Understanding WordPress and Blog Terms 9

Plan Your Blog’s Content 10

Research Blog Titles 12

Buy a Domain Name 14

Chapter 2 Set Up Your WordPress.com Blog

Sign Up with WordPress.com 18

View Your New Blog 20

Get to Know Your Blog’s Dashboard 22

Understanding the WordPress.com Admin Bar 24

Create Your WordPress.com Profile 26

Select Your General Settings 28

Choose and Install a New Theme 30

Consider Premium WordPress.com Options 32

Choose Your Personal Settings 34

Chapter 3 Set Up Your WordPress.org Blog

Choose a Host for Your Blog 38

Install WordPress via Your Host's Automatic Installation 40

Get an FTP Application for Manual Installation 42

Download WordPress Software 43

Set Up the MySQL Database 44

Upload the WordPress Files 46

Complete the Configuration and Installation 48

Troubleshoot Installation Errors 50

Log On to Your Blog's Dashboard 52

Review the Dashboard 54

Get to Know the Dashboard 56

Understanding the Admin Bar 57

Create Your Profile 58

Choose a New Theme 60

Install Your New Theme 62

Choose among Your Theme's Special Settings 66

Chapter 4 Know Your Administration Tools

Customize and Navigate the Dashboard 70

Review the Writing Settings 72

Set Up to Post by E-Mail 73

Choose the Discussion Settings 74

About Privacy Settings 76

Select Your Privacy Settings 77

Set the Permalinks Structure 78

Consider Other Settings 79

Chapter 5 Create Written Blog Content

Get to Know the New Post Page 82

Introducing the WYSIWYG Editor and Toolbar 84

Introducing the HTML Editor and Toolbar 86

Write and Publish Your First Blog Post 88

Add Formatting to Your Text 90

Recall an Earlier Version of Your Blog Post 92

Write and Publish a Page 94

Edit or Delete a Post or Page 96

Add Text Hyperlinks to Your Post or Page 98

Paste Text from Other Sources 100

Post from Your Mobile Device 102

Create a Post with QuickPress 103

Create a Post with PressThis 104

Consider Using a Blogging Client 106

Create a Post with Windows Live Writer 107

Import Posts from Another Blogging Platform 108

Chapter 6 Create Visual and Audio Content

Consider Media Issues 112

Review Media Settings 113

Prepare Images for Uploading 114

Upload and Insert an Image While Posting 116

Insert Images into the Media Library 118

Insert Images from Web Sources 120

Understanding Featured Images 122

Add a Featured Image 123

Format an Image from the Add Media Window 124

Format an Image from the Edit Image Window 126

Insert an Image Gallery 128

Add a Slide Show to Your Posts 130

Link to YouTube (and Other) Videos 132

Upload Video Files to Your Host 134

Link to a Podcast or Sound File from Your Blog 136

Create and Install a Favicon for a Self-Hosted Blog 138

Chapter 7 Explore Widgets and Plugins

Introducing Widgets and Plugins 142

Choose and Insert Widgets 144

Rearrange and Remove Widgets 146

Add Sidebar Items Using HTML in a Text Widget 148

Get a Key and Activate Akismet 150

Find Plugins 152

Consider These Popular Plugins 154

Install and Activate a Plugin 156

Chapter 8 Make Your Blog Content Appealing

Edit What You Write 160

Use Typography to Enhance Posts 162

Use Images to Enhance Posts 164

Use the More Option to Break Your Posts in Two 166

Understanding Categories and Tags 168

Create Categories 170

Create Tags 172

Apply Categories and Tags to Posts 174

Convert Categories and Tags 176

Create Custom Menus 178

Chapter 9 Build Traffic to Your Blog

Create a Blogroll 182

Create a Comment Policy 184

Comment on Someone Else's Blog 186

What to Say on Someone Else's Blog 187

Moderate Comments 188

Edit a Comment 190

Respond to Comments on Your Blog 192

Deal with Comment Spam 194

Allow Threaded Comments 196

Understanding Trackbacks and Pingbacks 198

Understanding and Joining RSS Feeds 200

Track Feed Traffic 202

Offer E-Mail Subscriptions 204

Add an RSS Feed to Your Sidebar 206

Promote Your Blog via Social Media 208

Connect with Twitter 210

Optimize Your Blog for Search Engines 212

Use Surveys and Polls 214

Let Readers Rate Content 216

Chapter 10 Tweak Your Theme

Customize Your Header Art with a Built-in Tool 220

Identify and Use Your Theme’s Options 222

Understanding the Theme Editor 224

Add Copyright Information to the Footer 226

Add an Image to the Category Template 228

Understanding Post Formats 230

Use Post Formats 231

Create and Use a Page Template 232

Introducing CSS 234

Try CSS with the Web Developer Toolbar 236

Add a Category RSS Feed Link 238

Chapter 11 Content Management

Understanding User Capabilities 242

Add Authors and Contributors 244

Create a Simple Member Community 246

Create a BuddyPress Social Network 248

Add a Forum to Your Blog 250

Manage Documents 252

Use WordPress.com in Languages Besides English 254

Self-Hosted WordPress Blogs in Languages Besides English 256

Use a Static Page as Your Home Page 258

Add a Blog to an Existing Static Website 260

Use Sticky Posts to Control Page Content 262

Create a Portfolio of Your Photos or Art 264

Considerations for Your Portfolio 265

Place Ads on Your Blog 266

Add Google Ads to Your Site 268

Add Amazon Affiliate Ads to Your Site 270

Get Set for E-Commerce 272

Set Up an E-Commerce Plugin 273

Chapter 12 Maintain Your WordPress Blog

Understanding WordPress Backups 276

Get to Know WordPress Support Options 278

Update WordPress Automatically 280

Update WordPress Manually 282

Clean Out Outdated Drafts 286

Check Your Site for Outdated Links 288

Sign Up for a Statistics Tracker 290

Understanding Your Statistics 292

Install Plugin Updates 294

Read Blogs that Focus on WordPress 295

Make a Suggestion 296

Steps to Take When Your Blog Breaks 298

Index 300