How to Learn WordPress CMS

With WordPress, anyone can set up a working blog in minutes.

WordPress is a highly versatile CMS (Content Management System) that is most commonly used for blogging. In WordPress, blog posts go onto a main blog listing, which displays these articles in reverse chronological order. Posts are displayed on a WordPress "Theme," which governs the aesthetics of the site. WordPress is highly customizable and suitable for a wide range of purposes, but beginners can learn the basics of the CMS very quickly.

Instructions

1. Visit WordPress.com and click the "Sign Up Now" link. Fill out the text fields, and then click "Sign up." When you're done, go back to WordPress.com and sign in with your new user name and password.

2. Make a new post to help you become familiar with the editing screen and WordPress structure. "Posts" are articles on the blog itself, and each post is assigned a "Category" from the menu on the right side of the editing screen. If you want to start a new category, just click "+Add New Category" and give it a name in the box that appears. When you've written your post, click "Publish" on the top right, and then visit your blog to see how it looks.

3. Start a new page. "Pages" are outside of the main blog and used for things like "About Me" and "Contact" pages. Click "Pages" and then "Add New." The editing screen is exactly the same as the posts area, with one difference -- pages are not given categories. Try writing an "about me" page, and then click "Publish" when you're done.

4. Experiment with themes for your blog. Click "Appearance" > "Themes" > "Install Themes." You can search for themes here using the check boxes in the middle of the screen. When you find one you like, click "Install" > "Activate." Visit your blog to see how it looks.

5. Go through the menus in the "Settings" section of the left menu bar. These help you customize the functionality of your blog. "General" allows you to change the site name and tagline, URL and your admin email address. "Writing" lets you customize the editing screens when you are writing your posts. "Reading" covers options regarding how your visitors see your content. "Discussion" gives options for blog comments, where your visitors can leave messages on your posts.

6. Add widgets to the blog's sidebar. Click "Appearance" > "Widgets." On the right are the active widgets on your blog -- these can include things like a list of categories, recent posts and links to other sites. Drag a widget from the middle area to the bar on the right, and then visit your blog to view the changes.

Tips & Warnings

• Spend some time playing with settings and features, experimenting and learning what the different menu options do. You can consider this a practice run and simply start a new blog when you get used to WordPress.

• Visit the WordPress codex at codex.wordpress.org whenever you need help. There is a wealth of detailed information here on all aspects of the WordPress CMS.

References

• WordPress: Codex: New To WordPress -- Where to Start