WHAT IS BLOG ?

Define Blog

There are different descriptions of that concept. According to most of the articles on the Internet 'blog' is short for 'weblog', a frequently updated publication of comments and thoughts on the web. Usually it is reflecting the views of the blog's creator.

Blogs consist of text and images and are sorted by date. The newest information is on the top and there is an archive of the old one. People create blogs to share their thoughts with the world. A person writing in the journal is called a 'blogger'.

Bloggers write about different topics: from the typical daily situations to the progress of some scientific researches. The readers also can leave comments and thus make the whole blog more interesting and useful.

History of Blog

Blogs are part of the World Wide Web since its creation. In the beginning they did not have a defined name, but their purpose was more or less the same as that of contemporary blogs. Here is a list of the first blogs:

• Dawn of Internet: Tim Berners-Lee at CERN begins keeping a list of all new sites as they come online.
• June 1993: NCSA's oldest archived 'What's New' list of sites.
• June 1993: Netscape begins running it's 'What's New!' list of sites.
• January 1994: Justin Hall launches Justin's Home Page which would become Links from the Underground.
• April 1997: Dave Winer launches Scripting News.
• December 1997: Jorn Barger coins the term 'weblog''.

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INSTALL WORDPRESS

WordPress Installation

If you do not have the Fantastico auto installer on your account or just choose not to use it, you have the option to install WordPress manually. Please, follow the step-by-step guide below in order to activate Wordpress on your hosting account:

Manual installation of WordPress

Step 1: Download the installation file from the WordPress download section by clicking on "Download.zip" or "Download.tar.gz". This way you will get the latest stable release of the script.

Step 2: Upload it in public_html folder of your account. You can do that via FTP with a client like Filezilla or via cPanel -> File Manager -> Upload file(s). This way, after the installation is completed, the file script will appear once you visit your website.

Another option is to create a subfolder in your hosting account and upload the file in it. The WordPress installation will be accessible at:

http://www.yourdomainname.com/subfolder

Step 3: When you are in cPanel -> File Manager, navigate to the uploaded file and extract it by clicking on "Extract". The other option is to extract the file in your computer and then to upload the content in the desired folder via FTP.

Step 4: Once the files are extracted in the desired folder, you should create a MySQL database for WordPress. You can do that from cPanel -> MySQL Databases. Detailed instructions how to do so can be found in our MySQL tutorial.

Step 5: Rename wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php and edit it. Fill in your database connection details in the following lines:

define('DB_NAME', ''); // The name of the database
define('DB_USER', ''); // Your MySQL username
define('DB_PASSWORD', ''); // ...and password

You can also change the default database prefix in order to secure your WordPress installation.

Step 6: Open in your browser:

www.yourdomainname.com/where_wordpress_is_extracted/wp-admin/install.php

This should set up the tables needed for your blog. If there is an error, double check your wp-config.php file, and try again.

Step 7: The installation procedure is finished. You can save the administrative username and the password. You will need them to access the WordPress installation admin backend in the future.

Source : http://www.siteground.com/

START WORDPRESS

All you need to do is open a hosting account, where you can have the Wordpress application installed. Here at SiteGround we offer FREE Wordpress installation! With our Wordpress hosting package you can start creating your site right away! If you already have a hosting account, you can check here how to install WordPress.

Where to log in?

Once you have your Wordpress blog installed, you need to log in to the WordPress administration area from where you can write posts and articles, manage comments, change your theme, etc. To log in the WP admin panel, navigate to the WP login page or directly type the URL in your browser:

http://www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin/

Writing a post in WordPress

Writing posts and pages is the core activity in WP. You can start your editorial experience by clicking the Add New button located in the Posts menu:

You can proceed with entering the desired content. Once you are ready, the new post can be published just by clicking the Publish button.

Creating pages in WordPress

Creating individual pages in WordPress is quite similar to writing a post. You should simply click Add New in the Pages menu.

When you are ready with your new page, click Publish to save it.

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WORDPRESS CATEGORY

In order to have your blog in a decent structure and ease your visitors' navigation throughout your posts and pages, you should categorize your posts.

Creating a new category

A new category can be created from the Posts menu > Categories.

Change the category of a post

In order to move a post from one category to another, you should click on Edit in the Posts menu, hover over the post you wish to edit and click Quick Edit.

From the Categories section select the new category (in our case the Test category) and click Update Post to save the change.

Delete a category

Note that deleting a category does not delete posts from that category. It will just set them back to the default category Uncategorized.

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COMMENTS IN WORDPRESS

In WordPress your visitors have the option to leave comments on your site. This feature creates a dynamic interchange between you and your readers.

Moderate comments

You can moderate your visitors' comments via the Comments menu in the WordPress administrator backend.

Comment options

You have a number of options that you can set for your Comments. They are listed under Settings > Discussion.

This is the place where the site administrator decides:

• if comments are allowed,
• if pingbacks and trackbacks are acceptable,
• and what constitutes Comment Spam.

Source : http://www.siteground.com

WORDPRESS THEMES

In the default WordPress installation, there are a couple of themes you can choose from.

If you wish to have more preinstalled WordPress themes with your default WordPress installation, you can sign up for our Professional WordPress hosting package. It includes a free WordPress installation which comes with 6 of SiteGround's most popular WordPress themes. Furthermore, we offer free installation of all of our WordPress themes.

You can find the themes in your WordPress administration area > Appearance > Themes.

You can change the theme simply by clicking on the desired theme and then Activate .

How to upload a new WordPress Theme?

If you would like a new WordPress theme for your blog web site, first of all you will have to download it to your local machine. You can visit our Wordpress themes gallery and download free themes from there:

Once you have the new Wordpress theme on your local hard drive, you have to upload it under the 'wp-content/themes' directory of your website. You have two options to do that:

• You can upload the .zip file of the theme in the 'wp-content/themes' directory via the File Manager and extract it online, or
• Extract the file in your computer and then to upload the content in the desired folder via FTP.

Now, that you have the new theme uploaded on your site in the right folder, you can see it in your WP admin panel and select it as a default theme for your site.

Source : http://www.siteground.com/

WORDPRESS PLUGINS

Plugins are tools which provide additional functionality to your application. To install a plugin you generally just need to put the plugin file into your 'wp-content/plugins' directory. Once a plugin is installed, you may activate it or deactivate it from the Plugins menu in your WP administration.

Generally the Plugin installation is a straight-forward process. In most cases it is enough to upload the plugin under the 'wp-content/plugins' directory for the WordPress installation and activate it from the administrator backend.

In WordPress 2.7 and above you can install plugins directly from the admin area. Downlod the plugin to your computer, then log in to your WP admin area and go to Plugins > Add New. Browse to the plugin archive and select it. Then click Install Now and the plugin will be installed shortly.

The removal is also straight-forward in most cases. Simply remove the directory for the plugin you would like to uninstall and it will be automatically deactivated.

Still always bear in mind that not all plugins are easy to install so always refer to their documentation and installation instructions first.

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BACK UP MYSQL DATABASE

You can easily create a dump file(export/backup) of a database used by your account. In order to do so you should access the phpMyAdmin tool available in your cPanel:

The phpMyAdmin tool will be loaded shortly.

You can select the database that you would like to backup from the drop-down menu called Database (located in the upper left corner of the page).

A new page will be loaded in phpMyAdmin showing the selected database. In order to proceed with the backup click on the Export tab:

The options that you should select apart from the default ones are Save as file (which will save the file locally to your computer in an .sql format) and Add DROP TABLE (which will add the drop table functionality if the table already exists in the database backup) as shown below:

Click on the Go button to start the export/backup procedure for your database:

A download window will pop up prompting for the exact place where you would like to save the file on your local computer. It is possible that the download starts automatically. This depends on your browser's settings.

MySQL Import: How to restore your MySQL database from a backup

To restore (import) a database via phpMyAdmin, first choose the database you'll be importing data into. This can be done from the drop-down menu on the left. Then click the Import tab:

You have the option of importing an .sql file. Use the Browse button to find it on your local computer. Note that you are given the option to choose the character set of the file from the drop down-menu just below the upload box. If you are not certain about the character set your database is using just leave the default one.

In order to start the restore click on the Go button at the bottom-right. A notification will be displayed upon a successful database import.

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ADDING MYSQL ACCESS HOSTS

You can allow access to MySQL databases from an external location by adding its domain name or IP address to the list of hosts that are allowed to access your databases remotely. Additionally, if you would like to manage your database using an application for remote database management, the IP address from which the connection is established should be added to the list of allowed hosts.

In order to add allowed hosts you should access the tool via cPanel -> Remote MySQL:

Remote MySQL">

In the Host field you should enter the desired domain name or IP address:

Click on the Add host button.

A confirmation message will inform that the host is successfully added. Next time you access Remote MySQL the newly added host will be listed under Access Hosts.

Source : http://www.siteground.com/

SECURE WORDPRESS

In this tutorial we will show you how to secure your WordPress blog.

If you have not installed your WordPress yet, it is a good idea to change the default database prefix before making the installation.

You can easily do this by modifying the following line in the wp-config-sample.php file;

$table_prefix = 'wp_';

Change it to something more complex, for example:

$table_prefix = '1w27p_';

Once you make this change, rename wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php and proceed with the WordPress installation.

• This can be done also by using the WordPress installation web interface. You should simply enter the desired database prefix in the Table Prefix field of the web installer interface.

If you have already installed your WordPress blog, here are some steps through which you can improve the security of an existing WordPress installation:

• If you have manually installed your WordPress, the default administrator username will be admin. You should change this to something harder to guess. To do this, log in to your WordPress admin area, go to Users and create a new user with Administrator role. Once the account is created, log out from your admin area, log in with the new account you created and delete the old one.

• Restrict access to the wp-admin folder only for your IP. You can easily do this by placing a .htaccess file in the wp-admin folder containing the following lines:

Deny from all

Allow from

You can see what is your IP at this URL.

• Restrict the access to most files in the wp-includes and wp-content folders. The access to everything except images, CSS and JavaScript files can be blocked. To do this, create a .htaccess file and place the following rules in it:

Order Allow,Deny
Deny from all

Allow from all

• Protect the wp-admin folder with a password. You can easily password protect the folder by following the instructions in this tutorial.

• Keep your WordPress, as well as the Wordpress plugins updated to their latest versions.

• You can check your WordPress installation for vulnerabilities using this online scanner.

Source : http://www.siteground.com/

WORDPRESS UPGRADE

1. Automatic upgrade

In WordPress 2.7.x you can easily upgrade your application directly from the admin area. When a new version is available, you will see a notification in the WP admin area.

Before you proceed with the upgrade, we strongly advise you to make a backup of your WordPress.

When you are ready, click Please update now to proceed with the upgrade.

On the next page you can choose whether to upgrade automatically or manually.

Click Upgrade Automatically :)

If everything goes smoothly, your WordPress will be successfully upgraded.

2. Manual upgrade

Step 1: Backup the Database Tables and Files including .htaccess. You can refer to the WordPress backup tutorial for further instructions on how to complete this step.

Step 2: Deactivate Plugins

Deactivate all the Plugins you use from the plugin management page.

Some plugins might not work with the new WordPress version and in order to avoid discrepancies it would be best to deactivate all plugins. This will ensure that you won't end up with an upgraded but broken installation of WordPress after the upgrade process.

Step 3: Overwrite Files

• Overwrite option 1: Get the latest WordPress version from Wordpress download page and upload it to the WordPress directory, overwriting all the files that exist there. This will preserve your images and themes.
• Overwrite option 2: Deleting your old files on the server and uploading the newer files from the new version you've downloaded is an alternative which will ensure that the files on the server have been replaced for sure.

If you are not sure how to do this, we recommend you to refer to our FTP tutorial where you will find step by step instructions how to upload files.

Which option is better?

Generally, it is a good idea to delete whatever is possible because the uploading (or upgrading through cPanel) process may not correctly overwrite an existing file and that may cause problems later.

DO NOT DELETE these folders and files:

wp-config.php file;
wp-content folder;
wp-images folder;
wp-includes/languages/ folder--if you are using a language file, do not delete this folder;
.htaccess file--if you have added custom rules to your .htaccess, do not delete it;
Custom Content and/or Plugins--if you have any images or other custom content or Plugins inside the wp-content folder, DO NOT delete them.

DELETE these Files and Folders:

wp-* (except for those above), readme.html, wp.php, xmlrpc.php, and license.txt; files; Typically files in your root or wordpress folder. Again, don't delete the wp-config.php file.
wp-admin folder;
wp-includes folder; If using a language file remember don't delete the wp-includes/languages/ folder
wp-content/cache folder; You only see this folder if you are upgrading FROM WordPress 2.0.

Step 4: Run the upgrade script

Visit your blog's Upgrade Page (http://yourdomainname.com/wp-admin/upgrade.php) and follow the instructions that are displayed.

Step 5: Reactivate Plugins one by one

Activate your plug-ins, one by one, at the Plugin Management Page. Check if everything works as expected.

If any plugin does not work, deactivate it and then you might contact the plugin author to encourage the author to upgrade the plugin.

Source : http://www.siteground.com/