All About Wordpress - Themes, Plugins, Tips and Tweaks

[DigitalDude]

*lh6.google.com/thinkdigitaldude/R9Tv1T34E-I/AAAAAAAAAB0/e7lOS5P8JNQ/s400/wplogomed.jpg​

I have been using wordpress for a long time. People who are already hooked up to it will know that it is a great piece of software and is infinitely extensible. As many people are now turning to hosted wordpress from their free blogs, thought I would share my experiences and resources here.


Official Wordpress Links

Download - *wordpress.org/download (the main stuff)
Themes - *themes.wordpress.net (tons of themes can be searched by various conditions)
Plugins - *wordpress.org/extend/plugins (top reason for the popularity of Wordpress)
Documentation a.k.a Codex - *codex.wordpress.org/Main_Page (the place you'll probably never visit unless someone says RTFM )
Support Forum - *wordpress.org/support (the place you'll rush to if you have screwed up your blog big time)


DOWNLOAD AND INSTALLATION

Installation of Wordpress is pretty simple. Just download the zip file, unzip it, edit the 'wp-config-new.php' with your mysql database details and rename it to 'wp-config.php', upload all the files to the server through FTP, point to your domain and complete the installation. Thats it If you are clueless, there is a thread by Giga on installing Wordpress locally. The installation part should come in handy.



THEMES

One of the biggest concern for a wordpress newbie is choosing a right theme for the blog. Settling on a theme is pretty difficult decision to make. Apart from the official links another important website to visit is *weblogtoolscollection.com by Mark. New themes, Plugins are released here and there is a lot of discussion on Wordpress. So if you are serious about blogging I recommend either visiting it regularly or subscribing to the feed.

A website that is more similar and as useful as the official themes site is *www.wpthemesfree.com It contains a HUGE collection of wordpress themes on a number of categories. The difference is that the official wordpress theme site (and also the WebLogToolsCollection) does not allow the submission of Sponsored Themes. For more info regarding the issue of sponsored themes visit this site Lorelle.

So If you are undertaking the adventure of finding a great theme for you blog please stop by the following places before you go rampant on Google

10+1 Tips for Choosing a WordPress Theme (Concise and Quick)

Choosing a Wordpress Theme (More Detailed and a bit old. But a 'must read'.)


From The Smashing Magazine Blog (an Excellent Design Resource) :

100 Excellent Free WordPress Themes

83 Beautiful Wordpress Themes You (Probably) Haven’t Seen

21 Fresh, Usable and Elegant Wordpress Themes

10 Fresh, Elegant and Clean Wordpress Themes

8 Fresh Wordpress Themes



PLUGINS

It is a fact that the number one reason for the popularity of Wordpress is the extensibility through plugins. There are a ton of them out there. Plugins can be easily downloaded from the official plugins directory by searching for what you want. A few resources to look first are listed below:

50 Best WordPress Plugins for Power Blogging

WORDPRESS GOD: 300+ Tools for Running Your WordPress Blog (this is a HUGE page.. its a triumph if you can go through the entire thing )



I will periodically post more info about themes, individual plugins, other tips and tweaks Others who use wordpress are also welcome to post useful resources for wordpress. You can also post any queries regarding wordpress, the themes, plugins or any wordpress specific help that you need.


[Wordpress Logo Courtesy: 3nhanced ]

 

[Gigacore]

well compiled. Sure it will be useful for beginners!

 

[a_k_s_h_a_y]

good work !

 

[adi007]

wow...this is want i wanted...
looking for more posts....

 

[salilrane]

awsome.....tutorial ........................

nice job

 

[New]

Nice tut..You have made a nice blog.

 

[adi007]

small contribution from me

Tutorial on how to add *img72.imageshack.us/img72/9810/saveaspdfwe5.jpg option to every posts in wordpress or websites....
link to the tut

 

[ThinkFree]

Great work

 

[adi007]

Another small tut from me...

Adding Shoutbox in wordpress

*img247.imageshack.us/img247/1977/shoutboxju4.jpg​

Read it here

 

[topgear]

Great work for newbies like me. Inspired very much. ( Will start a blog on wordpress soon . Thanks.

^^ Will check that for sure pal.

 

[DigitalDude]

good work there adi.. I also have a few other ways which I will post later

for now:

Few Installation Fundas for Wordpress


Installing Wordpress Locally i.e. in your PC
Install WordPress Locally - 1 Of 2
Install WordPress Locally - 2 Of 2


Installing Wordpress in a USB Stick
How to install Wordpress on a USB stick


Installing Themes and Plugins with OnClick Plugin and Firefox Extension
OneClick Plugin and Firefox Extension


Post-Installation Checklist
WordPress: The Complete Post-Install Checklist

and finally
Wordpress Blog Maintanence Checklist


a few old articles but still very relevant


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[superboysahil]

If u dont want to go through all this then..

i have a website that allows you to use wordpress technology to the max. u can also put your adsense or any html code. You also have a large variety of themes to choose and can have a theme uploaded especially for you.

And its Free!


Not giving the link as I dont want to be a spammer so PM me

 

[DigitalDude]

^^^ I guess you are using wordpress mu.

there is a lot of difference between working a 9 to 5 job and having your own company... a lot of people like to be the latter and to the people who wants to be the former this is not the thread




_

 

[superboysahil]

yep me using that script

 

[DigitalDude]

New list of some excellent themes has been posted by Smashing Magazine:

20 More Free First-Class Wordpress Themes

(Aryayush would love this theme *www.7graus.com/tech/wordpress/leopress/

The tiger is striking again; now in WordPress. This 3-column WordPress theme looks exactly like the user interface in Mac OS X Leopard looks like. The navigation is also similar. Have fun tweaking the Leopard for your needs.)

A facebook like theme *foxinni.com/my-themes/facebook-layouts-wordpress-theme/

A useful post from weblogtoolscollection:

10 Plugins To Combat Comment Spam

From DailyBlogTips:

8 Post Types To Expand and Highlight Your Blog’s Content

and a useful tool Zemanta: Content Suggestion Engine For Bloggers



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[topgear]

Thanks DigitalDude & Gigacore
I am now rolling my blog @ :
*topgeartopspeed.wordpress.com/

 

[DigitalDude]

Wordpress 2.5 has been released

*wordpress.org/development/2008/03/wordpress-25-brecker/

I can a number of changes to make the admin interface more intutive. A few irritating problems in the WYSIWYG editor is also gone.. its more fluid and frequently used settings are made prominent (like changing permalink of a post). The gallery feature is also quite cool. See the sneak peek and screencast to know about the new changes.

Download it *wordpress.org/download/


Other posts related to WP 2.5 Release:

Screencast and WordPress 2.5 RC2

2.5 Sneak Peek

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Also vote for Wordpress in the Webware 100 Awards (Publishing & Photography Category):

*s.wordpress.org/images/2008/webware100.png


*www.webware.com/html/ww/100/2008/vote_publish.html?compid=103450


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[adi007]

i have upgraded my wordpress to latest version....
yepeee......this was my first upgrade...
i must say this new version looks cool..
BTW to those people who are afraid or dunno anything about upgrading there is a plugin called wordpress automatic plugin....

I have no words to describe this plugin....wonderful plugin...
i upgraded the wordpress via it within 5 mins.....it will do all the tasks...
it's as easy as installing a windows software by clicking next,next....

get it from *techie-buzz.com/wordpress-plugins/wordpress-automatic-upgrade-plugin.html

 

[drgrudge]

5 mins? I use Instant Upgrade and it takes hardly 30 seconds.


By the way, Chris pearson released a Theme: Thesis . Is it good? Planning to buy a change my theme for sometime now...

 

[DigitalDude]

@adi
its always better to give the wordpress.org url for plugin downloads though you mentioned the author's website

Wordpress Automatic Upgrade Plugin
*wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-automatic-upgrade/


@drgrudge

I like pearson's themes esp neoclassical but I find it hard to customise the CSS and theme files.. too complicated same for K2 theme also
but I dunno... since its a paid theme it must have a lot of customisation options in the admin panel itself (just a guess)

also check these websites *premiumthemes.net and *wpremix.com