After discovering Keller Hawthorne’s site, I was convinced that a self-hosted WordPress strategy was the right one for my blog. The only problem was that I hadn’t a clue how to get started setting it up, but that was about to change.
I stumbled across her post, Blog Mastermind vs. Become a Blogger: Review and Comparison. While I did not purchase either course, I was quite impressed with the free video series offered by Become a Blogger.
This series walks you through everything you need to know about setting up a WordPress blog. I played these videos while setting up my blog a little over two months ago, and I hope you will find them helpful too.
Video #1 – Why You Should Choose WordPress
The first video is introduced by professional blogger guru Yaro Starak. You might remember him from my post, Blog Walking: The Shameless Self-Promoter Keller Hawthorne (2/3). Become a Blogger is a collaborative effort between him and Gideon Shalwick, who serves as the host for the video series.
This is a great video to help you understand what differentiates a blog from a website, what are the main blogging platforms, whether self-hosting is right for you, and is an all-around great introduction to blogging.
Video #2 – How to Get Your Domain Name
In the second video, Gideon walks you though how to get your domain name. Topics include:
- What a domain name is
- Why you need your own domain name
- How to choose your domain name
- How to register your domain name
I would suggest that you use a different provider for your domain name than you use for your hosting services. It’s saves a lot of heartache if you ever need to have a break up with your hosting company.
Video #3 – How to Get a Web Host
Now that you have your domain name, Gideon walks you through how to choose a web host. Topics in this video include:
- What a web host is
- Why you need a web host
- How to set up your own web host
- How to link your domain name to your web host
This site uses Host Gator as its web host. I have been very happy with them, and I also participate in their affiliate program.
Video #4 – How to Install WordPress
Whatever host you choose make sure they have Fantastico De Luxe. Why? Because you can automatically install the latest version of WordPress in seconds with the click of a button. If you don’t have this option, Gideon walks you through doing it manually.
In this video he explains:
- All the tools you’ll need to install your WordPress blog
- The exact steps you need to take for the 5 minute install process
- How to find your way around the WordPress admin area
- What permalinks are and how to use them
Note: This video was made with version 2.6.3 of WordPress, which is many versions old. While you can easily update the current version, the process is not shown in this series.
Video #5 – How to Upload Files to Your Web Host Using FTP
If you’ve never used a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program before, you will need to learn how to use one if you are self-hosting.
Gideon does a great job in this video walking you through:
- What FTP is and why you need it
- What FTP software to use
- How to download and install the FTP software
- How to set up a connection to your host
In this video he recommends using the free software FileZilla. I highly recommend this software as well.
Adding the Bells and Whistles
Tomorrow, we will look at the remaining five videos and Gideon’s ebook. This is where you’ll learn to install a theme for your WordPress blog, install plugins to your blog, and what an RSS feed is anyway.
Read the Conclusion to Blog Walking – Become a Blogger Here.
DISCLOSURE: This is not a paid review – there is absolutely no compensation of any kind associated with the review of this site. The owner of the website was not made aware of the contents of this post prior to it being posted on my blog. Unless disclosed elsewhere in the post, no notification of the post was provided to the owner of the website prior to it being posted on my blog. All logos or images from the website were used without prior permission and will be removed from the post upon request of copyright owner.
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Great video to start blog. Hem… it is surely a big help for me if there are transcript from the video because the internet speed really slow in my country.
Great post and set of videos. I am pleased that you have a blog and business dedicated to God. I am impressed. TO God be the glory for this, and pray that He blesses you for it.
Hi Brad, I also came across Yaro through Keller – and his video series is superb , especially for beginners. I'm lucky enough to have access to the premium course ( again thanks to Keller) ….and it's definitely to be recommended. By the way, it's a bit of a coincidence that you post about “BecomeABlogger.com” today – as it will soon be my “Site Of The Day”… Best wishes, Will
I'm not aware of any transcripts, but I think you are well past this point with your blog. This video series is geared towards those who have never made a blog before. The course sounds pretty interesting though, and I'll bet Will can give us some more information as I think he is currently enrolled in it.
Thank you Robert for the kind words. It is my hope that my business ventures bring Him glory, and that is what I strive to do.
Seems like there are lots of good things that come from reading Keller's site. You know what they say, great minds think alike or bad minds run in the same gutter.
I'll choose the first option. It'd be interesting to read a post about your experience with Gideon's course. (hint, hint)
Hi Brad, Planning on maybe writing something about the course once I've watched all the videos. I've been sent 17 videos so far – but only had time to watch six. Must set some time aside over Christmas to catch up – definitely worth it. Cheers, Will
If the videos are anything like the 10 free ones then there should be tremendous value there. I look forward to your report.