Whether I’m setting up a brand new WordPress site, or optimizing an existing install, I always visit the settings first. If it’s a fresh site, I want the settings to be right from the get-go. If it’s a site that needs help, a glance at the settings often tells me what needs optimized first. So…
When you’re logged in to the administrative or “back end” area of WordPress, you’re in what’s called your Dashboard. It’s where you can control everything about your site; the dashboard is where the action takes place. Here are five things to know about your WordPress dashboard. 1. The Toolbar is your best friend. The dark…
If you’ve been blogging or using social media for any length of time, you’ve probably filled out dozens of profiles. And if you blog anywhere besides your own site, you probably have multiple WordPress profiles. And yes, you probably need them all. WordPress profiles all have the same look and feel, though plugins and platform…
Your WordPress username and password are what lets you inside your WordPress dashboard. Together they are two of the most important security features of your site—especially if you are using WordPress.org. While WordPress.com users won’t have the option of an admin username (#3), it is still important for you to have a secure password. Automated…
The first step to becoming savvy inside WordPress is to understand the differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. They share the same logo, name, and many of the same features, but that’s where the similarities end. WordPress.com Anyone can sign up for a free WordPress.com account and get a free site at yourname.wordpress.com. Paid upgrade bundles…
Three years ago I soaked up all the Tweets and bade children be quiet as I fought slow internet to listen to the live stream of the speakers from a brand new Christian blogging conference I’d heard about. The next two years, each by a last-minute miracle, I got to go and be at Allume,…
There’s nothing as exhilarating and overwhelming as attending your first writing or blogging conference. If you’re an extrovert, you’re probably like my Allume roommate Trina who thrived on the people and the crowds and pulled everyone into the photo booth with her. If you’re a bit more of an introvert like Crystal, you probably won’t…
Bloggers usually have one of two reactions to #Write31Days: they’re scared stiff to try it, or they’re ready to jump in with both feet. I’ve shared my top 13 tips on preparing for #Write31Days. And I’ve given you 13 reasons why you should write a #Write31Days series. But now? I’ll give you the honest truth. There…
Have you been hearing the blogosphere buzz about #Write31Days and wondering why in the world you’d want to publish a post every day during the month of October? Here are 13 reasons why you’d want to write a 31 Days series. 1. As a service to your readers. Your 31 Days series should be on…
#Write31Days is for bloggers what NaNoWriMo is for authors. In November, authors all over the world commit to writing 50,000 words during National Novel Writing Month. In October, bloggers all over the blogosphere commit to publishing one post per day, linking up their own 31 Days series with the thousands of others on the host blogs. NaNoWriMo…
Gone are the days of email’s infancy when “You’ve got mail!” was a delightful and potentially romantic announcement. Now just the two words “email inbox” put together in a sentence are enough to make anyone, regardless of profession, break out into a cold sweat. If you’re like me, you had almost given upon reading the…
I rebranded in 2012. It was strange to come out from behind my “brand” of “little pink house” and just sign my own name, as it were. It felt almost prideful to buy my very own name as a domain. And yet, I wondered, if He calls me by name and you call me by…
The End.
The End.