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How to set up a blog - Part 1

I am asked frequently by clients, friends and anyone else interested “how easy is it to set you a blog?” Well if that’s a question you have to. You will be pleased to know the answers no, in fact once your set up it’s as easy. So in this step by step tutorial I’m going to walk you through setting up your own blog using a very powerful blogging platform called Wordpress. Then in future blogging tutorials I’m going to cover other questions I get asked such as “how can I design my own wordpress theme?” or  “can I make money blogging? The answer to the later by the way is yes, as long as the blog is well run and full of quality content. Lets face it with the current finacial climate as bleak as the news keeps telling us it’s nice to have a nice little second income coming in. Money aside for your blog to work you really need to enjoy blogging so finding the right topic is vital.

Ok lets make a start and get you up and running with your very own blog.

1.Planning

Although I can’t help with this stage much. I will stress how important is to know exactly what your blog is going to be about, have an idea of who your audience is going to be and generally how you will run it.

2.Domain Name and Hosting

Because wordpress is written in PHP, you must use a hosting company that supports PHP scripts. I suggest Bluehost. They offer great hosting for wordpress users for $6.95 (£4.86) per month and auto installer called fantastico that will install wordpress for you.

If you want to go with bluehost click here.

Ok so we should be at the home of bluehost. Click on the Domain Check link in the left navigation. In the next screen you will be presented with two boxes. New Cleints and Transfer Clients. Unless you have a domain you wish to transfer use the New Clients box. Type in your desired domain name and hit the next button.

You will now be taken to the sign up page. Fill in the required details and select the account plan of your choice. When your happy with your selection click the next button at the bottom.

Bluehost will email you confirmation. Then when your ready login into your account. Take a look around and get a feel for the control panel.
Ok so you now have your own domain name and web space to put your blog on. Next we will look at Installing wordpress.

3.Installing Wordpress

For this tutorial I’m going to use fantastico to install Wordpress. If you would like to know how to install the manual way drop me a line and I’ll do it in a future tutorial.

Fantastico De Luxe can be found in the software/services section. Click on the nice blue smiley face and it will take you to a nice big list of open source software you can add to your site using Fantastico. For the purpose of this tutorial click on Wordpress in the blog section.
Click on the new installation link.

You should arrive at the first of three steps in the one-click installation process. Here, you’ll be able to determine which folder you’d like to have WordPress installed to, as well as some other blog information.

1. Installation Location. If you want your blog to be your website’s homepage, ensure that you leave the space blank, otherwise type in the name of the folder you want WordPress installed to (make sure it doesn’t already exist).

2. Admin access data. Choose the username and password you’d like to use in order to access the WordPress admin panel after installation is completed.

3. Base configuration. Type a nickname you’d like to use throughout the blog. By default, the nickname is used whenever you leave comments or write an entry on the blog, so choose something you don’t mind the world seeing. The admin e-mail address is where notices, passwords, and other information about the administration of the blog is sent. Your blog’s name and description should be self-explanatory.

4. E-mail account configuration. You only need to worry about this if you plan to blog via e-mail. If you’ve set up a special e-mail account that you’ll use for blogging via e-mail, then enter the settings where applicable. (Bear in mind, you will need to enter an e-mail account password in order to proceed with the installation, simply use a false one if you don’t plan to blog via e-mail.)

5. When your blog information is complete, click on the Install WordPress button at the bottom.

Verify that the information you provided is correct and click on Finish installation. Fantastico will create a brand new database for you and create the necessary WordPress files.

When the process is complete, you will receive a confirmation notice with the details of the installation. If you’d like a copy of the report for your records, you’ll have the option to send an e-mail to an account of your choosing.

Ok mission accomplished. You now have a blog ready for use. I suggest you login to your newly created blog and familiarise your self with the lay out and options available to you.

I really hope this post has helped. In part 2 I will be talking you through the fun bits of blogging. Adding new themes to wordpress. Setting up your blog to show look and show what you want and posting your first blog.