Getting Started
Blogs, Dashboard, Password, Posts, Traffic
Contents
- What is a blog? What is WordPress.com?
- How much does WordPress.com cost?
- How do I sign up for a blog?
- I just signed up. How do I log in?
- How do I find the dashboard for my blog?
- How do I write something on my blog?
- Can I have more than one blog?
- I signed up for just a username. Can I get a blog now?
- How do other people find my blog?
- What kind of content can I post on my WordPress.com blog?
- I forgot my password. How do I recover it?
- Resources for Blogging Beginners
Related
Whether you’re new to blogging or just new to WordPress, these tips and tutorials will set you quickly on your way. Happy blogging!
If you’re new to WordPress or blogging in general, here’s a brief introduction to (almost) everything you need to get started at WordPress.com.
What is a blog? What is WordPress.com?
A blog is a particular type of web site, where articles (or “posts” or “entries”) are listed in reverse-chronological order (the most recent articles at the top). Blogs are usually published by individuals as a kind of diary, journal, magazine, or independent journalism. There are many millions of active blogs on the internet, written by millions of people about millions of topics. If you have 3 minutes, check out this fantastic video http://commoncraft.com/blogs WordPress.com lets you easily create your own blog, and write about the things that interest you.
How much does WordPress.com cost?
WordPress.com blogs are free, gratis. There are some paid upgrades available but they are entirely optional (and very reasonably priced!). If you choose not to upgrade your blog, we won’t charge you or your readers a cent. We won’t ask for your credit card details. There is no free trial period because our blogs are just plain free.
How do I sign up for a blog?
Visit the Sign Up page.
Watch the “Signing up with WordPress.com” video from WordPress.tv.
done
I just signed up. How do I log in?
When you complete the signup process you’ll receive an email with your username and password. Visit WordPress.com and type your username and password in the blue box that says Already Hip? Click the Login button. If you’re using your own computer, you can check the box that says Remember Me before you log in – this will save you the trouble of logging back in each time you visit WordPress.com. Don’t do this if you’re using someone else’s computer, or a shared computer in a library or internet cafe, otherwise the next person who uses that computer will have access to your blog. You should save a copy of the signup email that contains your username and password. Consider printing it out and storing it in a safe place.
How do I find the dashboard for my blog?
Log in at WordPress.com if you haven’t already. On the front page of WordPress.com, just below the “Welcome back” message, you’ll find links to each of your blogs’ dashboards. Also see documentation about the Dashboard.
How do I write something on my blog?
View the documentation about Posts or Pages.
Can I have more than one blog?
Yes! Log in first and then visit the Sign Up page.
I signed up for just a username. Can I get a blog now?
Yes. You might have signed up for a username without a blog in order to post comments or contribute articles to someone else’s blog. If you already have a username and would like to create a blog, just log in and then visit the Sign Up page.
How do other people find my blog?
Log in to the dashboard for your blog. The title of your blog is in white lettering at the top, and is an active link to the front page of your blog. Copy that link and email it to your friends! Other ways people can find your site include Google searches, WordPress.com tags, and other lists of popular blogs on WordPress.com. You can change your visibility to the public through Privacy Settings.
What kind of content can I post on my WordPress.com blog?
We permit most types of legal content on WordPress.com, with the following exceptions:
- We do not permit WordPress.com blogs to be used for advertising, search engine manipulation, traffic generation, commercial purposes[1] or “spam.”
- We do not permit blogs that consist entirely or mostly of duplicate material, including cut-and-paste or screen-scraped blogs, and those that merely re-publish syndicated articles sourced from affiliate and marketing sites.
- Material that is not suitable for children is permitted, but will be excluded from the global lists of top blogs and tags on WordPress.com. Blogs that publish material that is illegal or that violates our Terms Of Service will be removed. It’s your responsibility to make sure you comply with our TOS. [1]: VIP blogs are the only exception to this.
I forgot my password. How do I recover it?
View our documentation about Passwords.
Resources for Blogging Beginners
It might look like there is a lot to learn and understand, but take things slowly and you’ll be fine. Here are some useful links to get you going:
- For a summary of the many things you can do here, check out our features page.
- Want to know what blog is? Check this fantastic video – http://commoncraft.com/blogs
- See what subjects people are blogging about on our Tags page
- Read up on discussions and issues in the forums
- Look at the Hot posts and Top blogs at Blogs of the Day
- Wish that more of WordPress was in your language? We would love your help! All translations are made available to every WordPress user anywhere.
- Stop by Lorelle’s blog. If you need information about blogging, it’s almost certainly there.
