Have you been holding back on setting up a blog for yourself? With WordPress.com, setting up a blog is simple and only takes a few minutes. If you already have an idea for what you want to blog about, you can set up a WordPress.com blog in just 10 minutes (or less).
Sign up for WordPress.
To set up a blog on WordPress.com, visit WordPress and click the orange “Get Started here” button. Then, choose your blog address, which can be changed later (in case you can’t settle on an idea or name just yet). Then, choose a username to log in with, your password, and enter your email address. Finally, choose the language in which to post your blogs. WordPress will then send you an email confirmation which you must activate within two days to set up the blog.
Update Your Profile.
While you’re waiting for your email confirmation, enter your profile information such as first and last name, and a little bit about yourself for your WordPress bio. Once you have received your email confirmation, click on the link and you will be directed to your new WordPress.com blog’s dashboard, where you can set up the blog and/or start posting.
Update your Settings.
Within your settings, which can be accessed from the left sidebar in your WordPress.com dashboard, you can change the title of your blog, along with the tagline (which some refer to as the subtitle). These are displayed in the header of your blog. Your title and tagline are strong components of how your blog is returned in search results, so if you’re looking to attract some traffic to your blog from search on Google or Bing, consider a title that others may be likely to search for. A kitchy or vague title is good for personal blogs, but won’t lend to helping others find your blog.
Change the appearance of the blog.
One of the best things about WordPress is the ability to almost completely customize your blog’s appearance. The easiest way to do this is to install a theme from WordPress.com’s theme directory. Click on the appearance tab on the left and click Themes. Then, browse from WordPress’s database of 138 themes and choose the one you like best. You can customize this theme more after you install the theme to your WordPress blog, but this will take a little more time and attention.
Make your first blog post.
Posting on WordPress is easy. From the dashboard just click the Posts tab and from the dropdown menu select Add New. You can then draft your first post, which can include pictures and embedded video. You can create a post using the Visual editor, or by HTML.
If you have more than 10 minutes, there are several more functions available for WordPress.com users. In addition to modifying a theme, or creating a custom design, you can modify widgets to include modules like a blogroll, or change the way your blog is displayed for iPad users. You can also add multiple users to your blog if you plan on having multiple people contribute to the blog. These functions may take a few more minutes, but if you can set aside the time, they are well worth exploring.
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