I’m new to blogging. Where do I start?
If you’re new to WordPress or blogging in general, here’s a brief introduction to (almost) everything you need to get started at WordPress.com.
Q. What is a blog? What is WordPress.com?
A blog is a particular type of web site, where articles (or “posts” or “entries”) are listed in reverse-chronological order (the most recent articles at the top).
Blogs are usually published by individuals as a kind of diary, journal, magazine, or independent journalism. There are many millions of active blogs on the internet, written by millions of people about millions of topics.
If you have 3 minutes, check out this fantastic video
http://commoncraft.com/blogs
WordPress.com lets you easily create your own blog, and write about the things that interest you.
Q. How much does WordPress.com cost? Is there a free trial?
WordPress.com blogs are free, gratis. There are some paid upgrades available but they are entirely optional (and very reasonably priced!).
If you choose not to upgrade your blog, we won’t charge you or your readers a cent. We won’t ask for your credit card details. There is no free trial period because our blogs are just plain free.
Q. How do I sign up for a blog?
Visit http://wordpress.com/, and click Sign Up Now.
Q. I just signed up. How do I log in?
When you complete the signup process you’ll receive an email with your username and password. Visit WordPress.com and type your username and password in the blue box that says “Already Hip?”. Click the “Login” button.
If you’re using your own computer, you can check the box that says “Remember Me” before you log in - this will save you the trouble of logging back in each time you visit WordPress.com. Don’t do this if you’re using someone else’s computer, or a shared computer in a library or internet cafe, otherwise the next person who uses that computer can take over your blog.
You should save a copy of the signup email that contains your username and password. Consider printing it out and storing it in a safe place.
Q. How do I find the dashboard for my blog?
Log in at WordPress.com if you haven’t already. On the front page of wordpress.com, just below the “Welcome back” message, you’ll find links to each of your blogs’ dashboards.
Q. How do I write something on my blog?
1. Log in to your blog’s dashboard and click the Write tab.
2. Click in the small box at the top that says “Title” and type “My first post”.
3. Click in the larger box below it that says “Post” and type “Here’s where I write about things that interest me”.
4. Click the “Publish” button.
5. You’ll see a message at the top of your screen that says “Post saved”. Click on the “View post” link to see the page that displays just this one post. Click on the “View site” link at the top of your dashboard to see the front page of your blog - your new post will be at the top.
Q. Can I have more than one blog?
Yes. Log in first, visit the WordPress.com front page, and click ‘Register another blog’.
Q. I signed up for just a username. Can I get a blog now?
Yes. You might have signed up for a username without a blog in order to post comments or contribute articles to someone else’s blog. If you already have a username and would like to create a blog, just log in first, visit the WordPress.com front page, and click ‘Register a blog’.
Q. How do other people find my blog?
Log in to the dashboard for your blog. Right beside its title near the top of the screen you’ll see a link that says “view site”. Copy that link and email it to your friends.
Other ways people can find your site include Google searches, wordpress.com tag pages, and other lists of popular blogs on wordpress.com. There are some settings on the Options/Privacy tab of your dashboard that affect your inclusion in public lists and search engines.
Q. What kind of content can I post on my wordpress.com blog?
We permit most types of legal content on WordPress.com, with the following exceptions:
1. We do not permit WordPress.com blogs to be used for advertising, search engine manipulation, traffic generation, commercial purposes[1] or “spam”.
2. We do not permit blogs that consist entirely or mostly of duplicate material, including cut-and-paste or screen-scraped blogs, and those that merely re-publish syndicated articles sourced from affiliate and marketing sites.
3. Material that is not suitable for children is permitted, but will be excluded from the global lists of top blogs and tags on WordPress.com.
Blogs that publish material that is illegal or that violates our Terms Of Service will be removed. It’s your responsibility to make sure you comply with our terms of service.
[1]: VIP blogs are the only exception to this.
Q. I forgot my password. How do I recover it?
Click on this link and follow the instructions carefully. You will receive two separate emails during the process, so make sure you read them both.
