I’m sure I’ve seen some good resources on this previously – but has anyone written (or seen anyone else write) a good free and easy to comprehend Introduction to Using WordPress that talks beginners through the basics of things like:
- Posting
- Uploading Photos
- Creating Categories
- Making Drafts
- Changing Timestamps
- Moderating Comments
- etc etc etc
I’m particularly thinking about the very basic stuff that most of us who’ve been using WordPress for even just a few months don’t give a second thought to.
Obviously WordPress have a great support forum with sections in their Codex for beginners (like this one) but I’d also be interested in seeing any other very beginner oriented learning resources that people can point to.
That’s a great idea! I’ve been using Typepad and Squarespace for a while now (not that I’m blog savvy by any stretch of the imagination). However I found that installing and setting up WordPress on my own server was a bit of a challenge. I actually made my husband do it for me (bad girl, I know)! Thanks for the tip!
Michael Pollock started something like that, but never finished it. He had a website called “Hacking Kubrick” which has since been taken down, and moved the articles over to SoloStream Global Media (his main website these days).
His articles can be seen in his WordPress Wizardry category:
http://www.solostream.com/category/wordpress-wizardry/
I recommend looking at the second page (of 3) for the best articles that he had written on it.
I’d suggest Lorelle’s site at http://lorelle.wordpress.com/ – she has loads to say and says it well!
There is a WordPress 2 published book out there… a visual quickstart guide even if I remember right.
http://www.amazon.ca/WordPress-2-Visual-QuickStart-Guide/dp/0321450191/ref=sr_11_1/701-0520546-7305918?ie=UTF8
Just noticed the word “free” in your post. Your answer then is probably not. The WordPress Codex is probably the closest thing, and there are wordpress installation guides out there…but thats about it.
I had a friend who had started, but unfortunatly not finish, a little guide of the settings you should have, the plug-ins you should install and the like.
Wow, talk about timing. We’re about to launch an article series on Fikster that addresses this very issue. The items you mentioned above are actually spread out amongst two of our later articles (as the series takes someone from zero to blog) but it is covered.
Hi Darren,
You must be psychic; just a couple days ago, I registered a domain stepbystepblog.com with the intention of setting up something along this line. I would focus on technical tips for bloggers.
If you or anyone else is interested in partnering I can be reached here and I’ve very open to it being a collaboration:
http://artofmoney.org/contact
I hope to have the beginnings of something that will take a blogger through all the things you mentioned plus the how and why to use a bunch of plug-ins and WordPress settings.
Jon
http://tubetorial.com/ while not written is a good resource
I would second the emotion on Visual Quick Start guide for WordPress.
http://faq.wordpress.com is good, although specific to wordpress.com
I recently had the pleasure of introducing friends to blogging with wordpress for the first time, and this is a list of five vital habits they need to learn to avoid making a complete mess of things. :)
I found a few video intros to using WordPress that show how to make posts, edit the sidebar, and basic stuff like that. I listed them on this post I did a while ago: Welcome to WordPress.com: Beginner Resources.
Hi Darren,
It’s very interesting that you ask for this today. I’ve just started a new series on my second blog LearningCentre.com which is going to be an introduction to blogging from the very beginning. I’ve just confirmed with a brand new blogger that she’s going to be my test case. I’m going to explain to her everything through the blog articles for her to setup her blog, so any steps I missed she promised to point them out to me so that I can correct them.
The first entry is about picking a topic (already posted), the next one is going to about how registration a domain, then selecting a blogging platform (in this case it will be wordpress), learning wordpress, then how to setup your blog to monetize it, followed by how to generate traffic. I suspect it will be a longer series, but I figure this is a great opportunity. I’m also hoping to sprinkle in some tutorial videos in there :)
I second Donncha’s suggestion: Lorelle http://lorelle.wordpress.com/ offers some brilliant WP advice covering a range of topics and all written in a way a beginner can understand.
The Authors of the WordPress Visual Quickstart Guide maintain a website at: http://www.wpvqs.com/
I would also agree with others that Lorelle’s site ranks very high up there.
been thinking about that as i find myself telling people ‘look it ain’t rocket science’ then i realise it took me quite a while and many many late late nights to figure out this stuff…for example many plugins come with no proper instructions for uploading…or worst yet, where to upload it to etc
anyways, am done rambling
thanks all!
Thanks to everyone for their kind words.
I’m always on the lookout for “how to WordPress” articles and sites. There are a lot of great articles out there, though few sites totally dedicated to WordPress, like mine. What I find mostly is a good “start” but no “finish”. Good intentions, but little follow through. After they’ve done the “how to post”, “how to podcast”, and “how to fix the sidebar”, they fade off either frustrated or bored.
The WordPress Codex is the online manual for WordPress users written by WordPress users who have “been there, done that, borked WordPress, and lived to tell about it”. I will be leading a major campaign soon to update it and add new articles, so stay tuned for more WordPress joy for everyone at all levels.
Wow, I found some amazing links to great websites in these comments.
I suggest some video tutorials:
Here is a great vWordpress screencast about basics.
i love wordpress and use it for all of my four (for now) blogs….
I was looking for the same thing. I found a GREAT FREE site describing the WordPress process in Videos.
Check out
Blogging with WordPress http://www.thejunglemarketer.com/wordpress-tutorial
Free video tutorial shows you how to add a WordPress blog to your website and get your website indexed fast in the search engines. Includes a big collection of themes and pre-installed plugins to ease-up your blogging experience and make money from your blog.
Guido W. Stiehle the owner and instructor has an unbelievable site.
Joe Rahall
http://www.Domain-Names-R-us.com
Free Info on mistakes people make in registering a domain name.
http://www.4yourfamilyname.com/5mistakes_registering.html
Thanks Joe for mentioning my site and my free WP video tutorial. But I believe that not everyone who´s looking for a free WP tutorial is also interested in internet marketing tips, so for everybody who wants to get my tutorial without a subscription to my IM newsletter, you can download the very same tutorial from my other site: EasyWebTutorials.com
http://www.easywebtutorials.com/blogging-tutorial/
Still need to enter name and e-mail, but only for update notifications and blogging related tips.
Most of the videos at Tubetorial are centered around WordPress:
How to Build a Profitable Home on the Web:
http://www.tubetorial.com/how-to-build-a-profitable-home-on-the-web/
7 Essential WordPress Hacks:
http://www.tubetorial.com/7-essential-wordpress-hacks/
Honestly, my best recommendation is the WordPress Codex.
Any time I’ve wanted to know how to do something on WP, I check out the codex, and I’ve the answer within just a few minutes. 20 minutes is the longest thus far.
Bill
[…] Darren Rowse had a post on this some time ago, Introduction to WordPress Resources, inviting readers to contribute suggestions on “a good free and easy to comprehend Introduction to Using WordPress that talks beginners through the basics of things” and there are various suggestions in the comments on that post. […]
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Darren
I just finished putting up about 2 hours of basic wordpress video that are free to anybody. They just cover the basics of wordpress from the point of a total newbie.
http://www.wordpresscodebreaker.com/thankyou.php
Thanks
Charles Kirkland