WordPress & tumblr 101: Getting Started

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Writing a blog is great way to share your ideas and market your expertise in an area. I began blogging back in November 2011. Blogging had connected me with so many great people around the globe. I began publishing on the Wordpress platform. Recently, I began cross publishing my blog on Tumblr. In this post, I am going to discuss how to set up your blog on Wordpress and Tumblr.WordPressThe first thing that you need to do is to register on thesite. You will have the option to create either a wordpress.com address or a custom domain name. I suggest that you pick a custom domain name because your blog will come up better in search results. Wordpress gives you a choice of web suffixes to choose from, for example .com, .me etc. I chose the addresshttp://dangalante.me. If you decide to change the address after you set up the blog that is ok. The wordpress.com address will automatically be directed to your new address. It is important to note that you will have to buy the domain name if you want your own. Hosting is inexpensive and should cost about $25 per year at most depending on the name you choose. The investment is well worth it because this will give your blog its own brand identity.Once you register, you will see WordPresss default theme. Click on the appearance tab and browse the free and premium themes that are available. You can then choose the one that you would like to install.Now you are ready to write a post.To do this click, on the new post tab. A window will pop up. Here you will find tools to write and edit your post. When you are ready to post, just click publish and you are ready to go.TumblrLike Wordpress, you will have to register on tumblrto set up your blog. I have provided the link to the registration page. If you land on the home page, just click on the sign up button.Once you have signed up, you will be prompted to create a web address. You will notice that the only address you could create is a tumblr.com address. Tumblr does not support or partner with site hosting companies. In other words, you will need to find a third party host on your own. I purchased a domain name fromYola.com. The name I purchased ishttp://askdangalante.com. Once I secured the name, I had to point the address to the Tumblr servers. (Tumblr provides the specific address and exactly what CNAME or A-Records need to be changed. Here is thelink. You will know if this is correct if your address redirects to Tumblr and it say page not found.You can test your domain address in the box under your Tumblr address in the blog settings. Your address will not link to the site right away. It took 24 hours; although it can take up to 72.Now you can click on the customized theme and browse through the free and premium themes. Pick a theme and now you are ready to post. To post, click on the text tab which is located underneath the Dashboard tab. You will see a window where you can copy, paste, write and edit your posts. When you are done, just click the publish button.As you can see, both Wordpress and Tumblr is user friendly. All you have to do is start writing! My decision to start writing has been the best decision I have made. I wish I had started earlier!