PLEASE NOTE: The current version of Wordpress is 2.9.2. As newer versions are released, certain information provided here may possibly become outdated or irrelevant.

For a new Wordpress user, especially one who has recently made the switch from the Blogger platform, the unfamiliar layout and plethora of available options can be quite overwhelming. This Wordpress Basics series will take you through many of the basic functionality of a fresh Wordpress installation. Please note that none of the theme-specific functions will be covered here since each theme is unique in its method of operation.

In part 1, I gave you information about the difference between .com (hosted on Wordpress’ servers) and .org (hosted on your own server) when it comes to Wordpress. Once you have decided which is best for you and set up your blog, you’re ready to get started! (more…)

I have been shocked over the last few weeks to learn that many people are intimidated by Wordpress… I’ve always found it to be extremely user friendly, but then again – I’ve been using it for over 5 years now so when I began with my very first installation years ago, it was actually a very basic package so all of the features you see now were introduced to me little by little. However, I believe my first version was 1.5.1 in the Summer of 2005. At that time, you had to have at least some database knowledge and technical expertise to go self-hosted because there was no such thing as the 1-click install as there is now with most hosting providers. You had to manually set up your database, create your wp-config.php file to connect your installation to that database, and there was no searching for or uploading plug ins and themes directly in your dashboard either. All of that had to be found on the web, downloaded, unzipped, and uploaded via FTP then activated within the installation. Wordpress has come a long way since then! (more…)

I know many bloggers who host giveaways and other things on their blogs which require them to find the number of specific comments on their posts. Many of the themes created for Wordpress blogs don’t have this feature written into the code. As I helped a friend remedy this on her blog yesterday, I realized how necessary it is for a LOT of bloggers. For those who are happy with the “# Comments” which shows the total number of comments you have, that’s great – but for those who need each comment numbered, I figured I would post an entry showing you how. (more…)