WORDPRESS DEMYSTIFIED Build a new site and/or blog in 90 minutes

PART I COVERED:

Create a database

Upload WordPress

Configure wp-config

TODAY:

INSTALL, LOGIN AND THEMES

Install WordPress

Login to WP

Install a theme

OPEN THE URL

http://mpaolini.com/~xxxxxx## Replace the “xxxxxx” with the username you were

given and the “##” with the numbers assigned to

your seat.

Note: This will only work for those that were at the workshop last week!

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Site Title: Use anything you like. If you’re coming up with a blank use WP Practice

Username: Use your first + last name DO NOT use spaces or caps.

e.g.: massimopaolini

Password Use the password you were given. These can be changed later.

DO NOT change it now as we cannot spend the time to retrieve it

Email: Enter your email

Uncheck the

Search Engine

Click on

Install WordPress

Enter

password

TWICE

Enter

first+last

name

Enter a site

name

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That’s it, you

know have a fully

functioning

WordPress site.

User name and

password you just

used.

WPpwd##

Now we customize

it.

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Customize the

Dashboard

Setup the default

look of the

dashboard to suite

your style.

Click the “Screen

Options” link at

the top right of the

screen and

uncheck the boxes

you don’t need.

This will result in

a cleaner

dashboard with

only the items you

need.

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The top grey area

tells you what blog

you’re working on

and has a quick

pick, the logged in

user, and the

logout function.

The main menu of

the menu on the

left is the control

center for your

site.

On a windows PC:

Right click on the

name of your site

(wpuser13 here)

and open in a new

tab or window to

view the site.

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We will be

switching between

tabs. The one with

the WP “code” is

called the

dashboard. The

one with the WP

“front end” is

called the Site.

This is what WP

3.0 default theme

looks like.

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Back to the

dashboard:

The “Apperance”

section controls

the look of your

site.

WordPress Default

theme is Twenty

Ten and is under

the “Current

Theme”.

For those

attending my

workshop I

installed:

• Carrington

Mobile

• Thesis 1.7

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To find additional

themes click on

the “Install

Themes” tab.

Here you can

search among the

thousands of free

themes.

Premium themes

like Thesis are

built with solid

frameworks and

are very

customizable.

With free themes

you get what the

developer thought

of for an amazing

price.

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Once you search

the results will

look something

like this.

Here you can

preview and

install any theme.

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For the exercise we

are going to activate

Thesis 1.7

(If you don’t have that

use another theme of

your choice)

Thesis is a premium

theme that you have

to purchase. It has a

very customizable

framework and the

most powerful SEO I

have seen.

The theme costs

$87 Ask me: I have a

special price.

Click on the

“Activate” link.

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The developers at

DIYThemes have

an interesting

sense of humor…

The save button is

thus also

interesting.

Please note that

the text is easily

customizable.

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Switch over to the

“site” tab and

refresh it. (F5 on

most browsers)

This looks very

different then the

previous theme.

All themes will

significantly

change the look

and feel of your

site.

Thesis is by

default very

naked. We will

customize it.

JUST COMPLETED

Install WP

Login to WP

Install a theme

NEXT: THESIS AND WIDGETS

Thesis configuration

Widgets