WordPress Installation and Setup Workshop

In this workshop, we’ll be going step by step through the process of downloading, installing, and setting up a brand new WordPress installation, including recommended settings, and plugins to make your blog or web site easier to update and maintain.

Bring a wi-fi enabled laptop to follow along (not required to attend, but it will be helpful). If you would like to install WordPress to your server or shared server during the workshop, please be sure that your server meets the WordPress minimum requirements. If you don’t have a server ready to go, or if you prefer not to install to your server during the workshop, we can install a local copy of WordPress to your laptop. Please have Apache, MySQL, and PHP installed on your laptop before the workshop. If you’re a Mac user, I recommend MAMP. For Windows users, I recommend WAMP. Contact me if you have any trouble, and I’ll do what I can to help.

There is valet parking available at the hotel for a fee, or free street parking on Loyola Street and other neighborhood streets on the other side of Ralph’s which is next door the hotel.

Food and drinks will be provided.

Workshop Resources

To Bring With You

• If you’re installing WordPress to your server, bring the following:
  • The URL, username and password for your dashboard or control panel with your web host
  • Your FTP address, username and password
  • Please log into your hosting account’s dashboard or control panel and create a new database. Some hosts (especially GoDaddy) can take an hour or more to set up a new database, and you don’t want to spend the workshop waiting for your database to be created.
• If you’re installing WordPress to your laptop, please have Apache, MySQL and PHP installed.
  • For Mac users: MAMP (you don’t need MAMP Pro, just MAMP). Here’s a tutorial to follow if you find you get stuck.
  • For PC users: WAMP (Here’s a tutorial if you get stuck.)

Links

Download WordPress – Download the WordPress package to your computer

Filezilla FTP Client - If you don’t already have an FTP client installed, I recommend Filezilla

Feedburner – if you want to track subscribers and readers to your RSS feed, sign up for a feedburner account. We’ll go over how to set it up during the workshop.

WordPress Themes – By default, WordPress provides two themes for you to choose from. However, over 500 free themes are available at WordPress.org, and there are many other sites offering both free and premium themes. Choose a theme that we can install during the workshop. WordPress is very flexible – you’ll find out how to install and activate a new theme and be able to update your theme any time.

Google Analytics – If you’d like to track site visitors and traffic, sign up for an account with Google Analytics. We’ll go over setup during the workshop.

Recommended ping list:

http://api.moreover.com/RPC2

http://bblog.com/ping.php

http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2

http://ping.weblogalot.com/rpc.php

http://ping.feedburner.com

http://ping.syndic8.com/xmlrpc.php

http://ping.bloggers.jp/rpc/

http://rpc.pingomatic.com/

http://rpc.weblogs.com/RPC2

http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

http://topicexchange.com/RPC2

http://www.blogpeople.net/servlet/weblogUpdates

http://xping.pubsub.com/ping

Plugins

• Aksimet
• Permalink Redirect
• All-in-one-SEO pack
• Automatic Upgrade
• Google Analytics
• WP Super Cache
• Google XML Sitemaps
• No Self Pings
• Feedburner Feedsmith
• WP DB Backup