Yes this is a Dairy promoting the Group I created, WordPress Geeks. The objective of this Group is simple. In 2011 having your own blog or web site is pretty darn simple. It isn't rocket science. You don't need to know HTML/CSS/PHP. Heck, if you can get around here you can create and manage a web site.
The purpose of this Dairy is four fold. Get more folks to join the Group. Ask for input/feedback on what topics we should talk about. Outline how easy it is to get a WordPress site set-up. And finally at the end, a little surprise which I think you'll find is pretty cool.
More on all this below the fold ....
First off, WordPress is what is known as a Content Management System (CMS). Many folks think of it as a blogging platform, but it has long ago turned into something far more then that. In fact, about 20% of the top 1,000 most popular sites on the Internet are running on WordPress. large parts of The New York Times, Sony, People Magazine, and Wired run on WordPress.
Now there are two "flavors" of WordPress. The first is a hosted version, located at WordPress.com. Hosted means that you set-up an account (takes seconds) and the site is hosted on a third party server. No different then how your Gmail account is handled. This is a very popular option cause it is (1) free and (2) stupid simple to set-up.
But that is just lazy to be honest.
The second version of WordPress, where you have complete control over everything, and what we'll spend the most time talking about in this Group you host yourself (here is a list of hosting companies you could use). Find a hosting company. Set-up an account that costs between $5 to $8 a month, buy a domain, and use their "one-click" install to install WordPress.
Literally in the amount of time it has taken you to read to this point you could have had a WordPress site set-up and running. Now of course once you have the software installed and running there are literally an endless number of things you can do. I have lived in this program for like 10-12 hours a day for years and I am still finding new things I didn't know. And this, to a large extent is the point of this Group. To explain all of the things you can do with WordPress.
Now I know, cause I've setup and trained dozens and dozens of clients on WordPress, there are a large number of you saying, "well he says it is easy, but I am not that good with computers." Well if you can get around here and post comments and Diaries, you can get around WordPress.
In fact, as I was thinking about how to handle this Group I had an idea. Instead of telling you how easy WordPress is to use, why not just let you experience it for yourself! So while I was witting this I installed WordPress on a domain I am not using and you can log-in with the below information and start playing around. Don't worry, you can't "break" or mess anything up. Well you can but it doesn't matter :).
Just go to this URL :
http://politicalcampaignblogs.com/...
Enter dailykos as the username and pass for the password. The site itself is located at:
http://politicalcampaignblogs.com
Username: dailykos
Password: pass
Login URL: http://politicalcampaignblogs.com/...
Site URL: http://politicalcampaignblogs.com
As I tell clients, just click on shit and see what happens. It is the best way to learn. But direct your focus to two areas in the left sidebar. "Pages" and "Posts". A "Page"
is just that, a page on a site. Like About Us or Contact Us. A "Post" is a blog entry.
Click "Add New" and you will be taken to a page with a visual HTML editor, Just start typing.
Slowly move your mouse over the icons and you'll get a little note about what each button does. Try them out. When you are done hit the "Publish" button to the far right and your content is online. It is literally this easy to publish content.
Now one last point, and kind of the thesis behind this Group. A few folks have asked me, "hey Tommy don't you make your living doing this stuff? Why would you give away your secrets and tell folks how to do all this stuff? Why would they pay you if they can do it themselves?"
That was a concern of mine when I first started doing this about two years ago. I'd do a site for a client, train them, and well they wouldn't need me anymore. I have found the exact opposite is true. When I explain to a prospect why I use WordPress I say that it is easy to use (did I mention it is free) and produce content and I want them to take ownership of their site. I what them engaged with it.
What I find is they start to see how powerful a site can be for their business and the next thing I know they are asking me to help them set-up an e-Commerce store. Start sending out a weekly e-Newsletter. Maybe buy set-up and manage a Google search ad campaign for them. You name it.
So long story short, I want to help empower any of you that would like a site for your business. Maybe a site for a campaign you are apart of. A cause. Or just somebody that wants an online journal or a place to post family pics. It is really simple, and dare I say kind of fun. Heck I loved my almost two decades at ad agencies, but I've never had more fun then doing sites for a living. Go play around and have some fun!