Visit the Word press home page and select the ‘Sign Up’ button to register for a Word press account. One needs a valid email address to sign up for a new Word press account. To sign up for a Word press account, one needs to enter a username and password of one’s choice. One will also be asked to confirm that one has read the terms and conditions of the Word press website. Finally, one will be asked whether one wants to create a blog or simply a Word press account. To create one’s Word press blog, one need to enter the text one wants displayed in one’s domain name. Free Word press blogs always end with ‘.wordpress.com’, so the name one chooses for users to type into their Internet browsers to find one’s blog will always be followed by that extension. One will also have to decide on the name for one’s blog and enter that name in the space provided to create one’s blog. The blog name one selects at this stage can be edited later.
One will also have an opportunity to select the language for one’s blog as well as decide whether one wants the blog to be private or public. By selecting public, your blog will be included in search listings on sites such as Google. After this a screen will appear that tells one that one’s Word press account is active and to look for an email confirming one’s login information. When one log in one’s newly created Word press blog, one will be taken to one’s user dashboard. From here, you can change your blog’s theme (design), write posts, pages, add users, and revise one’s own user profile. If one has any problems, click on the ‘Support’ tab in the upper right corner of your screen. This will take one to the online help section of Word press as well as the active user forums where one can ask questions.
The Word press dashboard toolbar will help one navigate through one’s blog’s administration pages to do everything from writing posts and moderating comments to modifying your blog’s themes. One of the best features of starting a free Word press blog is with the various free templates and themes available through Word press dashboard. One can try several different themes to see which one works best for one’s blog. Once you’ve taken the time to be familiar with the Word press dashboard and user environment and customized one’s blog’s appearance and functionality, it’s time to write the first post. Enter the title and text for the post, and select the ‘Publish’ icon to start one’s blog.
