I’ve been throwing stuff into the Cloud (Internet) only for a year. Online ZEN is just a little bit about how I’m using the Cloud more efficiently to make my life in the physical realm easier. Thanks for joining me in unveiling my rhythm in the Cloud! =)
To the left is my new physical inbox for mail and paperwork. I have never had one before, so I’m excited to put it to use. Also, for 5 of the last 7 days, I have checked email *after* working on my most important projects for 2 hours. (These were my goals from my last post in the series.) It’s very exciting to jump into this new perspective of the Cloud!
Now, here is how you can set up a website and/or blog super fast using Bluehost for hosting.*
1. Buy hosting through Bluehost if you don’t already have it. I highly recommend working with a hosting company that allows multiple domains under the same account, and Bluehost does exactly that. Plus they offer an awesome Online Chat help service as you find your way!
2. Decide on a good domain name, make sure it’s available, and buy it for $10.
3. Make sure your new domain is either your primary domain or an add-on domain.
4. On the c-panel, click on WordPress, and install WordPress on your domain.
So easy! You will receive your name and password, then you are on your way to a rockin website!
WordPress allows for so many options. There are a ga-zillion free themes from which to choose, and plugins are almost as unlimited as apps on the iPhone. You will definitely be able to build the perfect website using WordPress. And, WordPress is free. Here’s my Screenflow video how I did it in less than 4 minutes . . . (I tried for 3 minutes, but didn’t quite make it.)
*If you have a different hosting company already, I might be able to help. I’ve worked with GoDaddy, WebGator, and ADDR. Just throw down a comment, and I’ll try to give you specific instructions.
Nice, quick tutorial, Kat! Looking forward to one about your favorite plug-ins.
Thanks, Chris! And thanks for the reminder =)
Kat, I’ve watched this video a few times – I feel like you must’ve done this video for novice-me. thank you! I’m going with Bluehost because you do.
One chip at a time, right?
That’s so exciting to hear, CJ! Can’t wait to hear more about your new site~
Hi again, Kat! I’m planning to switch from WordPress.com to a hosted site for my blog soon (maybe this weekend), and I’m wondering if you have any tips on what, if anything, I should do before taking the hosting plunge. I haven’t really explored plug-ins yet; I just know I want to use them! Like the Facebook social plug-in. I’d also like to have category tabs that pull from a feed, like you’ve done here. Is there a way to do that with WordPress.com?
Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks.
Chris! Congrats on the big switch coming up. I think you’ll find that it’s worth it to be self-hosted!
Tips… Hmmmm, I’m actually going to launch a 2-week intensive course in a few weeks, and you might be interested in that. Also, I would explore options for transferring all your wp.com stuff over to your new wp.org site. There must be an easy way to do that.
You’ll find plug-ins really helpful once you switch. I’ve actually been playing around with the facebook plugins, and now I have taken it down (to replace it with other cool stuff). A lot of plugins have links to their developers – Sharebar is to the left here, and the Facebook Like Box is at Facebook.com. Usually google will take you to the right places. But once you’ve switched and installed wp.org software, then you can search for plugins here: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/
Wp.com should have categories enabled automatically… But I haven’t used wp.com in a while.
Let me know if you have any more questions! Would love to help out! And watch out the the ecourse coming up in a few weeks….