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Learning how to use Wordpress

by timpears
12 replies
Everyone says how good Wordpress is, and how flexible too. So many themes and widgets are available, how does one learn how to use them all? I am sure that you don't need to know how to use all of the widgets, but is there any source of reference to learn all the tricks of WP?

I clicked on a posters signature a few days ago and came across what looked like a WP blog, Client Referrals | World Class Referral Marketing Advice and Strategies and I wondered how he got just the first paragraph of so to show on the first page and then to read it all you had to click the link which took you to another page, which I assume had it's own keywords and maybe you could put different ads on that page tailored to the article. I wondered if this is a widget, or just a way of setting up WP, or what?

So, my question is, is there a reference where I can look up this type of stuff? Does anyone know?
#learning #wordpress
  • Profile picture of the author camforbes
    Well, first off I would read the manual and forums over at WordPress.org. You'll learn a lot of good stuff there.

    WorPress is a double-edged sword.

    Yeah, there are a bunch of great plugins available. You can embed YouTube videos (smart youtube) and maintain complete xHTML validation, add super-slick image galleries (nextgen gallery), spam-free contact forms (cforms II), autopost using Simplepie and WP-o-Matic, and of course automate your backups, create google sitemaps, and perform all the required SEO steps all in a few clicks.

    Of course, it takes a lot of work to keep all that stuff up-to-date, to keep your database running smoothly, and if you don't post enough to your blog(s), etc...

    but that's not what you asked.

    you asked how the user displayed a few blurbs on the main page (assuming it was all seo-ed) then you had to click a link to view the rest of it... that's standard WordPress stuff! For each article you can display an excerpt or the entire article.

    Pretty cool stuff, easy to learn, and there's a TON of stuff you can do with it.

    hth,
    cam
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  • Profile picture of the author unintuitive
    Originally Posted by timpears View Post

    Everyone says how good Wordpress is, and how flexible too. So many themes and widgets are available, how does one learn how to use them all? I am sure that you don't need to know how to use all of the widgets, but is there any source of reference to learn all the tricks of WP?
    My suggestion is to read this post on how to get WordPress optimized for SEO: h**p://yoast.com/articles/wordpress-seo/

    It's not a reference per se, however it contains much of what you'd need to know about the technical side of building a successful WP-based site.

    By the time you're done following the steps, not only will you have learned many of the tricks you're looking for, but you'll have a nicely SEO'ed WordPress install.

    As for your question about how to get only the first paragraph of a post to show on the homepage, you need to set up an excerpt. A quick Google search of "Wordpress excerpts" shows a variety of ways to do this.
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  • Profile picture of the author timpears
    I appreciate the help. I will check out these two sites and what Google comes up with. Thank you.
    Signature

    Tim Pears

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  • Profile picture of the author Quentin
    Hi Tim just go to the source as it is all there for you.

    How To WordPress.tv

    Then when you really want to get your business up and going come visit us at
    Making Online Business Easy

    Quentin
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author Ideefixe
    By the time you read about "How to use WordPress" you will be behind the game. Wordpress evolves to fast. The BEST way to learn WordPress is to use it yourself. If you ever find yourself saying, "I wish Wordpress could do _______ or HOw to ______ .." Google it and you will find your answer.

    I mean think about it, are you really going to remember what you read from an ebook? No you are going to go back to it time and time again. That's why it is important to just learn by Doing, then when you are stumped - Google it.

    WordPress can do anything and you realize that. Bite the bullet and learn about it or find someone who can and hire them. Whatever you do, don't buy any "how to" ebooks or "special" reports on WordPress because they are outdated and not needed. Wordpress is OPEN SOURCE, which means the pros who build wordpress already have your answers posted on their blog - just run a google search.
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    • Profile picture of the author Vikuna2009+
      I'm a newbie and tried Wordpress myself. Got stuck trying to upgrade to 2.71 and still can not figure it out. No, I'm not giving up, just over-whelmed !
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      • Profile picture of the author Leon McKee
        Originally Posted by Vikuna2009+ View Post

        I'm a newbie and tried Wordpress myself. Got stuck trying to upgrade to 2.71 and still can not figure it out. No, I'm not giving up, just over-whelmed !
        1) Check out this plug-in: Wordpress Automatic upgrade

        2) I would recommend a hosting service that uses cPanel so you can take advantage of Fantastico Deluxe to do your installs.

        Leon McKee
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  • Profile picture of the author Manuel Viloria
    Originally Posted by timpears View Post

    I wondered how he got just the first paragraph of so to show on the first page and then to read it all you had to click the link which took you to another page, which I assume had it's own keywords and maybe you could put different ads on that page tailored to the article. I wondered if this is a widget, or just a way of setting up WP, or what?
    Hi! He used the <!--more--> tag.

    For example, this is what you can write in your blog post:

    Here is the sample introductory paragraph. Have you ever wondered how to split your WordPress posts so that the first paragraph appears in the homepage, and the rest of your blog post entry will be displayed in an inner page? Well, here's how...

    <!--more-->

    You can use the MORE tag in WordPress....
    I hope that helps! :-)

    Kind regards,
    Manuel Viloria
    Signature
    >> Get More Traffic Now www.ManuelViloria.com <<
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  • Profile picture of the author SoEasyMoney
    Search wordpress hereon the WF, there's lots of folks in here that have asked questions (I should know, I'm one of the:0P

    There are also lots of warriors that have given away free WP guides.
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    Let me do the hard work for you! DONE-FOR-YOU Niche Research Packs!
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  • Profile picture of the author Abledragon
    As Quentin said above - WordPress.tv is a tremendous resource and growing all the time. It's all in short videos covering specific subjects.

    I do recommend it!

    Cheers,

    Martin.
    Signature
    WealthyDragon - Earning My Living Online
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  • Profile picture of the author jbode
    There is links to over 100 WordPress tutorials here 100+ Wordpress Video Tutorials, from Basic to Advanced : Speckyboy Design Magazine

    if you can't find it on wordpress tv it might be at the site above
    Signature
    WSO 5 WP Themes, Developer Rights Tons of Flexibility/Features Use For Anything!
    [WSO] Passive List Building Formula - Easy Consistent Cash
    10 Minutes Or Less Money Method
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  • Profile picture of the author Leon McKee
    Tim, the best thing to do as you're "reading to learn" is to "play to learn" by doing an install and trying every feature in the program. You can delete your install and try again if you mess something up.

    The other thing I highly recommend is to spend time on blogs based on WordPress and when you see a cool feature try and figure out how the site owner implemented that feature. What plug-in or theme hack did they use etc...

    Leon McKee
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