WordPress Introduction 

Peter Shackelford @pixelplow 

Age old question: dot Com or dot Org? 

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● Is a service ● Can be totally free ○ Ads ○ Yourname.wordpress.com ○ Smaller set of themes ● No hosting! ● No plugin/theme/core updates! ● Optimized security/speed ● Can switch to WordPress.org ● Limited customizability ● No plugins ● No hassle! Cheapest .com plan at $36 per year for no ads and a custom domain. This is a service. Limited flexibility. Not going to be able to add new functionality. Need to learn to make the most of it. Nice because there is no upkeep. 

Ok, now for .org 

Note the dark grey color. If you do a search for 'How to do X in WordPress' and end up at a wordpress site with blue color scheme, make sure you aren't on WP.com 

● Is software ● Needs hosting* ● Needs a domain ● You update plugin/theme/core ● Limitless customizability ● Plugins & Themes ● You are responsible for backups security and speed ● Tinkering/breaking/learning Main takeaway is control, customizability and opportunity to learn. Also more responsibility. 

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In the middle ground. 

Expensive, very clear code guidelines and audits. 

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M-class federation space ships if you need enterpises. 

WordPress Hosting Shared Hosting Virtual Private Server Dedicated or WP specific hosting $ $$ $$$ $1.89 - $10 Per month $5 - $40 Per month $5 - $100 Per month Hosts sell different levels of hosting. One of the things that matters most with hosts is customer support. Also not having to worry about other sites hurting yours through exploits and bogging down the server. 

General Hosting a-z WP Exclusive Hosting ● A2 hosting ● Bluehost ● CloudAccess ● Dreamhost ● eHost ● FatCow ● Godaddy ● Hostgator ● InmotionHosting ● Liquidweb ● Nexcess ● Siteground ● Digital Ocean ● Linode ● Pantheon ● Kinsta ● WP engine ● Flywheel ● Pagely ● Tap* There are tonnes of hosts out there. Some special hosts only do WP or WP and Drupal. They are tailored and may include dev, staging and prod environments. Thisistap.com is an outlier that is really interesting. Spin up a site for free with a .thisistap.com domain and when you are ready upgrade to $5 per month. Check it out. 

Installing WordPress ● One Click Install - Most hosts have this option ● "The Famous 5-Minute Installation" - Manual http://www.wpbeginner.com/how-to-install-wordpress/ https://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress 

Local Install ● MAMP (Pro is easier $) ● ServerPress (simplest) Developer Level ● Vagrant (vvv) free ● Pressmatic $$ As soon as you want to start tinkering with code for themes and plugins, you should work with a local environment. Don't hack core. 

1. Download and unzip WordPress. 2. Create a database for WordPress on your web server. 3. Upload the WordPress files to the desired location on your web server 4. Change wp-config.php file to have DB info 5. Run the WordPress installation script by accessing the URL in a web browser Shortened version of 5 minute install. Demonstrated using mamp pro. 

Dashboard Tour ● Admin Bar/Top Bar ● Screen Options ● Help ● Dashboard Widgets ● Your Profile ● Plugins & Themes Screen Options and Help can be very helpful. You can also change the color scheme of the backend in your user profile 

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