Stupid WordPress Questions...

16 replies
I have a few "stupid" WordPress questions for the experts among us...

1) Can old themes be used with WordPress version 3.x? I have a theme that was for WP version 2.x and would like to use it. I'm just a little hesitant to try it because if something can go wrong, it will.

2) If I can't (or shouldn't) use it, can you suggest a popular, STABLE, clean, free theme (preferably with 2 columns)?

3) Do I really need to mess with the ping list? Doesn't WP have a "built-in" ping list?

4) Does WP require a plug-in to create a Google sitemap or is that feature built in?

5) What are the plug-ins that are, for the most part, considered ESSENTIAL. I don't want to install a bunch of plug-ins (both for the sake of avoiding set-up hassles AND for loading speed).

That's it for now. Let the answers begin. Fill my noggin with your WordPress wisdom!

Thanks,

John
#questions #stupid #wordpress
  • Profile picture of the author culpetm
    Hi John.
    I use the Google XML Sitemaps plugin for my sitemaps. It's very simple, very effective, and it automatically updates your sitemap every time you post new content.

    -Tim
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  • Profile picture of the author DireStraits
    Hey,

    Originally Posted by Johnny12345 View Post

    1) Can old themes be used with WordPress version 3.x? I have a theme that was for WP version 2.x and would like to use it. I'm just a little hesitant to try it because if something can go wrong, it will.
    Sometimes yes; sometimes no. It depends on if that theme was coded with any Wordpress PHP functions / tags or dependencies which have since been retired/removed in more recent versions. So no real straight "yes or no" answer, I'm afraid. All you can do is try it.

    Worst comes to the worst, you should hopefully still be able to login at httXp://yourdomain.com/wp-admin to reset/change your theme, even if your site doesn't load on the front-end.

    Originally Posted by Johnny12345 View Post

    3) Do I really need to mess with the ping list? Doesn't WP have a "built-in" ping list?
    Not really. Pinging doesn't do a whole lot. It can get a new page indexed more quickly in some cases, but often - for most people - it doesn't seem to happen any more swiftly just because you've pinged the search-engines, than it likely would have naturally, just by the search-engines casually visiting "off their own accord" ... if you get what I mean.

    And let's face it anyway, there's no point in most of us getting "instantly indexed", because without backlinks to our new pages, we're not going to be ranking anywhere near well enough for our pages to be seen.

    (Of course, it might be a different story once your site is built up, and authority-laden, etc.)

    Originally Posted by Johnny12345 View Post

    4) Does WP require a plug-in to create a Google sitemap or is that feature built in?
    As far as I recall, it does - yes. You can use the one mentioned by the above poster. So long as it outputs in XML, it should be compatible with Google Sitemaps (since that is what most of the XML sitemap plugins are created for anyway).

    Originally Posted by Johnny12345 View Post

    5) What are the plug-ins that are, for the most part, considered ESSENTIAL. I don't want to install a bunch of plug-ins (both for the sake of avoiding set-up hassles AND for loading speed).
    I use "Redirection" (I think that's the name), which handles redirects in the event I change my page-names or URLs, and also keeps track of 404 errors and what not.

    I also use "all-in-one SEO" (again, if I remember the name correctly), but I'm not sure I'd really call it essential.
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  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    1. It is easy to try: activate your old theme on a WP3 and see it. Most likely the custome menus feature will not work, but other than that... it should be fine.
    Note. No harm activating a theme. If you get a blank page or something wierd - delete the theme folder via FTP from wp-content/theme/your-old-themes-name/
    and WP reverts back to the default.

    2. TwentyTen - it comes with WP 3.x.x

    3. NO!!! All those "smart-a$$" ping lists are useless.

    4. Needs the plugin.

    5. None. All the lists with "my 365-must-have-plugins" are BS. Do you need a special feature? If cannot be done by copy/pasting 2 lines of code... you may want to find a plugin.
    Plugins for the sake of having plugins are absolutely counterproductive.

    HTH
    Signature

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    • Profile picture of the author iLifestyleClub
      Originally Posted by Istvan Horvath View Post


      3. NO!!! All those "smart-a$$" ping lists are useless.

      HTH
      Hey
      What do you mean about the ping list?

      I thought that the Ping list was useful. Was I wrong?

      Thanks

      Leanne
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      Follow my online journey: www.LeanneAnnett.com

      Make A Difference

      Enjoying Traveling the World! :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Johnny12345
    Thank you everyone for the expert info.

    -John
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  • Profile picture of the author culpetm
    No problem! Best of luck!

    -Tim
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  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    Probably, you were.

    I searched the forum for you:
    http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...-services.html
    Signature

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  • Profile picture of the author 60MinuteAffiliate
    1) Can old themes be used with WordPress version 3.x? I have a theme that was for WP version 2.x and would like to use it. I'm just a little hesitant to try it because if something can go wrong, it will.


    HI THERE, IT'S REALLY SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE WITH, SOME WILL DO BETTER THAN OTHERS.

    2) If I can't (or shouldn't) use it, can you suggest a popular, STABLE, clean, free theme (preferably with 2 columns)?

    HAVE A SUGGEST WHEN YOU'RE IN WORDPRESS DASHBOARD AND GO TO THEMES AND DO A SEARCH TO ADD A NEW ONE AND LOOK FOR TWO COLUMN OPTIONS THERE, AND THEY'RE FAST TO INSTALL.


    3) Do I really need to mess with the ping list? Doesn't WP have a "built-in" ping list?

    IT MAY NOT BE AS COMPREHENSIVE AS YOU'D LIKE IT OR ONLY LIST ONE SITE, IT'S REALLY UP TO YOU.

    4) Does WP require a plug-in to create a Google sitemap or is that feature built in?

    WHEN YOU'RE IN WORDPRESS DASHBOARD GO TO PLUGINS ADD NEW AND DO A SEARCH FOR GOOGLE SITEMAP AND YOU'LL SEE PLUGINS WITH THE HIGHEST RATING AT THE TOP, ACTIVATE IT AND YOU'RE GOOD TO GO.

    5) What are the plug-ins that are, for the most part, considered ESSENTIAL. I don't want to install a bunch of plug-ins (both for the sake of avoiding set-up hassles AND for loading speed).

    ALL IN ONE SEO

    MAXBLOGPRESS PING PLUGIN WHICH AVOIDS TOO MUCH PINGING

    BLOG PROTECTOR WHICH PROTECTS YOUR CONTENT FROM COPYING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

    AKISMET

    THERE'S BOUND TO BE MORE BUT I CAN'T THINK OF THEMO FF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
    That's it for now. Let the answers begin. Fill my noggin with your WordPress wisdom!

    LOL

    WARMLY

    COLLEEN

    Thanks,

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author Social Experts
    They aren't stupid questions at all. I get PM's all the time asking the same questions as these
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    Chill.

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  • Profile picture of the author Greg D
    If you have hosting with a Cpanel, use fantastico and set up a subdomain (domain add-on) very easy to do!

    use this as your test blog and try the theme. Blank screen or screwy, then just delete the theme or the whole site!

    The info above is accurate and this is just another way to comfortably 'test' stuff out.

    Greg
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  • Profile picture of the author JamesWhite
    Such a i am not understand why use this people... so please tell me why use this....
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  • Profile picture of the author bgmacaw
    Originally Posted by Johnny12345 View Post

    1) Can old themes be used with WordPress version 3.x?
    Most can, some can't. The only way is to test it.

    Originally Posted by Johnny12345 View Post

    2) If I can't (or shouldn't) use it, can you suggest a popular, STABLE, clean, free theme (preferably with 2 columns)?
    The default Twenty-Ten theme is quite nice.

    Originally Posted by Johnny12345 View Post

    3) Do I really need to mess with the ping list? Doesn't WP have a "built-in" ping list?
    It uses Ping-o-matic by default. That service provides pretty decent coverage and is generally enough. I've experimented with some alternate ping lists and they neither helped nor hurt.

    Originally Posted by Johnny12345 View Post

    4) Does WP require a plug-in to create a Google sitemap or is that feature built in?
    You'll need to use a plugin to do this. I don't recommend that you use one though unless your site is huge, especially one that builds the map automatically. This is because many of these plugins are processor intensive and can cause your hosting account to be suspended.

    Originally Posted by Johnny12345 View Post

    5) What are the plug-ins that are, for the most part, considered ESSENTIAL. I don't want to install a bunch of plug-ins (both for the sake of avoiding set-up hassles AND for loading speed).
    Platinum SEO or All-In-One SEO are the only essential ones I can think of right off. Others depend on what the site is needing in terms of features.
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  • Profile picture of the author paulie888
    Johnny, I just wanted to comment about your first question. If your old theme is a paid "premium" theme, chances are quite high that it has been upgraded over time to work on the newest (v 3.0+) version of Wordpress. If it's a free theme, then it's probably a crapshoot and the only way you'll know for sure is to give it a try!

    Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author easybiztools
    Just a quick note - if you install and activate too many plugins, it will also slow down your site - because wordpress will have to run all the plugin codes.

    So, just use only what you need. No hard and fast rule though - some hosts (eg. VPS or dedicated can probably handle lots of plugins, but a shared server that's nearing its capacity, having too many active plugin will make your site craw)


    Best,
    Adrian
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    • Profile picture of the author celente
      Originally Posted by easybiztools View Post

      Just a quick note - if you install and activate too many plugins, it will also slow down your site - because wordpress will have to run all the plugin codes.

      So, just use only what you need. No hard and fast rule though - some hosts (eg. VPS or dedicated can probably handle lots of plugins, but a shared server that's nearing its capacity, having too many active plugin will make your site craw)


      Best,
      Adrian


      I learnt that the hard way with my first membership site. It was an absolute nightmare.

      I remember seeing a warrior forum post where they posted the top 7 plugins. Now If only I could find it. lol
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  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    where they posted the top 7 plugins
    There are no "top" and "must-have" plugins. Period.

    There are only individual blogs with different requirements, so never copy other people's plugin list.
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