Writers block, it happens to the best of us. You sit down to write an article and literally nothing comes to mind. What do you do? When I get stuck and can't come up with a topic to write on, I often turn to my readers. Here's how: Blog Comments Read your comments. Readers often write very thoughtful comments in response to your articles. They'll also frequently ask questions or for your perspective on something related to what your article was about. Of course you could just respond to Continue Reading
Archives for July 2010
How to install WordPress manually
If your hosting company doesn't provide an automated WordPress install like HostGator or Bluehost, you'll need to learn how to install WordPress manually. The step by step guide below will walk you through the process. Installing WordPress manually isn't difficult, but it is a bit tedius. How to install WordPress manually Download the latest version of WordPress to your local computer from the Wordpress.org download page. The Wordpress download file is compressed and you'll either need Continue Reading
What is FTP and why you need it for your blog
File Transfer Protocol, better known as FTP is a communications standard that allows you to move files to/from a server on the internet. FTP is commonly used to install software to a web server or to copy files up to a web server to make them available on a web-site. Thanks to many different software programs available, FTP is really rather easy these days. Back in the day, you had to use FTP from a command line. While not terribly complex it did require knowing the syntax along with some Continue Reading
How to install WordPress on Bluehost
Update: Many of you are arriving here from Google by searching for "Oops! Directory exists!". If you read through the comments below, the reason for this error message is explained, but the end result and direction from Bluehost support is that you can ignore this error message and continue installing WordPress without harm. I'm assuming since you're reading this article, you've decided to host your blog with Bluehost. If not, you're in the wrong place. Visit the How to install WordPress Continue Reading
How to install WordPress on HostGator
I'm assuming since you're reading this article, you decided to host your blog with Host Gator. If not, you're in the wrong place. Visit the How to install WordPress parent article and choose the right install WordPress article for you. Installing Wordpress on Hostgator Installing WordPress on HostGator is incredibly easy and is one of the many reasons I recommend hosting with them. HostGator uses a software package called Fantastico. Fantastico is a commercial scripting library that Continue Reading
How to install WordPress
Now that we've addressed hosting for blogs, it's time to install WordPress and get the actual blog itself up and going. The answer to: "How to install WordPress" unfortunately varies based on your host. Some blog hosting companies offer very simple and easy "one-click" installers, others do not. The one-click installers are simply a matter of logging into your hosts administrative interface and choosing the option to install WordPress. For hosting companies that don't provide one-click Continue Reading
10 things you should never forget when blogging
In the six years that I've been blogging, I've learned a number of things about blogging. I thought I would share with you the 10 most critical things that you should never forget when blogging. These are core values and attributes that you should always keep in the foresight of your mind whenever you are working on your blog. 1 - Put your readers first, without them your blog is nothing Many bloggers make the mistake of not putting their readers first. Sure search engine traffic is Continue Reading
How to update your name servers
Now that you have your own blog name and domain and hosting set-up, there's one little thing we need to take care of: pointing your domain name to your hosting company. First a little background. What are domain name servers? You use domain name servers each time you access a website, click on a web link or send an email. Domain name servers work magically behind the scenes. Every server on the internet is given an IP Address. An IP Address is unique number in the form 999.999.999.999. Continue Reading
Hosting for blogs
Hosting for blogs is the foundation for your site and finding a reliable hosting company that minimizes the down time for your blog and optimizes performance is critical to your long term success. Fortunately the internet is full of hosting companies. There are literally thousands of hosting companies to choose from all with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. The problem is many of these companies are what most consider "fly by night" companies, meaning they aren't long term. Continue Reading
Blogger or WordPress?
As a blog consultant, one of the most common questions I get asked by new bloggers is whether they should use Blogger or WordPress? My answer as with most answers I give is: It depends. Additionally, most people need a little more information in order to understand what they are really asking. What is blogger? Blogger is a free web based blogging platform owned and operated by Google. Blogger allows people to quickly and easily start a blog with no initial cost. Here's a breakdown of the pros Continue Reading