Posts Tagged ‘WordPress.org’

This is a video response to Cathy Larkin (@WhyDoWeBlog on Twitter) who asked about Trackbacks during a #blogchat conversation.

What are trackbacks and when they would be used in relation to WordPress.org blogs? Watch the video and find out.

Trackbacks in WordPress Blogs – Click here to View FULL SCREEN

If you like this post, comment, share, and set it free!

Photo Credit: Seryo via Flickr Creative Commons

Have an awesome presentation that you want to share with the world?

If you’ve already posted the presentation (could be a Power Point presentation) to Slideshare.net then you can embed that presentation into your WordPress.com blog. I’ll show you exactly how to do that in this video. This process also works for WordPress.org blogs.

I appreciate and value your Comments and feedback.

Just finding out about WordPress? Then you my be wondering , “What’s the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org blogs?”

WordPress.com is a free blogging site where you register and set up one or more new blogs. You blog’s Web address will be {mynewblog}.wordpress.com, where “{mynewblog}” is the domain you select for your blog.

WordPress.org blogs are blog sites that have WordPress’s free blogging system installed on them. This means you would download the code then install it on a server and run the blog from there. Many choose to use a Web hosting company that has a quick WordPress install. WordPress.org blog are often referred to as “custom blog installs.”

The following items are some of the key characteristics of WordPress.com and WordPress.org blogs:

WordPress.com

• Free, most of the time. You can pay for premium services like domain mapping and video-related upgrades
• Allows users to create multiple blogs under one user account.
• Does not allow users to run JavaScript code. This limits a user’s ability to add many types of custom widgets.
• Does not allow users to run advanced analytics programs like Google Analytics. This falls under the “no JavaScript” bullet point but is an important example of the limitation. WordPress.com does have a very basic blog stats feature though.
• Has a set number of available themes. However, WordPress recently expanded it’s Theme team and has been releasing a greater number of new themes.
• Has a new Slideshow tool that is wicked cool and even works with the new iPad.
• Has strict rules about the type of advertising that can be done on the blog.
• Has built-in widgets but does not allow for third party-plugins
• Has support at http://en.support.wordpress.com/. Note: there are different Support sites for WordPress.com and WordPress.org sites.

I recommend WordPress.com to:

• New bloggers or people who have only dabbled in blogging. The system is easy to use, it’s free, and if you change your mind about your blog’s focus, you can easily create a new blog under that same account. It also makes for a good introduction to WordPress.org blogs because the two function the same way.
• Anyone who is “testing out” blogging.
• Small companies and organizations that need a blog but don’t have the resources (time, people, or money) to manage a custom install blog.
• Small companies and organizations that need a Web site with a full content management systems, but don’t have the resources to build a custom site. There are several tweaks that can be made to a WordPress.com blog that can make it run as a “regular” Web site.
• Teachers/professors that want to teach blogging to their students. It’s an easy to use fully functioning blogging system.

WordPress.org

• Free WordPress.org code download. The download includes everything you need to get a new blog running if the server is properly configured. WordPress.org boasts of having a 5-minute install but it will take longer the first time.
• Allows for one blog per install. However the highly anticipated WordPress 3.0 release will allow for the creation of multi-site blog networks.
• Allows site owners to add plugins and code that contain JavaScript. WordPress.org runs on your site domain, so you can put any kind of code you want on it. There are thousands of free plugins to help customize your blog.
• Requires frequent updates to patch up new security holes and new builds.
• Can use thousands of different free and premium themes as well as custom-designed themes.
• Allows you to run any kind of Analytics program you like, including Google Analytics.
• WordPress.org blogs are open-source.
• Has its own Support site: http://wordpress.org/support/.

I recommend WordPress.org to:

• People, companies, and organizations that want to leverage the full force behind blogging and have the resources and willingness to learn a full-bodied blogging system.
• Individuals that want to build a personal brand.
• Techie tinkerers. There are a million and one things you can do with a WordPress blog.
• Anyone who wants to couple ecommerce and blogging.

So which is right for you, a WordPress.com or WordPress.org blog setup? Still not sure? Drop a comment or tweet me up on Twitter at @jesseluna.

Google Analytics allows you to collect and see statistics over your blog site traffic. You can see the number of visitors, referral sources, and the keywords that are driving people to your site.

I’m going to show you how to set up Google Analytics on a WordPress site. This video only applies to WordPress.org blogs, not to WordPress.com sites. Click here if you are a WordPress.com user. Otherwise, enjoy the video:

WordPress.com
Because WordPress.com does not support JavaScript, you cannot load Google Analytics. As of now, there is no way around this. If you have a WordPress.com blog and want to capture some statistics then you can use GetClicky. This site allows you to get some site stats but nowhere near the kind of information you can get from Google Analytics.

The other way to get site statistics is to use the built-in stats viewer in WordPress.com’s Dashboard. Here are a couple of views:

The Dashboard view:

Part of the “More Details” WordPress.com view:

So there you have it, installing Google Analytics on a WordPress.org and tips for checking stats on WordPress.com.

Do you have any questions? Leave a comment and don’t forget to squeeze the tube below and subscribe to my YouTube Channel (cinemaluna).