When: Thursday, June 10 7:30pm EST
Who: For anybody you’d like to know more about moving their blog or website to WordPress. By me! And Candy, from Candied Fabrics, and Justine, from Justine Smith Media, will be giving me a hand!
Where: Ustream. Hint: go to Ustream now and register a username so that you can chat with us & ask questions! Don’t forget to login before you enter the chat room.
What: A basic video Q&A about installing WordPress, adding a theme, transferring a blog (specifically Blogger), and adding a bit of functionality & fun.
How to prepare: While some of this conversation could be applied to the WordPress.com blog community, it is meant for those wanting to run open-source WordPress software on their existing web hosting. If you need to purchase web hosting, I highly recommend choosing a web host that offers unlimited hosting and uses the cPanel interface. Have no idea what I’m talking about? That’s cool. I highly recommend:
(Note: That’s an affiliate link – it means I earn a commission if you sign up with them. But it also defrays the cost of the time for this chat!)
Web hosting is the service that holds your files for your website, keeps them available 24/7 worldwide, and runs the software you need to keep your website operational. A good web hosting company can answer questions about almost anything website management related.
And, in a chicken & the egg kind of moment, you’ll need a domain name. Which comes first doesn’t really matter – just so you have both.
I will talk very briefly about installing WordPress. But a good web host should have a “one-click install” for the software meaning you set up a username & password with your host and they’ll set up your initial WordPress blog! Score. Look around your web host, find the button and push it. It will save us a bit of time!
Completely new to WordPress? Been putzing about but still have questions? Considering making the switch? Log your question in the comments below so that I can add them to my list.
PS Yes, the video will be recorded and I’ll do my best to have a transcript of the chat available as well. That will be available shortly after the chat. Want to make sure you get it? Sign-up below to receive this blog’s updates via email. You’ll be glad you did!
Hey Tara, I’m super excited about this, as a move to WordPress in is my future.
Here’s my question: I have a website (www.agambroult.com) that I have to pay someone to keep up, so this move will be great. BUT I also have an email (amy AT agambroult DOT com) which is somehow routed through gmail (I don’t know. my web gal did it because I was getting so much spam). So, if I move agambroult.com to wordpress and integrate my blog and site all into one, will I still be able to have my work email address?
thanks! looking forward to learning LOTS!
amy – do you log in to gmail with your @agambroult.com address or a gmail address?
either way, yes. your email address is part of your web hosting and wordpress is just something that runs on your website. it doesn’t affect email at all!
no, I log into gmail with my gmail address. My web host somehow routed my @agambtoult.com address through my gmail.
see you tomorrow!
ah! that’s just a forward. you won’t have any problems at all unless you’re changing web hosts
looking forward to the presentation.
I can’t wait ti learn more, but I cant make it Thursday. Sorry
no problem, jenelle!
the chat will be recorded. and i hope to make a transcript available as well. thanks!
I’m contemplating changing hosts – will there be helpful info about backing up the blog and database behind it? I tried once on my own about a year ago and lost everything. It wasn’t too tragic, though. I was a blogging newbie with not a whole lot of good content.
hmmm – that’s a bit advanced for what I’m going to be discussing tonight. BUT I’ve been planning a post on that for awhile now.
What web host do you use?
Right now, I’m using GoDaddy and keeping my options open. I completely understand if this topic is best for a later time. After all, I’m still putzing around myself!
I’m using the free version of wordpress but will soon install it within my domain as I have a web host and cpanel install option.
Question 1: during the install are you given an option of where to install wordpress. I don’t want it to be my default url, I will just be using it as a blog. So I wonder if I’ll be able install it in a folder called ‘blog’ for example.
Question 2: In the free version, there’s a feature called Typekit Fonts. I’m wondering if that’s also available in the hosted version. I’m familiar with css and know that I’ll be able to change my fonts that way but I was just wondering about this feature. I tried using it but it really messed up the layout so I got rid of it.
Question 3: with the hosted version of wordpress, can you easily customize pages that people see when choosing to email subscribe to the blog?
Thanks, I’ll be at the chat session!
1.) Great question! I’ll be sure to say something about this tonight – but in short – YES! You’ll probably be using Fantastico to install WP and it will ask you if you’d like to install to an existing directory or create a brand new one.
2.) Fonts on the web are very, very limited – and yes, CSS is the way to indicate which you’re using. TypeKit is a premium service to greatly expand that. I’m not exactly sure how it works but you can read more here: http://typekit.com/
3.) Yes – WP.com is using a proprietary email subscription option now. With hosted you can choose from a number of services to implement your email subscriptions and then redirect them to pages on your blog or create the pages in your autoresponder.
See ya there!
tara, this is great! I’ll be sure to log in, though i may get interrupted by kiddies
Thanks for recording it for us, too!
One of my questions is about the blogger-wordpress transfer. I have been a very bad blogger and upload my pictures directly to blogger. I know, it’s terrible. I used flickr for this a few times and my pictures just showed up cropped and wrong. So i took the lazy way out
Is it going to be ridiculous for me to transfer my blog over?
anyhow, i am looking forward to it. Looking into web hosts now
Absolutely not. Your pictures are actually just stored on a part of Photobucket and WP will access them from there just like Blogger does. Going forward, your pics will be uploaded directly to your site
Tara,
I’m excited about this but also worried that I’ll only be able to attend for about 45 minutes, I have another engagement
I guess I can get the rest of the info later thought through the video and such. Thanks for making that available to us.
So today I’m trying to do the work you mentioned in this email and a few thoughts come to mind…
1. I need a url but theartistshouse.com is like $1000 or something so I was going to have a different url. Didn’t know if I should pick one that is a little more SEO friendly or if I should just do angelaflicker.com or visitingtheartistshouse.com… any thoughts? Maybe I should wait and do all of this after our consulting time on Friday or should I do it before?
I’ll email you and start with these other things as well.
Thanks
I want to know which plugins are recommended. I search but it’s so overwhelming.
Also, I’m trying to teach myself how to customize it. Can I start with a free template and futz with it to make it custom or do I need to start from scratch? I don’t know where or how to begin!
These are the things I’m hoping to learn.
I am using blogger and have gotten used to being able to FOLLOW other people on blogger easily. In fact today another photographer sent out his new blog address and my tweet to him was HOW do I follow? Is there an easy way to follow like with blogger? I don’t want to lose the couple of loyal people that I have:)
Molly
I just wanted to say THANKS Tara! This was an excellent jumping off point for me… I’m working on the site tonight!
Hi Tara,
Just wanted to say the bit of your WordPress talk I caught last night was really interesting! My computer died, obviously too much for it to handle, during it, so I hope to catch your recording.
Laura
Right now, I’m using GoDaddy and keeping my options open. I completely understand if this topic is best for a later time. After all, I’m still putzing around myself!