WordPress and blogging

I'm considering starting my own blog, but I have NO idea where to even start. Do I need a hosting service like I would if I was to set up a web site? Do I need to 'register' a .com or .org or something? Do I just use WordPress? I haven't spent too much time looking into this, so if someone out there in MGLand can provide some quick pointers or a concise "here's what you need to do to get started" type of thing, that would be cool. :cool

Thanks.

[dlb]

 

I have a Wordpress.com blog, which is free and ready to go just by signing up. You are limited (not by much) on what all you can do as far as templates and some widgets but everything you need is there to get started right away. All you need to know ahead of time is what you will call your blog so it can be part of the address. dlb.wordpress.com for example.

Wordpress.org is the paid service which has more features. But if you just starting out and doing it as a hobby then Wordpress.com is all you need. You might also consider Google Blogger.

Let me know if you have any questions. I'm far from a pro but can find my way around much quicker now then when I first started.

 

Thanks. I'm at work so I can't get too far into this right now, but I'm sure I'll have some questions once I get rolling. I have tomorrow off so I'll probably get started then.... thanks again for the info, and I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again. :-D

(I'm going to go check out Google Blogger right now )

 

Google Blogger is a bit easier to figure out. Wordpress isn't super complicated but learning first from blogger I took right off at WP. And WP is more secure then Blogger. You can't use Java scripts and such. It's all HTML. And Blogger would get slow at times, haven't had that with WP yet.

Just let me know and I can either answer or at least point you in the right direction.

 

For those interested, here's the features available with the free WordPress registration:
http://en.wordpress.com/features/
And Google Blogger info/sign up is here: https://www.blogger.com/start

I'm fairly bright so I don't see either one being much of a problem LOL From the little bit of poking around I've done so far, it looks like WP is the way to go....

 

Good choice!! :major

I'm self taught so have to bang my head on the desk now and then to figure things out :banghead