Juniper Ink.

I finally have a live writing Web site and blog. It took me about 6 hours over the course of two nights. There wasn’t too much to it, although the site is pretty basic right now. I’ll explore more features (widgets, plugins, etc.) later.

This is what I did:

1. I read a few articles online about how to get started with a WordPress blog. Mainly, I found everything at The New Ultimate Guide to Migrating from Blogger to WordPress (since my original plan was simply to move over and continue my personal blog) and A WordPress QuickStart Guide: WordPress Hosting and Installation.
2. As per the instructions, I obtained my domain name (I already had it picked out and was happy to see it was available.) This was quick and easy.
3. I briefly attempted to just use the free, limited hosting capabilities that came with the domain registration, but I realized that wasn’t going to get me very far. I figured that if I’m going to make a serious attempt to learn all this stuff, I needed to get real hosting. So I did. This was also quick and easy. I knew that I’d be using WordPress, and I’d read that Bluehost’s administration tools include an easy WordPress installation, so that made sense to me. I was kicking myself for not just using their domain registration from the start to save money, since it is included with the hosting, but I have since learned that that was actually a good thing. Apparently you never want to have your domain registered by the same company that hosts your site because if you decide to switch hosts later, it might lead to problems with your domain.
4. I installed WordPress.
5. I quickly browsed through several WordPress themes and decided on and uploaded Atahualpa 3.2 by BFA WebDesign. I wanted something relatively clean looking, with the flexibility to have three columns.
6. Finally, I played around with the theme. I rearranged a few things, added a few widgets, created some pages, and put up links. It’s a quick-and-dirty place to start, and now I can get on with the writing, while I continue to enhance the site.

What I should have done differently:

I would have saved some time if I’d read more instructions, especially for using Wordpress (and uploading files using FTP). But, figuring these kinds of things out is what I’ve been doing for a living (as a Technical Writer) for the last 13 years, and it’s a tough habit to break. I know that some writer was paid to write instructions for users like me (and many more people have blogged and written even more instructions just for fun), but trial and error and fiddling around is more fun, and a pretty good way to learn.