How WordPress Works:
WordPress is a simple download from wordpress.org, where the latest version is always available. WordPress is used as a web application so it’s uploaded onto the Internet, and not installed on a user’s computer. The files are uploaded to any hosting service that provides PHP and MySQL databases, and can be configured in a matter of moments. Once installed, the program allows users to write posts or pages for their own web site by using their web browser. There are two design themes that come with the installation. And that’s the basics. But there’s so much more. Much more.
Simple for Simple Users, Powerful for Professional Developers
If someone wants a simple blog setup, all they need to do is configure one file for the database settings, upload the WordPress files to their hosting server, and start blogging.
Users can take advantage of features designed to make site management easier, such as “widgets” which give control over how items in a sidebar can be customized and rearranged. Custom features can added to WordPress through the use of “plug-ins”. Developers have created many easy to use plug-ins such as polling features, Flickr viewers, and more.
If the two included themes aren’t preferred, there are literally thousands of themes available from the WordPress site, or through the sites of many users. It’s a simple as downloading the theme, placing it in the appropriate folder on the server and choosing it on the “dashboard”, the WordPress control panel. Different themes offer options such as more columns, artistic backgrounds, fancy headings, clever type treatments, and virtually anything that can be imagined.
Professional developers use WordPress for many commercial web sites, as well. Many sites for large corporations have been developed using the powerful database-driven capabilities of WordPress. By understanding the coding languages of PHP, CSS, and XHTML, it’s possible to create just about anything with WordPress for a wide variety of applications.
Supported by an Avid Community
WordPress is Open Source software. What that means is that it’s open to development from anyone who wishes to contribute. It’s not produced by a commercial software company. A large community of users and developers work with the program to improve its features and make it better for everyone from developers to writers to readers.
A support forum exists on the WordPress site to help users and developers work through issues to get their sites working should any needs arise. There are many web sites devoted to WordPress development and use, so answers to most questions can be found in a number of ways.
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Showing posts with label Wordpress Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wordpress Blog. Show all posts
Friday, January 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
How To Use the New Dashboard in Wordpress 2.7 Admin
The biggest difference you will see after Upgrading to Wordpress 2.7 is the new Dashboard in the administrators area. Just login to your new or upgraded Wordpress 2.7 website and you will see what I mean!
The whole Dashboard has been radically designed by the developers at Wordpress and a very good job they have done on it. It may take you a while to get used to, but you will soon be wondering how you ever got by without it.
Introduction To The Wordpress 2.7 Dashboard
When you log in as the Wordpress administrator at your website (yourdomain.com/wp-admin) you will see a very different layout than that in previous versions.
The major benefits from a user perspective are that the newly designed Dashboard has much more funtionality then before and can be totally customised by you to suit your style and method of work.
Movable, Collapsible and Hideable Screen Component Modules
Just like the way that more recnt version of Wordpress have allowed you to move the positions of widgets in sidebars, you can now rearrange the modules within the central area of the dashboard screen.
Just grab the heading of any module with your mouse and drag the module to it’s new location in the dashboard (click on the heading and hold down the click while moving the cursor with your mouse).
Read More...
The whole Dashboard has been radically designed by the developers at Wordpress and a very good job they have done on it. It may take you a while to get used to, but you will soon be wondering how you ever got by without it.
Introduction To The Wordpress 2.7 Dashboard
When you log in as the Wordpress administrator at your website (yourdomain.com/wp-admin) you will see a very different layout than that in previous versions.
The major benefits from a user perspective are that the newly designed Dashboard has much more funtionality then before and can be totally customised by you to suit your style and method of work.
Movable, Collapsible and Hideable Screen Component Modules
Just like the way that more recnt version of Wordpress have allowed you to move the positions of widgets in sidebars, you can now rearrange the modules within the central area of the dashboard screen.
Just grab the heading of any module with your mouse and drag the module to it’s new location in the dashboard (click on the heading and hold down the click while moving the cursor with your mouse).
Read More...
Monday, December 8, 2008
WordPress.com Goes Gravatar Crazy
The old avatar tool in your WordPress.com profiles has been replaced with your current Gravatar (left.) If you click on that icon you’ll be taken to Gravatar.com (and automatically logged into your account) where you can easily change your image (right). You can upload an image from your computer, paste in a link to an image on the internet, or even take a picture of yourself using your computers webcam. Cropping and rating your images are as easy as ever. After you finish your new image will automatically attach to your email address (assuming you only have one email address on your account,) or you will be presented with a simple-as-pie list of your email addresses, and you can attach the new image to any or all of them! Just close the Gravatar window when you’re done.
Of course all of the standard Gravatar features are available to you. Upload as many images as you wish, switch them as often as you like, add as many email addresses as you want to your account, and more features still in the works.
If you find that you have an “old” image for your Gravatar, simply click on the link to change it and then click on the “Use your last WordPress.com Avatar” link to get the new one back. There are bound to be some small hiccups here and there. Just let Support know when something doesn’t work quite right, and we’ll get everything ironed out in no time.
Read More...
Of course all of the standard Gravatar features are available to you. Upload as many images as you wish, switch them as often as you like, add as many email addresses as you want to your account, and more features still in the works.
If you find that you have an “old” image for your Gravatar, simply click on the link to change it and then click on the “Use your last WordPress.com Avatar” link to get the new one back. There are bound to be some small hiccups here and there. Just let Support know when something doesn’t work quite right, and we’ll get everything ironed out in no time.
Read More...
Friday, December 5, 2008
Google, Wordpress Also Forcing Hex Code Takedowns?
Digg isn't the only major website to have forced users to remove a banned HD-DVD hex code: Google is doing it too.
On April 27, an unnamed user received a takedown notice from Google stating that one of his publicly-available Google Notebook pages contained material that infringed a copyright. The material? A sequence of hex codes used for decrypting HD-DVD movies. His notebook item linked to a Digg page covering the banned code.
Google's note stated that it would delete the user's entire notebook if the offending entry was not removed by April 30. Google also noted that it was doing this in compliance with the Digital Milennium Copyright Act, in response to a takedown notice it had received. Interestingly, the Google email stated that the notice they'd received would be posted to ChillingEffects.org. (The C&D notice appears to be this one.)
The user started a WordPress blog and posted the takedown notice, along with the offending code. As of today that blog is itself gone, with a note saying that the authors of the blog have deleted it. However, you can still see it in Google's cache -- for now. Was it removed in response to a takedown notice from WordPress? Let us know if you have information on this.
In the meantime, it appears that Google has not yet made good on its threat. The offending notebook page -- including the banned code -- is still online.
Read More...
On April 27, an unnamed user received a takedown notice from Google stating that one of his publicly-available Google Notebook pages contained material that infringed a copyright. The material? A sequence of hex codes used for decrypting HD-DVD movies. His notebook item linked to a Digg page covering the banned code.
Google's note stated that it would delete the user's entire notebook if the offending entry was not removed by April 30. Google also noted that it was doing this in compliance with the Digital Milennium Copyright Act, in response to a takedown notice it had received. Interestingly, the Google email stated that the notice they'd received would be posted to ChillingEffects.org. (The C&D notice appears to be this one.)
The user started a WordPress blog and posted the takedown notice, along with the offending code. As of today that blog is itself gone, with a note saying that the authors of the blog have deleted it. However, you can still see it in Google's cache -- for now. Was it removed in response to a takedown notice from WordPress? Let us know if you have information on this.
In the meantime, it appears that Google has not yet made good on its threat. The offending notebook page -- including the banned code -- is still online.
Read More...
WordPress.com Snags Pre-release Features
Popular blogging software WordPress's latest version, a JavaScript-heavy, major update, has officially been released to the WordPress.com site. Millions of bloggers now automatically have access to the new features before the official release. Those who host their own copy of WordPress can nevertheless see the new version by downloading the preview version.
By upgrading the WordPress.com site, Automattic, the company behind WordPress, is signaling that it thinks the latest version of the open source software is ready for general use. The full release of the installable version is expected next week.
Among the largest changes is the updated, Ajaxified dashboard. Modules can be dragged around to organize the page. Plus, there is quick access to common tasks, such as writing posts and replying to comments.
Read More..
By upgrading the WordPress.com site, Automattic, the company behind WordPress, is signaling that it thinks the latest version of the open source software is ready for general use. The full release of the installable version is expected next week.
Among the largest changes is the updated, Ajaxified dashboard. Modules can be dragged around to organize the page. Plus, there is quick access to common tasks, such as writing posts and replying to comments.
Read More..
Sunday, November 30, 2008
20 Reasons Why I Choose WordPress
1. WordPress is Free
Whether you are using a hosted WordPress.com or opt to install the script on your own web server, WordPress is made available gratis. It costs you nothing to use. Who says “There is no free lunch in this world?
2. Easy to Setup
Installing WordPress is super fast and super easy. In fact, the process is much simpler if you’re using Fantastico autoinstaller that comes pre-installed with your hosting package. It doesn’t get any easier than that. If you need help with WordPress setup, ask and thou shall receive.
3. Themes Availability
You don’t like the look of your default theme? There are plenty of great design themes available for you to choose from. It doesn’t matter what your preference is, there is always one for you that suits your taste and personality.
If budget isn’t an issue, do yourself a favor and differentiate your blog with a premium theme.
4. Plug-ins Do Wonder
Without any doubt, the primary reason I choose WordPress over any other blogging platforms is the limitless possibility I could extend its functionality using a wide array of plug-ins which are continually built to make WordPress the best it can be for the blogging community at large. Best of all, all these plug-ins are free to use.
5. No-Fuss Maintenance
With WordPress Automatic Upgrade plug-in, I can always be sure of running the latest software in case of any upgrade. The process has been simplified and automated without the need to go through the individual upgrade steps.
6. No Programming Skill
WordPress can be used out-of-the-box without any programming skill that even the greenest of newbies couldn’t screw it up! Though a little knowledge in HTML or PHP might be an advantage, albeit not a necessity.
7. User-Friendly
WordPress Admin dashboard is one of the most user-friendly interface you can find. Whether you need to write a post or manage your settings, navigation hasn’t been that simpler, hasn’t it? As if that’s already good enough, the upcoming WordPress Version 2.7 gets even better and sleeker.
8. Open Source
Being an open source platform, in theory WordPress will have a better software development model which is good from users’ perspective. There will always be a continual improvement to its platform.
9. Customizable
Since WordPress platform function in a template-based structure, customization has never been easier. A typical blog structure consists of header, content, sidebar and footer. Any change to its template can be conveniently done right from the Admin Dashboard. I was pretty much impressed with it in the beginning.
10. Hassle-free Integration
If you do have an existing static website, now is the time you should consider WordPress to power your site. I can’t think of any other Content Management System (CMS) that is comparable to WordPress.
Do you know you can easily integrate WordPress pages seamlessly into your existing website? I’ve done it on numerous occasions for my clients.
11. Ease of Migration
The process of migration is as easy as telling WordPress which blogging platform to access and import from. All your posts and comments in another platform will be migrated in a relatively easy process. Go to ‘Import ‘ under ‘Manage’ on your Admin Dashboard.
12. SEO-Friendly
With the built-in auto-ping feature in WordPress and coupled with the use of Google XML Sitemaps plug-in, it takes minimal efforts to get indexed by search engines. In fact, Google loves blogs powered by WordPress. In case you aren’t aware, here’s 15 SEO Tips for Beginners.
13. Good Community Support
Due to its popularity, the solution to any WordPress problem is just by googling the question. Well, at least that’s what I usually do. There are just too many discussions on WordPress-related issues on various forums and discussion groups that a typical answer to any question can be readily available at the click of a mouse.
14. Monetize
For a long time, Google Adsense has been the preferred choice for blog monetization. With the availability of WordPress plug-ins, monetizing a blog is just as simple as pie.
Though I believe blogspot manages and integrates Google Adsense better than WordPress.
15. Statisticize
Checking my stats is easy with Google Analytic. All I need is to create an account and place the code conveniently at the footer.php. As a matter of practice, it is one of the first things I do on my post-install checklist.
16. Multi-Lingual
By default WordPress is in English, however the software has built-in capability that supports localization in any other languages. Learn how To Install WordPress in Your Language.
17. More Dofollow on WordPress
Probably it is much easier to remove the nofollow tag on WordPress than other blogging platforms. I could be wrong but more often than not, more and more blogs powered by WordPress are adopting the dofollow concept if you ask me.
18. Better Time Management
What I love about WordPress is the fact I could easily schedule my post to be published at a later date with post-time stamp. As such, I could manage my time better and more efficiently. Write today, post tomorrow.
19. Multi-User Environment
WordPress is not limited to just one user. It works in a multi-user environment where two or more people could collaborate on a single project using WordPress. How ’bout that?
20. If You Can Beat Them, You Join Them
If the majority of probloggers like Darren from Problogger, John Chow, Jeremy, to name a few, are using WordPress, it’s much safer to place your bet on WordPress than any other blogging platforms. If you can’t beat them, you’re better off joining them. Unless, you are as famous as Seth Godin.
Read More..
Whether you are using a hosted WordPress.com or opt to install the script on your own web server, WordPress is made available gratis. It costs you nothing to use. Who says “There is no free lunch in this world?
2. Easy to Setup
Installing WordPress is super fast and super easy. In fact, the process is much simpler if you’re using Fantastico autoinstaller that comes pre-installed with your hosting package. It doesn’t get any easier than that. If you need help with WordPress setup, ask and thou shall receive.
3. Themes Availability
You don’t like the look of your default theme? There are plenty of great design themes available for you to choose from. It doesn’t matter what your preference is, there is always one for you that suits your taste and personality.
If budget isn’t an issue, do yourself a favor and differentiate your blog with a premium theme.
4. Plug-ins Do Wonder
Without any doubt, the primary reason I choose WordPress over any other blogging platforms is the limitless possibility I could extend its functionality using a wide array of plug-ins which are continually built to make WordPress the best it can be for the blogging community at large. Best of all, all these plug-ins are free to use.
5. No-Fuss Maintenance
With WordPress Automatic Upgrade plug-in, I can always be sure of running the latest software in case of any upgrade. The process has been simplified and automated without the need to go through the individual upgrade steps.
6. No Programming Skill
WordPress can be used out-of-the-box without any programming skill that even the greenest of newbies couldn’t screw it up! Though a little knowledge in HTML or PHP might be an advantage, albeit not a necessity.
7. User-Friendly
WordPress Admin dashboard is one of the most user-friendly interface you can find. Whether you need to write a post or manage your settings, navigation hasn’t been that simpler, hasn’t it? As if that’s already good enough, the upcoming WordPress Version 2.7 gets even better and sleeker.
8. Open Source
Being an open source platform, in theory WordPress will have a better software development model which is good from users’ perspective. There will always be a continual improvement to its platform.
9. Customizable
Since WordPress platform function in a template-based structure, customization has never been easier. A typical blog structure consists of header, content, sidebar and footer. Any change to its template can be conveniently done right from the Admin Dashboard. I was pretty much impressed with it in the beginning.
10. Hassle-free Integration
If you do have an existing static website, now is the time you should consider WordPress to power your site. I can’t think of any other Content Management System (CMS) that is comparable to WordPress.
Do you know you can easily integrate WordPress pages seamlessly into your existing website? I’ve done it on numerous occasions for my clients.
11. Ease of Migration
The process of migration is as easy as telling WordPress which blogging platform to access and import from. All your posts and comments in another platform will be migrated in a relatively easy process. Go to ‘Import ‘ under ‘Manage’ on your Admin Dashboard.
12. SEO-Friendly
With the built-in auto-ping feature in WordPress and coupled with the use of Google XML Sitemaps plug-in, it takes minimal efforts to get indexed by search engines. In fact, Google loves blogs powered by WordPress. In case you aren’t aware, here’s 15 SEO Tips for Beginners.
13. Good Community Support
Due to its popularity, the solution to any WordPress problem is just by googling the question. Well, at least that’s what I usually do. There are just too many discussions on WordPress-related issues on various forums and discussion groups that a typical answer to any question can be readily available at the click of a mouse.
14. Monetize
For a long time, Google Adsense has been the preferred choice for blog monetization. With the availability of WordPress plug-ins, monetizing a blog is just as simple as pie.
Though I believe blogspot manages and integrates Google Adsense better than WordPress.
15. Statisticize
Checking my stats is easy with Google Analytic. All I need is to create an account and place the code conveniently at the footer.php. As a matter of practice, it is one of the first things I do on my post-install checklist.
16. Multi-Lingual
By default WordPress is in English, however the software has built-in capability that supports localization in any other languages. Learn how To Install WordPress in Your Language.
17. More Dofollow on WordPress
Probably it is much easier to remove the nofollow tag on WordPress than other blogging platforms. I could be wrong but more often than not, more and more blogs powered by WordPress are adopting the dofollow concept if you ask me.
18. Better Time Management
What I love about WordPress is the fact I could easily schedule my post to be published at a later date with post-time stamp. As such, I could manage my time better and more efficiently. Write today, post tomorrow.
19. Multi-User Environment
WordPress is not limited to just one user. It works in a multi-user environment where two or more people could collaborate on a single project using WordPress. How ’bout that?
20. If You Can Beat Them, You Join Them
If the majority of probloggers like Darren from Problogger, John Chow, Jeremy, to name a few, are using WordPress, it’s much safer to place your bet on WordPress than any other blogging platforms. If you can’t beat them, you’re better off joining them. Unless, you are as famous as Seth Godin.
Read More..
Friday, November 28, 2008
WordPress update kyboshes XSS flaw
WordPress has fixed a cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw in its blogging software.
Version 2.6.5 also addresses three unrelated performance and stability bugs with the open source package. The XSS fixed by the latest version of the software is limited to particular setups involving IP-based virtual servers running on Apache 2.x.
In those setups it might be possible for hackers to rig systems so that they serve up malicious Java Script from domains under their control, as explained in an advisory by WordPress here.
WordPress has jumped from version 2.6.3 to 2.6.5 of the software in order to avoid confusion with 2.6.4, a fake version recently offered up by black hats via a bogus site. Sysadmins were directed to download the backdoor-rigged code earlier this month by hackers exploiting vulnerabilities in the blogging package.
Read More..
Version 2.6.5 also addresses three unrelated performance and stability bugs with the open source package. The XSS fixed by the latest version of the software is limited to particular setups involving IP-based virtual servers running on Apache 2.x.
In those setups it might be possible for hackers to rig systems so that they serve up malicious Java Script from domains under their control, as explained in an advisory by WordPress here.
WordPress has jumped from version 2.6.3 to 2.6.5 of the software in order to avoid confusion with 2.6.4, a fake version recently offered up by black hats via a bogus site. Sysadmins were directed to download the backdoor-rigged code earlier this month by hackers exploiting vulnerabilities in the blogging package.
Read More..
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wordpress for iPhone
Our first priority is to fix all the bugs, and once the app is stable and bug-free start looking at adding new features. Here are a few notes about the bug fixes, source code, getting involved, roadmap, and when to expect an update.
Bugs
We’ve identified two bugs which are now being fixed:
1. Certain multi-byte characters (ex: Æ, Ø, Å ) cause the app to crash and make it impossible to add a blog
2. The way the app creates theme previews is interfering with a plugin which causes a one-time blank post to be published to Twitter and possibly to 3rd party RSS services
Source Code
The source code is now available via SVN. You can browse at http://iphone.trac.wordpress.org/browser or point your SVN client to the latest trunk http://iphone.svn.wordpress.org/trunk/. The 1.0 release is what’s in the Apple iTunes store right now, http://iphone.trac.wordpress.org/browser/tags/1.0, and “trunk” will be where you’ll find the latest development build. If you’ve never heard of SVN, a good place to start is on wikipedia.org.
Getting involved
Lots of you have contacted us wanting to get involved in this project. The best way to is go through trac http://iphone.trac.wordpress.org and participate in defining new features, identifying and squashing bugs, and contributing code. The login system uses the WordPress.org registration. Make sure to download the free SDK so you can run the latest build in the iPhone simulator.
Read More..
Bugs
We’ve identified two bugs which are now being fixed:
1. Certain multi-byte characters (ex: Æ, Ø, Å ) cause the app to crash and make it impossible to add a blog
2. The way the app creates theme previews is interfering with a plugin which causes a one-time blank post to be published to Twitter and possibly to 3rd party RSS services
Source Code
The source code is now available via SVN. You can browse at http://iphone.trac.wordpress.org/browser or point your SVN client to the latest trunk http://iphone.svn.wordpress.org/trunk/. The 1.0 release is what’s in the Apple iTunes store right now, http://iphone.trac.wordpress.org/browser/tags/1.0, and “trunk” will be where you’ll find the latest development build. If you’ve never heard of SVN, a good place to start is on wikipedia.org.
Getting involved
Lots of you have contacted us wanting to get involved in this project. The best way to is go through trac http://iphone.trac.wordpress.org and participate in defining new features, identifying and squashing bugs, and contributing code. The login system uses the WordPress.org registration. Make sure to download the free SDK so you can run the latest build in the iPhone simulator.
Read More..
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
How to Set a WordPress Blog to Under Construction
If you need to take your site down for a little while to work on it, you can set the WordPress site to under construction. In this tutorial, I will show you how to set a WordPress Blog to Under Construction and use a personal message to do it.
There is no magic button that you can press to place your site under construction. Instead, you can create a static front page that says under construction on it. This tutorial will show you how to create the static page and how to set it as your front page. So, when people visit your website, they will see the Under Construction page. The downside is the links are still clickable.
Login to your Admin Panel and click the Write tab. Under the Write tab, you will need to click the Page link. Create a new page and type your under construction message in the body. Publish the page as you normally would.
Click the Settings tab and click the Reading link. On this page, you will need to look for the Front Page Displays box. It should be the first box in this section. Tick the Static field and drop the pages box down. Select the Under Construction page that you created. Then click the Save Changes button.
Now you can open your home page and see your under construction page. When you are ready to take the page down, go back to your Settings section and click Reading. Then tick the Your Latest Posts field and click the Save Changes button. Then click the Manage tab and select the pages link. Tick the field next to the under construction page and click the Delete button.
This method is the easiest way to notify your readers that the site is under construction from the WordPress blog or website. Hopwever, some control panels will allow you to set your site to under construction, but different control panels offer different options. If you want to use the control panel to set your site to under construction, you can look around your panel to see if you can find the Under Construction Option. If not, you can email your hosting company and ask if the option is available.
Read More..
There is no magic button that you can press to place your site under construction. Instead, you can create a static front page that says under construction on it. This tutorial will show you how to create the static page and how to set it as your front page. So, when people visit your website, they will see the Under Construction page. The downside is the links are still clickable.
Login to your Admin Panel and click the Write tab. Under the Write tab, you will need to click the Page link. Create a new page and type your under construction message in the body. Publish the page as you normally would.
Click the Settings tab and click the Reading link. On this page, you will need to look for the Front Page Displays box. It should be the first box in this section. Tick the Static field and drop the pages box down. Select the Under Construction page that you created. Then click the Save Changes button.
Now you can open your home page and see your under construction page. When you are ready to take the page down, go back to your Settings section and click Reading. Then tick the Your Latest Posts field and click the Save Changes button. Then click the Manage tab and select the pages link. Tick the field next to the under construction page and click the Delete button.
This method is the easiest way to notify your readers that the site is under construction from the WordPress blog or website. Hopwever, some control panels will allow you to set your site to under construction, but different control panels offer different options. If you want to use the control panel to set your site to under construction, you can look around your panel to see if you can find the Under Construction Option. If not, you can email your hosting company and ask if the option is available.
Read More..
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