Ohmystinkinheck

One of the options I recommended you look for in a web host is cPanel. Why cPanel? Because you want to make things as easy on yourself as possible, that’s why!

Getting Familiar with cPanel

1. If you chose a web host that offers cPanel, you will receive an email with your cpanel login information shortly after signing-up. Your login URL normally combines your domain name and /cpanel. For instance, to access my cPanel I go to http://ohmystinkinheck.com/cpanel.

From there I am prompted for my username and password. To log into your cPanel, you will need the username and password that are available in your welcome letter..

2. Once logged in you’ll be staring at your cPanel’s home page. Yours may look different from mine, but the functions will remain the same.

3. Here’s a close-up of cPanel with many of its features. My primary reason to unmercifully promote cPanel is because it allows you to manage your web hosting space through a user friendly web interface. As you can see, it has a straightforward approach to utilizing e-mail, viewing and FTP‘ing web files, checking your web statistics, but most especially if you’ll scroll to the bottom of the features you’ll see the fantasmic Fantastico Auto Installer you’ll use to install your WordPress blog.

4. Click on the blue Fantastico icon shown above. As long as you have the available MySQL databases, Fantastico will automatically install any of the scripts you see listed on this page, including WordPress. The advantage of installing scripts via Fantastico is that upgrades are just as automatic … making it easy squeezy to keep current with your WordPress blogging software.To begin your WordPress installation click on the “WordPress” text link in the “Blogs” category.

5. The WordPress script window will open on the right side of the new page. You can see that when I first took this screenshot, I had a Current Installation of WordPress. At that time I was running 2.2 and it was installed in the root directory ( indicated by the “/” ) on my web server.

As long as your web host has provided the MySQL databases for it, WordPress can be installed as many times as you desire in as many different directories you desire. Since I was already running a version of WordPress in the root directory, I decided to set up a new version in a directory I called “blog”.

To begin your installation of WordPress, find and click on the text link, New Installation within your cPanel.

6. After clicking New Installation Fantastico will populate some of the fields in the 1st of 3 pages toward your installation.

7. Other fields need to be completed by you, the blog owner. These fields are highlighted in yellow below and we’ll hit them one by one below the image if you need additional assistance filling in the fields.

• DOMAIN - WordPress will automatically assume which domain to install the blog in, so be sure that the correct domain is selected for the installation of your blog.
• DIRECTORY - You will need to decide what directory you want your blog installed in. In this instance, I installed the blog in the /blog/ directory. I recommend installing in the root directory unless you have an online store, gallery, or other pages using your main domain URL. In this case, I already have a blog installed in the root directory, but am installing this one for the purpose of this tutorial. You do not need to put the slashes “/” in the space - WordPress will do this. If installing in the root directory (at your main URL - www.yoursite.com), you leave this blank.
• ADMIN ACCESS DATA - First complete the “Administrator-Username”. You can create a nickname or additional users later, but this is your main login name. I normally use “admin” - as shown here. Next, select a password. Nothing as obvious as “password”, I hope. *wink*
• BASE CONFIGURATION - You will need to key in an “Admin nickname”, check your email address (it will default to your username@domainname.com), your site name and descriptive text. The descriptive text is simply a phrase that describes your blog that may or may not appear in the header, depending on your theme of choice.
• EMAIL ACCOUNT CONFIGURATION - Finally! Here you can either repeat the default email information sent to you in your Web Host’s welcome letter, or you can apply a new email address that you have already assigned within the “Mail” area of your cPanel. Either way, you need the username and password.
• CONTINUE WITH INSTALL - Once you’ve filled in the necessary fields with the appropriate text, click the Install WordPress button at the bottom of the page to take you to the 2nd of 3 steps required for WordPress Installation.

8. The second of the three steps to complete your WordPress installation is basically a review of what has been done. You will be shown your MySQL database and username, what directory you chose to install your blog in, what your blog address will be (in this case, because I installed in the /blog/ directory, my blog shows to be at http://ohmystinkinheck.com/blog/ ), and finally, you will be instructed to click on Finish Installation to take you to the 3rd and last step to setting up your blog!

9. And here you are, Step 3 of 3. Your WordPress blog has been installed. You are given a bit more information about the config files and then, where to login - as well as reminded about your username and password. Finish up by sending yourself a copy of the information on this page. Key in your email address and click to Send E-mail - the information will be emailed to you. Ain’t life grand about now?

10. Here’s my confirmation the email was sent.

11. Upon checking my inbox, I found the confirmation email with the URL to log into my WordPress account. If you have followed all these steps, you too should now be able to log into your WordPress.

Getting Started with WordPress

Many people have offered comprehensive step-by-step tutorials and guides to working with WordPress, so there is no reason for me to ‘reinvent the wheel’, so to speak. Not now, anyway.

I have found that a simple web search for any function of WordPress will surface more answers to your WordPress questions than you can fathom.

Of all the tutorials I’ve read, it is refreshing that WordPress really does it best. Yes, they do. Here are some links to get you on your way!

• WordPress Lessons - This offers everything from an Introduction to Blogging on down to beginning CSS and template information.
• Working With WordPress - The basics of making posts, pages, selecting/using themes, and what-not.
• Troubleshooting WordPress - Pretty self-explanatory … having any trouble with WordPress? Troubleshoot here.
• And just because it is good to know a little bit of history - About WordPress

Written by Heather (OMSH) as part of the Ditch Your Blogging Training Wheels lab segment from the Blogher ‘07 Transitioning to a self-hosted blog.

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