WordPress: The Missing Manual

11/08/2012 · No Responses

Whether you’re a budding blogger or web development professional, WordPress is a brilliant tool for creating websites—if you know how to tap its impressive features. This jargon-free Missing Manual shows you how to use WordPress and its themes, plug-ins, and widgets to build just about any website you can imagine, from a classy blog to a basic e-commerce site.

The important stuff you need to know:

Create a blog. Get a free WordPress.com account, choose the right theme, and start publishing content.
Build a website. Produce a professional-looking business site by customizing a WordPress theme.
Add features. Choose from thousands of WordPress widgets and plug-ins to extend your site’s features.
Mix in multimedia. Include slideshows, video clips, webcasts, podcasts, and music players.
Involve your readers. Let readers leave comments, contribute to your site, and carry on a dialog.
Build an audience. Learn search-engine optimization, measure your reader’s favorite pages, and publicize your site.
Create a community. Use social media tools such as “Like” and sharing buttons, and provide RSS feeds of your posts.

Table of Contents
Part I: Starting Out with WordPress
Chapter 1. The WordPress Landscape
Chapter 2. Signing Up with WordPress.com
Chapter 3. Installing WordPress on Your Web Host

Part II: Building a WordPress Blog
Chapter 4. Creating Posts
Chapter 5. Choosing and Polishing Your WordPress Theme
Chapter 6. Jazzing Up Your Posts
Chapter 7. Adding Pages and Menus
Chapter 8. Comments: Letting Your Readers Talk Back

Part III: Supercharging Your Blog
Chapter 9. Getting New Features with Plug-Ins
Chapter 10. Adding Picture Galleries, Video, and Music
Chapter 11. Collaborating with Multiple Authors
Chapter 12. Attracting a Crowd

Part IV: From Blog to Website
Chapter 13. Editing Themes: The Key to Customizing Your Site
Chapter 14. Building an Advanced WordPress Site

Part V: Appendixes
Appendix A. Migrating from WordPress.com
Appendix B. Useful Websites