Most people make the decision to start a blog so they can express their thoughts, views, and opinions. They do not start a blog to upgrade plugins and edit PHP and HTML.
However, upgrades to your content manager, plugins, and add-ons will keep your blog working properly and more secure.
The technical pillar of How-to-Blog.tv involves a lot of the things that you never thought about when you decided to start your blog. The goal of the content in the technical pillar will be to empower you to run the back end of your blog with confidence.
Among the topics that will be covered are:
Settings
Often overlooked by those who wonder why their posts never show up anywhere in search engines, the settings in your blog can play a major role in search, security, and ease of use. Don’t make blogging harder than it needs to be; learn about the settings and set them accordingly.
Security / Backups
Security for your blog does not need to be bulletproof; rather, it is about making sure that your blog is not an easy target. The best security you can have is a recent backup of your database and a backup of your theme and content files. If you have this you can restore your site from scratch, even in the worst case scenario.
Plugins:
If you use WordPress you likely have heard about these by now. If you haven’t, no worries, as that is what this pillar is for. WordPress is the blogging content manager that I use on a daily basis, and I have come to find that plugins are to WordPress what apps are to the iPhone. If you need WordPress to do something, chances are “there’s a plugin for that.”
Media:
Regarding media, I am often asked by people, how do I post videos or pictures to my site? or How can I edit the sizes of these once I get them in my post or page? Well it depends on a few things, but most of the time it is as easy as uploading the photo with a few clicks or a copy and paste of a video’s embed code. I will show you step-by-step processes to demystify the integration of media into your blog.
Search Engine Optimization:
Why don’t my posts show up anywhere in search engines? It takes more than just grammar to impress search engines like Google, Bing, etc. It is safe to say that the algorithms used for ranking pages in search results are not the same as the grading scale from your 9th grade English class. With a few tips and tricks, you will give your posts a good opportunity to rank in search.
If you are like most people, your primary attraction to blogging is your content, whatever it may be. The easier you can get the technical side of you blog buttoned up, the more time you have to focus on creating and promoting content.
Everything I have learned about the technical aspects of blogging I have learned by doing. Thus, every technical lesson that you will read from me on this website began some time ago with the discovery of a problem, the search for a solution, and then the systematic step-by-step process required to implement the solution.
You won’t need to worry about the discovery and search; I’ve already done it for you. My goal is to empower your blogging by making a repository of these step-by-step, best practice technical processes available for you.
I look forward to using my knowledge and experience as a tool for empowering you to blog better.
