After reviewing a number of Joomla! extensions for blogging and finding them not very useful for my web design clients’ needs, I took another look at WordPress. It allows the blogger to manage posts and comments, even pages, categories and menus, without getting lost in the backend of a complicated Content Management System.
The Twenty Ten theme I’m using in this blog allows me to change the background and header images and, again, it’s user friendly. You can change these images to suit your mood, make your blog look more like your main website, or, as I have done, give it a seasonal look.
For backgrounds you may select a solid color or upload an image from your computer. Options include using a large fixed image as I have done or a small tileable image. The header image can be selected from a group that comes with the WordPress software or an image from your computer. WordPress even allows you to crop and size it right in your browser window.
In WordPress, a “theme” gives your blog its visual appearance and to a varying extent controls where the components of your blog appear on the page. For this sample blog I’m keeping it simple and using the default theme that came with the WordPress installation: Twenty Ten. Free themes are available from WordPress and other sites in the internet. You may also purchase commercial themes.
Dogwood Tree in Fall Colors
Uploading photos and inserting them into your blog post is a very user friendly operation that doesn’t require Photoshop.
The picture can be sized, captioned, and positioned, all within your browser window.
I installed WordPress on WebNanny.net as a practice exercise to aquaint myself with the program. I am now offering it to my web design clients as an addition to their websites.
Contact me if you would like a WordPress blog added to your website.
