Ten Steps to Start Your Blog

Take 30 minutes to review and follow the instructions on this page. When complete, you will be familiar with the basics of blogging, and will be ready to start publishing. You will also be ready to explore other areas of your new blog and to learn more advanced features of publishing content on the Web.

1. Login
   1. Click the ‘Login’ link on your Home page, and use your username and password to login.
   2. The login link should appear on your page, usually at the bottom of the navigation. If the login link does not appear on the page, add the following to the end of your URL: ‘/wp-admin.php‘ (for example: ‘http://www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin.php’.)
2. Update your profile
   1. Click ‘Users’ in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
   2. Click the ‘Your Profile’ sub-tab.
   3. On the resulting page, make sure that your name and information are complete.
   4. You will also want to make sure that the ‘use the visual editor when writing’ box is checked. This will give you a simple WYSIWYG interface when writing your content. The other option, ‘HTML’, is for advanced users who understand HTML code.
3. Create Your Categories
   1. Click the ‘Manage’ tab at the top, and then click the ‘Categories’ sub tab.
   2. On this page you can create the categories to which you will assign your articles.
   3. Click ‘Add New’ to create as many categories as you want.
   4. As you write blog posts and pages, assign them to a category. The system will automatically link them to the appropriate navigation.
4. Write a Post
   1. Click the ‘Write’ tab, and then the ‘Post’ sub-tab.
   2. On the resulting page is the content form. Place a title for your article in the ‘Title’ field, and then write the body of your post in the ‘Post’ field.
   3. Click ‘Save’ at the right to save your post as a Draft. Click ‘publish’ at the right to save your post and to push it live on your site.
5. Write a Page
   1. Click the ‘Write’ tab, and then the ‘Page’ sub-tab.
   2. On the resulting page is the content form. Place a title for your article in the ‘Title’ field, and then write the body of your post in the ‘Page’ field.
   3. Click ‘Save’ at the right to save your Page as a Draft. Click ‘publish’ at the right to save your Page and to push it live on your site.
6. Update your Blogroll
   1. Click the ‘Manage’ tab, and then the ‘Links’ sub-tab.
   2. Delete any default entries you do not want by checking the box to the left and then clicking Delete at the top.
   3. Now click the ‘Add New’ link and complete the ‘Name’, ‘Address’, and ‘Description’ fields for any external sites you want to link to. (Address is the URL of your destination site.)
7. Moderate Comments
   1. Click the ‘Comments’ tab, and then the ‘Comments’ sub tab.
   2. Delete the sample comment that should be there in your list.
   3. If you allow comments on your site, they will appear here for your moderation.
   4. When you have comments to moderate, simply click a link at the right for ‘Approve’, ‘Spam’, or ‘Delete’ as appropriate. ‘Spam’ will mark the item as Spam and will delete the entry.
8. Manage your Posts and Pages
   1. Click the ‘Manage’ tab and then either of the ‘Posts’ or ‘Pages’ sub-tabs.
   2. You will see your blog posts and pages listed here, and have full manageability including editing and deleting. Visit here anytime you want to update content you have already published.
   3. To manage a post or page, simply click on its title in the list to open the edit window.
9. Upload an Image
   1. Open a post that you have already created from within the ‘Manage’ tab by clicking on its title.
   2. Click somewhere in the body of your posting, wherever you want your image to be inserted.
   3. Just above and to the right of the editing tools, you will find an Add Media section. The first icon reads ‘Add Image’ when you hover over it. Click this image to open the Add Media window.
   4. Choose to add media from your desktop. Click the ‘Browse’ button and locate a file on your hard drive that you want to upload. (See note below about size.) Your image will upload once you have selected it.
   5. Give your image a title and description, and then click ‘Insert’.
   6. Your image will now appear in your article, and is ready to be edited for justification (which is done in the WYSIWIG editing tools just above the text fields.)
10. Create a Link
    1. While you are still in your editing window, select a keyword or two that you would like to establish as a link to another page. Click the ‘chain link’ icon in the WYSIWIG editing tools just above the text fields. A dialog box will appear that allows you to identify the URL, the window opening designation, and a description for the link.
    2. Click ‘Insert’ and your link will now be live. Don’t forget to save your updates by clicking the ‘Save’ or ‘Publish’ buttons at the bottom.

You are now ready to start blogging.

You have already created your first post, and your first page. Take a look at your site by clicking ‘View Site’ at the very top of your administration panel. If you don’t like what you see, go back to the ‘Manage’ page and make some adjustments.

TIP: Using the ‘Tabs’ feature of your browser, create one tab for your Admin panel, and another tab with your published site. Make updates in the Admin panel, and then refresh the second tab to see what it looks like. In this way you will save time reloading the Admin panel. Good luck, and happy blogging!

If you haven’t already, follow the links in the article above to our video training pages.

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