So you've finally got Wordpress software installed on your domain. And guess what? You look like a complete NEWBIE! Your configuration defaults are a dead giveaway that you don't know your way around your blog's management panel. In this article, we'll look at the steps you'll need to take to get things working properly.
1) Post and Comment Cleanup: The default WordPress post and comment is a dead giveaway of a new blog. So delete them quickly! We don't need to hear what "Mr. Wordpress" thinks of your first post.
2) Categories cleanup: Another sure sign of a new blog is the "Uncategorized" category. Because all blogs must have at least one category, it can't be deleted, but it can be modified. Stick with something generic that doesn't scream "NEW BLOG!" "Announcements" usually works well.
3) Edit the About Page: Want to disappoint any potential long-term readers of your blog? Simple enough. Leave your "About" page empty. If you want to form a relationship with your readers and get them to stick around, spend a little time customizing your About page. Add your background, what the blog will be about, a photo, etc. Blogging is about connecting with your readers, and this is one way to start.
4) Attend to your Blogroll: if you don't have any relevant partners or sites to highlight, get rid of the blogroll for now. You can always add it back whenever you want.
5) Change your Timezone: So that your blog posts are properly timestamped, edit the default timezone in your general settings section. WordPress can't yet auto-detect Daylight Savings, so if you live in an area that uses it, be sure to adjust your time accordingly.
6) Verify your Update Services: Ping, short for Packet Internet Grouper, is a packet sent from one computer to another that essentially says "Hey, I'm here and I've updated!" By default, you should have Pingomatic listed, which is an aggregate pinger (it pings other ping services), but I like to add Blogflux's pinger as well to tie up any loose ends (e.g. Google).
7) Determine your Comment Policy: commenting should be as free as possible, but you need to balance comments with spam and trolls. Decide on your comment policy and set your options accordingly. I usually allow free comment posting with a name and e-mail address, but I'll hold any comment with more than one link in the moderation queue.
8) Configure your Permalinks: make your post URL's look pretty with nice looking permalinks. The most common settings are /%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%/ and /%postname%/.
While the above steps aren't inclusive of what you need to do to get your blog up and running, they are the general configuration options you will want to address so that your blogging experience doesn't stick out like a sore thumb when you start attracting those readers!
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