1. AWDD209: Blogging for Business ~ WordPress CMS (Practicum)
  2. Assignments
  3. Unit 5: WordPress Installation and Customization

Unit 5: WordPress Installation and Customization

Introduction:

WordPress is famed (mostly by its own developers) for its easy installation. If you are signed up for the WordPress hosted service, installation is not required. However, if you are self-hosting WordPress, then there are a few easy steps to follow for getting the software up and running. You will need some basic knowledge of domains and hosting. Knowledge of HTML and PHP are also beneficial, though not necessarily mandatory.

The 17 Most Useful WordPress Tips and Tricks to Blog Like a Pro

Please visit these other links as they provide more WordPress tips related to plug-ins and security:

In the upcoming Zoom classroom tutorial, I will discuss the pros and cons of taking the route of a hosted or self-hosted installation of WordPress. I will then proceed to show you how to do a quick installation of WordPress on your hosting account. As mentioned earlier, you will need to create a self-hosted solution for this course, as opposed to only a simple account at wordpress.com because you will have far more liberty in customizing the program and extending its functionality that way. Further, wordpress.com is more of a testing ground for the main WordPress software, and therefore the former's interface changes very often, and this can lead to a lot of confusion. Keep in mind, that in order to work with a self-hosted version you need to have a domain and hosting account. It is essential that you contact me in advance if you have any questions about this, or are having difficulty obtaining a hosting account for whatever reason.

See you in Zoom classroom!

Graded Assignments

Unit 5

Though we want you to eventually create a self-hosted WordPress installation, for now let's have you create a hosted option for this exercise.

  1. Create a WordPress hosted account at www.wordpress.com. To do so, click “Get Started” on the top right corner of the website, and follow the prompts.
    Note: Make sure you select a free domain name and then select "start with a free site" when you choose a plan.
  2. Make Colin an administrator by going to My Site, navigating to Users, and clicking the Invite button. Enter colin@studyanywhere.ca as the email, select the Administrator role, and click Send Invitation.
    Note: Before you can invite another person, you must verify your email address. WordPress will send you a welcome email after you create your account. You must confirm your email address via that email before you can invite another person.
  3. Then go to Moodle and post the link to your blog.
Note: Once you have completed this assignment, please ensure that you begin working with only the self-hosted installation of WordPress. Colin will be demonstrating this installation during the second Zoom classroom session of this course. Feel free to post this info to Moodle.