Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Wordpress - it's easy when you know how

Yes, you too can install Wordpress easily with our famous three-step process. Step one is easy. Download Wordpress. Step Two is like this:

  1. Unzip Wordpress.
  2. Check your ISP - do they offer something like Easy Scripts? If yes, use it. If not, go to step 3.
  3. Create a MySQL database on your server. (eh? what? come back in two months after you know what MySQL is and have taken an online course in how to install and use Wordpress.)
  4. Copy/remember/paste the database user name and server address (eh? what? come back in a couple of days after you have acquired the temerity to copy nonsensical strings of letters, numbers and periods into a form field)
  5. Go back to step 2. Use Easy Scripts to install Wordpress.
  6. Click "here" to go to your new webpage.
  7. Jot down error code.
  8. Call hosting support.
  9. Spend 30 minutes on hold while support tries to understand your problem, then tells you your database has an error and they will fix it.
  10. Log into your Worpress admin. (Try to remember which user name and password you need here. If in doubt, return to step 4.)
  11. If this doesn't work, try the manual installation of Wordpress and begin again with step 5.
No lie, folks. And I still don't have a Wordpress home page. Why am I putting myself through this insanity? To maintain my web site. I am not happy with iWeb (which needs updating and which has some severe design restrictions). GoLive no longer functions and I prefer not to learn coding with Dreamweaver. If I were able, I would hire someone to do the backend work for me -- the coding, the installation, the updating -- and keep the design part and content creation for myself. 

Eventually, when I have Wordpress installed and working, this will be kind of like having my own web developer. Kind of. I'll still get to design and write and add content, but the fiddlely bits will be taken care of by Wordpress. I hope. 

2 comments:

Chris Funderburg (Bocan) said...

You don't need to hire anyone. I'll install, and support it for free. All I'd need to know is where you want installed and how I would gain access to install it. :-)

I'd even host it for you but my server's a bit on the slow side at the moment and you wouldn't want to use the Bocan.co.uk domain...

Elaine Greywalker said...

What a wonderful, kind offer! However, I made the plunge and switched domain name registration and domain hosting to where they really do have a 3-click process. Which isn't the half of it. I still have to organize the template, etc. And that's a bit daunting. I'm at the "ok for the moment" stage and will press on over the weekend.

Thanks again!