How To Set Up Your Own Blog Site
How To Start A Blog.
First, you will need a website, which includes a domain and a hosting service.
For your domain, I chose GoDaddy because they are helpful and reliable, but there are others which are good also.
Next you will need a hosting account.
Hostgator is a good choice, They are also very reliable and helpful, but here again there are other services available.
All of the following domain and hosting information is based on GoDaddy and Hostgator, so if you choose different services, the terminology and methodology may be slightly different.
Your domain is just the website, but any content you wish to put on it requires the hosting account.
Hostgator offers 3 plans: Hatchling, which is the least expensive, but will only host 1 domain; Baby, which is slightly more but offers hosting for unlimited domains; and Business, which you may consider somewhere down the road.
The Baby plan is a good choice, although you can start with Hatchling and always upgrade to Baby.
Now that you have purchased your domain and hosting account, it's time to set up your blog site.
First, you need to point your domain to your hosting account.
To do this, go to your domain provider and login.
Click on "My Account.
" In the Domains bar, click on "Launch.
" Double click on the domain you wish to work with.
Find "Nameservers.
" Click on "Manage.
" Open the email you received from Hostgator when you opened your account.
Find the nameservers.
They will look like this: First nameserver: ns2667.
hostgator com (your 4 digit numbers after ns will be different).
Second nameserver: ns2668.
hostgator com.
Under "Setup type:" choose "Custom.
" Click "Edit Nameservers.
" Copy the First nameserver from your Hostgator email and paste it into Nameserver 1.
Copy the Second nameserver from your Hostgator email and paste it into Nameserver 2.
Click OK.
You will see a message that says "Your changes have been saved.
These changes usually take 2 hours...
" Click OK.
Go to YourDomainName.
com/cpanel.
That will open your Hostgator control panel.
Enter your username and password and click "Login.
" Scroll down to the Domains section and click "Addon Domains.
" Insert your domain name in "New Domain Name.
" It will give you your subdomain and root.
Type in whatever password you want to use.
It will indicate how weak or strong it is.
Use the password generator, then save that password to a Word document.
Click "Add Domain.
" Click the "Go Back" button or the "Go Home" button.
Your domain is now set up.
Now it's time to give it some personality.
There are several platforms you can use.
My preference is Wordpress, which includes wordpress.
com and wordpress.
org.
Wordpress.
com is free, but you don't own it and control rests with Wordpress.
I don't suggest using this.
Wordpress.
org is "self-hosted.
" You own and control it, and this is what I recommend.
Login to Hostgator: YourDomainName.
com/cpanel.
Scroll almost to the bottom to "Software/Services.
" Click on "Fantastico Deluxe.
" On left, click "Wordpress," then click "New Installation.
" "Install on domain" - insert your domain name, i.
e.
joeblow.
com Leave "Install in directory" blank.
Insert your username and password, then click "Install Wordpress" at the bottom.
Now click on "Finish Install.
" Insert your email address and click "Send email.
" Now go to your domain and see your new blog.
First, you will need a website, which includes a domain and a hosting service.
For your domain, I chose GoDaddy because they are helpful and reliable, but there are others which are good also.
Next you will need a hosting account.
Hostgator is a good choice, They are also very reliable and helpful, but here again there are other services available.
All of the following domain and hosting information is based on GoDaddy and Hostgator, so if you choose different services, the terminology and methodology may be slightly different.
Your domain is just the website, but any content you wish to put on it requires the hosting account.
Hostgator offers 3 plans: Hatchling, which is the least expensive, but will only host 1 domain; Baby, which is slightly more but offers hosting for unlimited domains; and Business, which you may consider somewhere down the road.
The Baby plan is a good choice, although you can start with Hatchling and always upgrade to Baby.
Now that you have purchased your domain and hosting account, it's time to set up your blog site.
First, you need to point your domain to your hosting account.
To do this, go to your domain provider and login.
Click on "My Account.
" In the Domains bar, click on "Launch.
" Double click on the domain you wish to work with.
Find "Nameservers.
" Click on "Manage.
" Open the email you received from Hostgator when you opened your account.
Find the nameservers.
They will look like this: First nameserver: ns2667.
hostgator com (your 4 digit numbers after ns will be different).
Second nameserver: ns2668.
hostgator com.
Under "Setup type:" choose "Custom.
" Click "Edit Nameservers.
" Copy the First nameserver from your Hostgator email and paste it into Nameserver 1.
Copy the Second nameserver from your Hostgator email and paste it into Nameserver 2.
Click OK.
You will see a message that says "Your changes have been saved.
These changes usually take 2 hours...
" Click OK.
Go to YourDomainName.
com/cpanel.
That will open your Hostgator control panel.
Enter your username and password and click "Login.
" Scroll down to the Domains section and click "Addon Domains.
" Insert your domain name in "New Domain Name.
" It will give you your subdomain and root.
Type in whatever password you want to use.
It will indicate how weak or strong it is.
Use the password generator, then save that password to a Word document.
Click "Add Domain.
" Click the "Go Back" button or the "Go Home" button.
Your domain is now set up.
Now it's time to give it some personality.
There are several platforms you can use.
My preference is Wordpress, which includes wordpress.
com and wordpress.
org.
Wordpress.
com is free, but you don't own it and control rests with Wordpress.
I don't suggest using this.
Wordpress.
org is "self-hosted.
" You own and control it, and this is what I recommend.
Login to Hostgator: YourDomainName.
com/cpanel.
Scroll almost to the bottom to "Software/Services.
" Click on "Fantastico Deluxe.
" On left, click "Wordpress," then click "New Installation.
" "Install on domain" - insert your domain name, i.
e.
joeblow.
com Leave "Install in directory" blank.
Insert your username and password, then click "Install Wordpress" at the bottom.
Now click on "Finish Install.
" Insert your email address and click "Send email.
" Now go to your domain and see your new blog.