About WordPress
WordPress is a powerful but easy-to-understand tool for maintaining your website. Many people assume that you can only use WordPress for blogging, but it's also a tool for web site creation and maintenance.
If you know how to use a word processor and you know how to use a web browser, then you have all the skills you need for learning to use WordPress.
There are 2 basic ways to start using WordPress:
- Sign up for a web log on WordPress.com. This is pretty easy to do.
- Download the latest software from WordPress.org and install it on your own server. This requires more expertise, but it's easier than it sounds.
Right now, setting your site up with WordPress—whether on WordPress.com or on your own server—is beyond the scope of this web page. Instead, the tutorials below assume you already have access to a WordPress-based web site and you just need some introductory guides.
About this web page
Below you'll find links to a few video tutorials on how to use WordPress. These tutorials have several advantages:
- They're very short.
- They're simple and easy to understand.
- They're aimed at the absolute beginner who already knows how to use a word processor and a web browser but doesn't have much (or any) experience in designing and maintaining web sites.
Each of the tutorials is a video hosted by WordPress.tv. To get the best quality video, be sure to turn on the HD option (for "high definition" video) and expand the size of the video to fill your screen.
A select list of basic tutorials
There are many tutorials on WordPress.tv covering a wide variety of topics and aimed at different audiences, from the absolute beginner to the seasoned expert.
What you see below is just the tip of the iceberg, but once you've watched these tutorials and had a chance to experiment with WordPress, you'll be well on your way to maintaining your own site.
"The WordPress Dashboard – introduction" (01:58) » WordPress.tv (5 Jan. 2009)
"How to customize the main interface (called the 'Dashboard') so that it works just the way you want it to."
"Customizing your writing settings" (00:58) » WordPress.tv (5 Jan. 2009)
"How to change various options so that the interface for writing works just the way you want it to."
"Writing and publishing a post" (01:59) » WordPress.tv (15 Jan. 2009)
"How to write and publish a post using WordPress."
"Adding categories and tags to your posts" (01:56) » WordPress.tv (14 Jan. 2009)
"How to use categories and tags to organize the content in your site and make it easier for readers to find what they’re looking for."
"Embedding photos, videos, & audio into your posts" (01:46) » WordPress.tv (5 Jan. 2009)
"How to insert photos, videos, audio or other media into your blog pages and posts."
"Saving and returning to draft posts & pages" (01:09) » WordPress.tv (14 Jan. 2009)
"How to save posts & pages without publishing them so that you may come back later to continue your work. An explanation of your various draft options."
Finding additional tutorials
Once you understand the basics, it's easy to find more tutorials to keep learning: just go to WordPress.tv and click on "How To."
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