Hi all, I'm taking the plunge and going with Word Press instead of the templates provided by HostGator. I'm excited about this step and a little nervous at the same time.

I've yet to choose a theme but while I'm looking around for the "perfect" one, I've got questions please.

Uploading my theme file:
I understand that once I choose my theme, I download the zip file to my PC. Then what? How do I upload to use as my website theme?

• Should I extract files first?
• I was told by HostGator support that I need to use FTP ... where do I find this and what are the steps to make it work?

Home Page: I was also told by HostGator support that while I am working on my webpages that it is "live" meaning anyone who might type in my URL will see my "work in progress". Does anyone have any ideas how I can work around this? Is there a way of putting up an "Under Construction" page first and then replacing that with real home page?

Aaaagh!! Help please
Thanks
Betty

Betty,

Here are my answers

Uploading my theme file:
First you must install the WP files to your host. You can do this through CPanel on HostGator. Here is a step-by-step post to do that: http://www.shoutmeloud.com/how-to-in...hostgator.html. For added security, your admin name should be something unique and not just admin.

Once set up you then log into your WP dashboard which you can access at mysite.com/wp-admin (add the /wp-admin after your domain name) and log into your site.

Once you are logged in then you can upload and activate your chosen theme there. There are tons of tutorials on the web so you should have no problem finding a good resource.


Home Page:

Once your site is active yes it is live. To work on your site before making live you can add a subdomain to your site, install WP and theme and then work on it there. For example betasite.mysite.com. Once you are comfortable with the look and feel then you simply move your files over to your root directory.

This method will allow you to have your old site live while working on your new site.

When you are ready to go live then you can just move to the root, instructions here: http://codex.wordpress.org/Moving_WordPress

It sounds heftier than it is and I would suggest that you educate yourself first on the processes. Also remember to back-up all files before moving your new site.

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Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

Betty,

Lee has given you great advice. I just wanted to add an easier way to hide your site till it's done: in your dashboard go to Plugins-->Add New and search for "maintenance". You'll get a few choices but the one to pick is Maintenance Mode which you can activate and it will show a splash page instead of your site. As admin, you will be the only one that can see the actual site as long as you are signed in.

Best of luck

~C

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~Christina|BD Mag|VOSTeam

Lee, thanks very much for the clear instructions and pointing to where I can find step-by-step resources, it's very much appreciated.

Christina, the maintenance splash page is exactly what I was looking for...thanks for the tip.

With this assistance I feel ready to "have a go" now. Assuming that I don't experience any problems along the way, my next posting will be to ask for feedback on my site.

Thanks again ladies
Betty

Can someone please share with me what is word press?

Wordpress.com is where you go if you want to start your own free blog. Wordpress.org is where you go if you want to create your own website with your own domain name.

I do highly recommend Wordpress for website's however designing with it can be tricky. One way you can get around no one seeing your "work in progress" is not to publish the home page until you are ready. Or you can follow Lee's advice and install a subdomain, which is easy through hostgator. It's just a matter of playing with it and learning all the tricks and tools. You'll also want to look at Wordpress plugins to make your editing easier. You can also look at the help forums on Wordpress, there's lots of good tips if you run into any specific difficulty.

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Virtual Assistance for Beauty Consultants
MKS Designs Services Pink University

Thank you everyone for your advice. I've installed Worpress and have a maintenance page up. I can't figure out how to change the "blog like" look and make it look more like a webpage and also how to change the Font and Font sizes. I guess more research is required!! I'll come back here and post a new thread if I get stuck and can't find answers. In the meantime, wish me luck and thanks again

Betty

Look for a plugin called CKEditor, that will help you edit the fonts plus more. As for the Blog like look, it'll take experimenting, but be sure to check your settings on the bottom left.

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Virtual Assistance for Beauty Consultants
MKS Designs Services Pink University

Originally Posted by BettyR

Thank you everyone for your advice. I've installed Worpress and have a maintenance page up. I can't figure out how to change the "blog like" look and make it look more like a webpage and also how to change the Font and Font sizes. I guess more research is required!! I'll come back here and post a new thread if I get stuck and can't find answers. In the meantime, wish me luck and thanks again Betty

In your dashboard, go to Settings, Reading.... Front page displays: A Static Page; Front Page: Home; Posts Page: Blog.

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Paulette R.
Rhythm Virtual Solutions | Alpha & Beta Translations