WordPress vs Website

[Monna Ellithorpe]

I am sure this has been asked before but I cannot seem to find the answer.

Say you purchase hosting through Hostgator and you want to use WordPress, is there also a charge for WordPress too?

[anitahampl]

Monna, The good news is, NO!!! WordPress is a free thing (I don't know the hows and whys, but it is). You need to figure out FTP to get the data from your computer into the internet, and you can try a free FTP service or buy one.

More experienced folks than I can provide details, but your easy answer is FREE WordPress.

[wade_watson]

For most website uses, WordPress will do fine and you can install it directly from the HostGator Control Panel. The drawback can be that WordPress uses a database and is written in PHP code, which can cause some hair pulling if you want to tweak it. The advantage of WP is that it makes it easy to control the entire site, using the WP Dashboard interface. You don't have that with a simple HTML site and every time you want to change, say your footer, you'll need to hand modify every page on your site.

You don't need an FTP client to install WP from HostGator and with WP 2.8+, you can now upload themes and plugins directly into your site from the WP Dash. Still, you may need to access your site from FTP sometime, so it's a good idea to install an FTP program. The free ones work just fine for such use. There was a good thread on the here earlier:
What do you use for FTP? (http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/members/showthread.php?t=321)

--Wade Watson

[torontocarol]

Hi Monna, Hostgator has a Fantastico button on their control panel. Hit that and you can set up wordpress faster than you can make a salad.

Carol

[anitahampl]

Thanks, Wade, I did not know that!

"You don't need an FTP client to install WP from HostGator "

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Thanks everyone for the information. I use Filezilla now for my FTP.

I knew I could count on everyone here for an answer.

[nar321]

If you have any problems,feel free to post them. Do post your URL when you get the site installed .

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Thank you, I will. :D

I am still working on it and trying to decide exactly how I want to proceed.

This is the site I have up now, thanks to the help of Loretta and Val in helping me get it set up (they are in no way responsible for the mess I have created with it). :o

http://www.beginnerinternetmarketingcenter.com

I am just not happy with the look of it. :( It looks boring, cluttered and just overall unappealing to me and I was thinking if I switch it to WordPress, I could do a lot more to improve the looks of it and the layout. :confused:

I also know I am in a competitive market :eek: but it's something I've wanted to do for a long time, so if it takes me a while to get somewhere with it, that's okay, I have other things I am working on too (but not too many). :)

[nar321]

Hi Anita
It's free both because Matt Mullenberg(owner of and the orginator of WordPress, though it may now be owned by Automattic) choose not to charge fir it and also because it has been GPL'D which is a open source license that in effect makes it free(as in free beer)

but anyone can re-do the source code and it is then possible to charge for there changes. This is why there are both free and customized WordPress themes which cost money.You can get free themes as well as WordPress itself at www.wordpress.org which has the self-hosted version. There is also a hosted version available at www.wordpress.com But you can't use there's for marketing.

Hope you found this informative.


Monna, The good news is, NO!!! WordPress is a free thing (I don't know the hows and whys, but it is). You need to figure out FTP to get the data from your computer into the internet, and you can try a free FTP service or buy one.

More experienced folks than I can provide details, but your easy answer is FREE WordPress.

[AlexNewell]

Wordpress is a community project and is developed by thousands of kind coders all over the world and given to us superb software free out of sheer community spirit.

Hosting is cheap - you can buy it through lynn's link very cheaply.

And you install a blog by logging in to your hosting account and finding the cpanel. Then look for a small smiley face with the word Fantastico or fantastico de luxe and click it. You will be guided through a simple install process - if you get stuck phone hostgator first and pop a post here second. If they can't help you we will

good luck and don't worry about FTP - you don't need it nowadays

All the best

Alex

[robert adams]

just for the sake of clarity.
GPL does not have to be free.
anyone can charge for a program that has a GPL license. YOu just have to give the code to them when you do and keep any copyright statements there may be in the code.

also, ftp is still very important if you are going to be running websites.

there are going to me many times that you will not be able to do certain things any other way.

also, using the file manager in your cpanel ( cpanel is a brand name and not every host uses it) or whatever your hosting control panel is, can and will corrupt certain file types like php.
things like wordpress and bulletin boards etc are written in php.
things like dreamweaver, frontpage etc. will also sometimes corrupt php files if you even open them.

so, if you are going to be responsible for running and maintaining websites then you really should have the basic tools and learn how to use them.

luck,
robert

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Whoa, a lot more to think about than I realized. :eek::eek:

I am working on a video right now, so that will be another day.

I need more hours in a day. :D

[AlexNewell]

Just take it one step at a time and you'll be fine - the profit is in the marketing - most tech details are unimportant except to a tech person Monna. Get the marketing and video right and you'll be fine.

:-)

Alex

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Thanks again for all the help and advice. :)

[KarenMcG]

Hi Monna,

It's nice to meet you. :)

Well, as you've probably already surmised, you're in the right place at the right time and you'll get lots of fantastic information and guidance here. As you already have.

And as has been mentioned, if you've got a question, just post it and someone will be around soon enough to help you out.

From the looks of your site, you've got a good handle on what you want to do...and now you'll make it better.

I use FTP, too, and use a couple free WordPress themes. I also purchased one. I also use HostGator. Of course, the choices are many.

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Hi Karen,

And thanks but having it in my mind and on the screen ends up being 2 different things. :rolleyes:

[Monna Ellithorpe]

One thing I forgot to ask, while I am working on the WordPress site, will my existing site still be up and running as is or will it be down until I get the new WordPress going. :confused::confused:

[retta719]

Hey Monna! Glad to see you're getting along well with the site. I think Wordpress will definitely help you stay organized so to speak. You've got plenty of great content and you definitely have good ideas. If you get stuck or need any help let us know!

[retta719]

One thing I forgot to ask, while I am working on the WordPress site, will my existing site still be up and running as is or will it be down until I get the new WordPress going. :confused::confused:

If you're not sure how long it will take you to get setup, or you want to leave your site up for reference, what Val and I do when we're moving a site to Wordpress from HTML is set up the wordpress in a directory (like domain.com/wordpress) and build it all up, then move it to the top level.

It only take a few minutes to switch it to the top level from the directory level. that way you can see both versions for reference and you can take your time, no stress.

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Thanks again and thanks for the compliment on my site.

Loretta to my rescue...again. :)

I thought there should be a way to do it, now I know.

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Has anyone found that 2 column, versus 3 column makes any difference?

Which do you use 2 or 3 and why?

[angienewton]

When I first started, Lynn recommended the 2 column because a lot of times the 3 column blogs are full of banners and junk and looks too cluttered. I would stick with 2 as a new blogger.

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Thanks Angie. That does make a lot of sense since I want to get mine looking more organized.

[Monna Ellithorpe]

My oh my, how do you decide which theme to use? I have decided on about 10 different ones and then start working with it and then decide it's not what I want.

I am going to be doing this forever :o:confused::eek:

[TraciKnoppe]

LOL Yep, it's tough. What I do is find one that has the layout the way I want it, as that's the hardest thing to change, then the next thing I look at is the color, I choose a color close to what I want. While you *can* change color, if there are any graphics involved, it can be a nightmare to change every graphic on a site to a new color - so not always easy, depending on the theme you choose.

So layout first.
Then color choice.

Header background graphics and even icons and some other images like that are actually pretty easy to change.

[wade_watson]

I found once I started trying out different themes that I would eliminate most as unsatisfactory for some reason. I've never found one I thought was perfect. Be sure to try it out in different browsers and at different resolutions (or page zooming) to see how others will see it. Any theme not updated to WP 2.7 standards will not allow threaded comments. It's best to find as late a model theme as possible.

There are an increasing number of themes, both free and priced, that allow you to change column count and do other layout adjustments from the Dashboard. Magazine Basic and Simple Balance are a couple. Right now I'm fooling around with one called ComicPress that creates a webcomic site. I think I may have to start a comic strip...

[Lynn Terry]

Great thread here!

Just wanted to pop in and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY Monna :D

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Thank you very much, Lynn.

My I have had so many birthday wishes today from all over.

Sure makes me feel good to have so many internet friends.

[Getagrip]

I am sure this has been asked before but I cannot seem to find the answer.

Say you purchase hosting through Hostgator and you want to use WordPress, is there also a charge for WordPress too?

No, there is not - also, if anyone is interested, I've created some free web design videos which show you how to auto install Wordpress using Fantastico Deluxe, which comes free with your Hostgator account. I also have a video on how to create your own forum and how to create a website using free templates that come with your Hostgator account as well.

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Thank you, I will look them over. Still working on setting things up.

[kidino]

Just would like to share that I LOVE WORDPRESS. I've been building websites for offline business lately and I use WordPress for ALL OF THEM. OK, I can design a WordPress theme and make it to behave more like a corporate website than a blog. And at the same time, using the Settings > Reading, I can move the blog to the side, having more corporate pages as main...

Running a website on WordPress makes so much easier to maintain and update.

I shameless plug - if you need a corporate / business website running on WordPress, look me up, OK.

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Thanks everyone for all of the advice and help.

I got sidetracked this week with being ill and the 1st anniversary of my husband's passing, and outside business meetings, so I hope to get back to work on it next week.

[carlos123]

Sorry to hear of your husband's passing last year Monna. That must have been real hard on you. Good to see you getting back into the swing of things.

Regarding whether to use Wordpress or your own web site...I am a bit late to the party here but I did have a couple of thoughts that might prove useful.

Wordpress code is not written as efficiently as it could be. The source code that one would be modifying for example to create a custom theme is filled with all kinds of superflous code fragments that really aren't neccessary and make the code harder to read and harder to work with. That's because the code is written in a way that attempts to make it easier for people that don't know how to write PHP which of course makes it real hard to work with for people that know how to create PHP scripts in that they have to trudge through all the uneccesary code fragments.

More importantly, I don't know if you all know this, but any source code developed to create a Wordpress theme does not belong to the creator of that code. It belongs to Wordpress! Legally it is considered a derivative work of Wordpress itself and must be licensed under the same license as Wordpress itself.

The graphics and such used in a theme belong to anyone creating them but not the source code.

Just something to bear in mind.

I worked with Wordpress some but decided to develop my own PHP scripts and otherwise hand code my web sites from now on. It's much cleaner that way. The code loads quicker and uses less server resources and bandwidth. And I have complete control over what I do with it.

It is true that I lose some time effectiveness in having to re-create things but in reality I gain in the long run in that I am not tied to Wordpress.

A Wordpress installation uses a lot of files that one may not even use in one's web site. My custom installation takes less than 1/10 of what Wordpress uses and the final result is the same as far as what appears on the screen (or will be as soon as I add some more functionality to my code classes).

There's just no substitute for doing things yourself if you can do so and know how to. I can do whatever I want, when I want, and however I want to do it on my site without having to wait for Wordpress to make some capability available through a plug-in.

For example one thing Wordpress does not have that I will add to my own blog. The capability to have readers sign up to receive email notification of new posts only in a certain category, only once a week or every day, only to receive notication of new comments or no comments, only for so long, and so forth. I can work all that and more into my own blog.

With Wordpress...well...I am entirely dependent on them.

Just some thoughts to ponder. Rolling one's own site is really not that difficult if one knows how to do it.

Carlos

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Thank you Carlos. Yes it has been hard and today was especially hard.

I did try to work with WordPress some a little today, although I know not a good day to try and concentrate on anything but I am beginning to wonder if I do want to transfer everything to WordPress. :(

I cannot write code from scratch but I can edit and do what I need to do on a regular website and looking at the WordPress codes today, I was totally lost and had no idea of where to start to even make one small change in the header. :eek:

I am definitely not happy with the way my website looks now but at least, like you said I can change it and I know how to change it and work with it and have total control and not have to learn something completely new again.

[carlos123]

Hi Monna,

If I can perhaps bring some cheer into your difficult day I will be happy to look at the source code in Wordpress that you are having trouble understanding to see if I can help you make heads or tails of it.

I can't guarantee that I will be able to spend a whole lot of time helping you understand it Monna as I am very busy (trying to make a conventional living while I continue hoping for my day of success at building an internet based business of passive income :)) but I will certainly give you whatever tid bits of insight I can share with you on the code you are having trouble with.

Just cut and snip it into this thread, post your questions about it, and I'll see what I can see in it to help you understand it.

Carlos

[nar321]

Thank you, I will. :D

I am still working on it and trying to decide exactly how I want to proceed.

This is the site I have up now, thanks to the help of Loretta and Val in helping me get it set up (they are in no way responsible for the mess I have created with it). :o

http://www.beginnerinternetmarketingcenter.com

I am just not happy with the look of it. :( It looks boring, cluttered and just overall unappealing to me and I was thinking if I switch it to WordPress, I could do a lot more to improve the looks of it and the layout. :confused:

I also know I am in a competitive market :eek: but it's something I've wanted to do for a long time, so if it takes me a while to get somewhere with it, that's okay, I have other things I am working on too (but not too many). :)

I went to your Site and would have to agree with your assesment. The pea green header doesn't cut it, you have at least one broken link as the "Contact me" didn't work.

I would agree that a WordPress theme , with the right plug-ins and less content on the home page or put better more focused content. prehaps a "Static page" for the home page on some aspct of IM or your take on IM(internet Marketing) after exploring it for awhile(Good.bad, or indifferent is okay & how it can or should be improved) Think of IM as the Wild West(which I assure you it is)and go from there. With SSWT being both a fort and a beacon of light to guide you along the IM path. The only silly questions are those you self censor.

[nar321]

There is a option, fully or partially customized WP themes.Do a Google search for both. Or use Elance.com, also RentaCoder.com to have someone do it for you

[carlos123]

I agree about the pee green header not looking very good Monna. Other than that though your site is not too bad in appearance. It does look like a marketing web site to me though.

And if truth be told like a site from someone who has not actually succeeded in the field of internet marketing yet from some of the ways in which you express yourself. There seems to be little cofidence behind your words Monna. Nothing personal...just stating it like it comes across to me.

May I make a rather bold suggestion Monna?

I would highly and I mean highly suggest that you get away from the IM niche entirely and create a sight centered around something else in your life that you are passionate about.

Otherwise you are going to be trying to make a living from a niche that is filled with gurus all over the place all trying to make a buck. Offering the latest key and the latest red hot idea, so called, that will catapult the rest of us into internet success.

Lynn is really one of the most refreshing internet marketing voices around I think. Even better than Jimmy D. Brown in my opinion in some respects (he comes across like a typical internet marketer...always trying to sell you something but unlike many he is really good in what he says so I put up with it). Lynn comes across like just a common lady doing an uncommon thing really well! I can relate to that and while I have dropped a gazillion other internet marketing newsletters filled with rah, rah marketing gibberish I have held on to hers and almost always read every word.

Anyway back to your site Monna...I don't have time to really dig into it on my own and give you feedback on changing the underlying Wordpress code. But if you post a section of actual Wordpress code that you need help to understand I will be happy to help you with that.

Carlos

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Carlos and Nar321,

I thank you so much for taking the time to make suggestions and I know you are right. I have tried to go into something I can't compete in.

I have a blog that I have had for about a year now, ever since my husband passed away. I started it to get through my grief and I also have a few Squidoo lenses on the same subject and I get a good amount of traffic to those.

I have not tried to monetize them really but do have some affiliate links in them. To be honest, I felt like I would be taking advantage but there are so many issues I have had to deal with being a military widow that I could expand on in that area. Veterans benefits, health care costs, dealing with loss, dealing with children and grief, taking care of yourself going through grief and I could go on and on.

If you wouldn't mind taking a look at those and see what you think. I would appreciate it.

http://grief-life-during-and-after.blogspot.com/
http://www.squidoo.com/How-To-Write-a-Funeral-Eulogy
http://www.squidoo.com/hellofromheaven
http://www.squidoo.com/howtodealwithgrief
http://www.squidoo.com/iwasntreadytosaygoodbye

[anitahampl]

Hi Monna,
My thoughts are with you during such a difficult week. I cannot imagine how it all feels to you, I hope happy memories fill your mind.

Re: your websites, your heart and your attitude are sincere and you are providing a real service to people who are bereft and not sure where to turn for advice.

One thing that was emphasized at the NAMS conference (we're saving you a seat for January 29-31 BTW :D) was, "It is spiritual to pay your own bills." I heard that from more than one presenter.

Monna, you are uniquely qualified to offer advice, ideas and links to resources to this NICHE. I could cobble together some stuff from Google and throw together a few 7-step Ezine Articles, or whatever, but YOU are investing your time and hard-won knowledge to assemble this stuff to help people.

Your time is valuable, you are saving people time and from being mislead when they are vulnerable, and it is okay for you to be compensated if the market will bear it.

Go get 'em, girl!

God bless you,
Anita

[carlos123]

Hi Monna,

That's swell of you to take what I said so well Monna. That shows a lot of maturity in that you accept constructive criticism even if that criticism suggests that you find an entirely different niche to work into an internet business.

I would like to suggest two things Monna for what they are worth.

Unlike some of the input you have gotten I would not suggest that you try and make a niche money making thing out of the grief you feel at your husband's passing. I read some of the first link you left us and it was heartfelt and may I say a beautiful tribute to the love you felt for your husband. Some subjects are best left as is without trying to make money from them. I think this is one of them.

Not to mention that I don't think it would be good for you to continue to focus on the pain you felt when your husband passed away. To try and make a money making niche from that is going to remind you of that pain every time you look at your web site. That's not good Monna. A person can only take so much pain.

I would try and find something else. Something you feel some passion for but which does not revolve around the kind of pain you felt at your husband's death. Don't get me wrong Monna. There may come a day when you could indeed create some kind of money making website centered around helping others cope with grief but I don't think that day is now.

You are still in the grip of that grief. The feelings are still too raw for you. We all grieve when a loved one passes away. I don't think I've ever in my entire life experienced the kind of pain I felt when my father passed away a couple of years ago. It was an emotional pain like no other.

But if I can also say Monna...in the very midst of that pain God spoke to me. "I know what I am doing and you need to trust me" were the words He impressed on my heart. Those words cut through the cloud of pain I was feeling and enabled me to love my dad and those around me as he passed away. They enabled me to have the strength to go on and not only to just survive but to soar as an eagle above the natural paralysis of pain I had been feeling.

The Lord might want to give you that same peace Monna. To look to Him that you might receive the grace to let go of your husband and go on with your life. Forgetting what lies behind and looking forward to what lies ahead.

In any case Monna I would not suggest making a web site to try and monetize the pain you are still feeling. I don't think that would be good.

I hope I have not been presumptious in what I have said. My desire has been to give you the best input I know to give you. I hope to some small degree I have accomplished that.

Carlos

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Anita, thank you for your advice also. One day I hope to go to one of those workshops.

Carlos, It is amazing how much we think alike. I had considered advancing with the grief blog at one time but thought of the same thing. I used that to get through my grief and still do and I was not sure it would be a good idea to keep on with it and have that be my only thoughts day after day on the screen even though it's in my mind day after day anyway.

I do have some other interests but they are also very highly competitive; scrapbooking and quilting but since my husband has passed away I have yet to become interested in them again.

My husband and I both were Sci-Fi nuts, so I thought of something along those lines. I guess I will spend the next couple of days making a list of things and just see what I come up with.

I am involved with a couple of MLM's. One I signed up for myself and one a friend payed my way in. I guess I could concentrate on those completely and ditch the website all together.

I do have another website http://www.doubleweddingringquilts.com/ with an Ebook I wrote, making the quilt a little different than traditional but getting pretty much the same results and that has been up for quite a while and I rank pretty well on that. I made 3 sales from that yesterday. Some weeks I will make quite a few sales and then sometimes it will be weeks in between before making another sale.

It just seems so easy for other people to make a decision on what they want to concentrate on and I have such a hard time making up my mind.

I want to get something going on the internet and do well at it so I can quit my medical transcription job. I have done that for 18 years and I am burnt out on it.

BTW, I agree with you also that Lynn is the best. I started following her back in 2003 and have always come back to her and this forum for advice.

[Lynn Terry]

I have something to share with you on that note, Monna. I actually have it on my list to do this week as a video, but I think you'll enjoy the topic specifically. I am headed out for a lunch meeting, but I'll post more when I return :)

And thank you both - your kind words in this thread made my day!

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Lynn,

I will be waiting anxiously to hear what your topic is about.

[Lynn Terry]

I published it here:

http://www.clicknewz.com/2010/passion-or-profit-video/

:)

[InspirationalSheila]

Hi Monna,

For whatever reason, I happened in on this thread tonight for the first time. My deepest sympathy to you on the loss of your husband.

My husband died 21 months ago today (I hadn't marked that connection 'til right now), so I can understand a bit of your thoughts in working in the area of grief and "monetizing" it. On the other hand you may be "ripping" yourself and others off by not sharing what seems to come so easily to you and could possibly be of extreme value to others as well as yourself.

I don't understand the whole Squidoo thing. I did read a few of your articles on eZine articles and was quite impressed with the tips you offered. Also moved by your blog posts --- the blogspot ones. I'm thinking that you could some keyword research to determine needs, are people buying? (are other sites reprinting your articles?) You could probably put them together into an eBook, maybe for sale or for download leading to something else.

I was blessed that Sam and I had wonderful 47 years together. The last 5 were marked with challenges as Parkinson's Disease took it's toll on him and us. Coincidentally I just posted the following comment today on a post on grieving on the Self-Growth blog... just signed up responding from a Tweet. I wrote:

"I used writing Haiku to gain control over anger while grieving what Parkinson's disease was doing to my husband and us.

When he died, I created a memorial website in the depths of grieving - http://www.sheilafinkelstein.com/sam.html As the first year of his passing came I used writing and adding more pages, now celebrating his life and sense of humor to help me through it.

My http://www.writingforhealing.com blog has a link for my Haiku for Healing PDF and assorted writings during different times these past, almost 2 years. I invite anyone to share their writing there."

When you go to the memorial page, check out the link to SAM SMILES and on that page to ROB Story and the Joe Story.

Bottom line to all of this, Monna, is, in my opinion, is that should you choose to do some investigating and consider working in this area it may be something that could move you forward. Setting that as an intention would have you coming from a place of power rather than driving yourself into a state of morass.

And you may have a niche, I'm thinking, of sudden losses, or losses, in short-term (not exactly the right word) relationships.

OK, enough wandering. I'd be glad to talk with you if you wish. I have friends who say my writing in the area of my grieving would be making a difference and I've wondered who would buy and I haven't researched it because I'm focussing on other areas now.

To conclude - Aileen Bennett, speaker at NAMS, Tweeted the following in relation to the several links on the my site mentioned above: "yes, that whole site blew me away... I cried, I laughed - I hope that we all get to be loved that much"

Maybe this is what people want.

Hope this helps you in some way.... a lot longer than I intended.

[InspirationalSheila]

Per my last post here -

http://ow.ly/ksbL for
by Sandy Clendenen, The Official Guide to Grief and Bereavement


Sheila

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Lynn:

Your video was very thought provoking and gave a different perspective on things I hadn't thought about again (as you usually do and makes a lot of sense).

Sheila:

I thank you so much for your concern and advice and I am also sorry for your loss. I will look through your pages today.

Everyone has given me a lot to think about and decide on.

I am not sure if Lynn remembers or not but I have been struggling to find my way on the internet for quite a while and with a 3 to 4 year break, I am just getting back to internet work in the last 6 months or so.

I have learned a lot from Lynn in the past and a lot of new things from Lynn and some others and I do have a better understanding; much better than I did years ago even with the new changes on the internet.

I will figure out a plan one way or the other because I am motivated and determined; much more than I ever have been.

With my different things out there, testing, etc. I do have money coming to me such as from ClickBank but I have not yet met the criteria to receive the payout (5 different credit cards and PayPal doesn't count). I am happy to say this time around I am not in the hole money-wise like before, I have made some profit (when I actually get the payouts) but I want to increase that and have residual that I can live on (like every one does, LOL).

I would love to get back in to Lynn's Elite group but that is not possible right now but soon, I hope.

I just appreciate so much each and every one of you taking the time to give your advice, opinions and suggestions.

I will be spending this next week assessing what I have going, what is working, what is not and then start deciding "where the money is" as Lynn suggested in her video and forge ahead.

I know my name is not recognized like Lynn's is and so many others but it will be one day. I WILL find my place on the internet and be there to stay.

[Lynn Terry]

You made me smile today :)

Let us know how we can help!

I was curious how the quilting product/site was doing?

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Lynn,

Thanks for asking. It is doing okay (one of those small passive income sites), just a few pages I put up and have not really done anything with it since.

Some weeks I get quite a few sales, some weeks nothing. I had 3 sales the other day. Not tremendous traffic but sometimes up to 100 per day, sometimes way less. http://www.doubleweddingringquilts.com/

I will leave it as it is, unless I decide to go that direction which right now I am not sure what direction I am headed in.

Believe me, I will ask for help when I need it. LOL and I am sure glad everyone is/has been there for me willing to help and advise.

[Lynn Terry]

Okay - good to hear & will wait to hear back from you on that :)

[kidino]

Lynn,

Thanks for asking. It is doing okay (one of those small passive income sites), just a few pages I put up and have not really done anything with it since.

Some weeks I get quite a few sales, some weeks nothing. I had 3 sales the other day. Not tremendous traffic but sometimes up to 100 per day, sometimes way less. http://www.doubleweddingringquilts.com/

I will leave it as it is, unless I decide to go that direction which right now I am not sure what direction I am headed in.

Believe me, I will ask for help when I need it. LOL and I am sure glad everyone is/has been there for me willing to help and advise.

Awesome. Way to go Monna. It's great to hear success stories like this.

[Monna Ellithorpe]

Thanks Kidino. Small success, but success, so that's good.

I remember you from way back in 2003/2004, I think it was. If I remember, you were just starting out then too (correct me if I am wrong).

I have seen your name around the internet on different things. I am glad to see you stuck with it. My personal life issues didn't afford me the time to continue back then as I should have but I wouldn't have traded that time with my husband for anything.

Bonita, I have learned a lot too. I always do when I come here for help.

[Lynn Terry]

Keep us posted, Monna ;) I remember meeting you at the original forum, and looking over your product then. You have plenty of experience & ideas to make a great go of it this time around... and we're all here to help you if you want to brainstorm or have specific questions!

[retta719]

Hey Monna,

I just wanted to pop in and check with you and see how things are going now? If you're stuck on anything in particular this week? Just take it one thing at a time and you'll be there before you know it.

If you need additional help you can email Val or myself at anytime at EWW.

Side note, I didn't realize you had a quilting site. We'll have to figure out a way to blend that in with my craft blog later ;)

[cjmo75]

Wordpress is free and is definitely the way to go over a static website. I have learned so much about using Wordpress that I use them for sales pages, squeeze pages, blogs, membership sites, etc. Once you learn what plugins you need and a littl ebit about how to customize Wordpress, there is almost nothing that you can't do with it.

[wade_watson]

I've been a WP user for several years and I've never read an overall guide or taken a course. I suppose you can, but since they release a modified version every couple of months, things will have changed by the time you get started, anyway. My approach has been to just use it and every time I have a problem, do a well worded Google search for an answer. If that fails, ask a question on a forum. That's pretty much how how I've done it and I've set up maybe a couple of dozen sites with it by now.

BTW, I've stopped looking for themes. There are too many faulty ones out there. I just take a robust basic theme and modify it to my needs. Lately, I've done fine with the new default themes, Twenty Ten and Twenty Eleven. One tip is to keep the WP plugin search page link handy. Often you can quickly find a plugin that solves a problem that would have taken hours of trial and error to fix yourself. For instance, I was inexplicably having trouble getting a child theme to show up. I found a plugin that automatically makes a child theme of whatever theme you're in at the moment (One-Click Child Theme). Here's some other problem-solving plugins I'm making use of right now: WP Easy Columns, Drop Cap Shortcode, and Fast Secure Contact Form. That last one's the most versatile contact form I've found and, with an additional plugin, you can export lists from it.

[mleejr]

Hey WildBlue

I think one of the best ones I have found was something called "WordPress Videos by Mercer."

If you Google that phrase it should take you to the correct place

The videos are sort of basic, but they are FREE, and continually being updated.

Hope this helps,
Martin

[seocrux]

It depends on quantity of content, how often the content is updated, and if there is a blog. If the site is going to grow and the content is updated fairly regularly, I think WP is the way to go.

I do not believe the search engines prefer one over another. If the same site was built in both structures, I would bet they would be ranked identically.

[1JeffT]

One of the best sources out there for not only learning WP, but also keeping up with it's ever changing and growing nature, is
Wordpress Classroom by Matt Wolfe out of San Diego. I actually run the support desk for Matt and can tell you first hand, that likeLynn, Matt is very genuine in his rather insane passion to help others get off the ground and find success with their online
businesses. Matt also just started doing free podcasts at his personal blog. I'm not leaving any links but it's called
businessandblogs and he's plenty easy to find if you Google "wordpress tutorials". Though WPC is a paid membership site, there is a free level designed to show even the newest of newbies and the worst of technophobes, how to install WP and get a decent looking blog up and live online in a matter of hours. He also has a YouTube channel he doen't pay much attention to, but it does have a few of his tutorials on it to at least give someone an idea of what it's like inside the classroom, which now has well over 170 video tutorials. Search Youtube for "LearnToBlog" He's the one with the "2 thumbs up" profile photo.
Hope this helps folks out a little,
~ Jeff

[MeekMike]

WordPress is an open source publishing software. Meaning it is accessible to anyone and anyone can modify and change it. It is totally free. If you are going to create a content based site,eg. Blog, then WordPress is ideal. If you require more sophisticated or unique design then you better get your website developed by a programmer.