Warning: I’m no Tech Expert!

After a recent kitchen renovation, I thought it would be fun to share the before and afters in a blog. I had read many home design posts for ideas while researching my redo. How hard could it be for me to help others in this way? Or, am I too old to learn this? I am well into my 50s. At this stage in my life I know it’s important to challenge my brain. Creating a website and blog sounded exciting! People even make money at it. I was confident I could accomplish this, but had no idea how.

What do I do when I need technical advice? I google and I ask my kids. The website process is difficult and technical. I’m going to share what I’ve learned in a more user-friendly way. I decided to invest a little money to get my blog going. There are ways to do this for free, but I chose to have help with customizing my site. I will discuss Bluehost, getting a Domain name and WordPress.org in part 1 of this series.

Before we go any further I think a simplified description of the World Wide Web would be useful (click link for a Ted Talk). The World Wide Web is like a city filled with high rise buildings. Individual apartments in those skyscrapers are occupied by hosts. Some hosts will rent out closets in their apartments for storage – not for clothes, but for customers’ website files. The internet connects all the buildings so communication can happen.

My tech-savvy son-in-law talked me through joining Bluehost. There are many other reputable web hosting companies including SiteGround, Hostgator, DreamHost and Hostinger. Bluehost offers different priced plans. I chose BlueHost Plus which included my Domain name free for the first year and Domain privacy and protection. Of course you need the privacy protection to prevent identity theft and spam. Your Domain name is the address of your world wide web closet. It is the same thing as your website name. Luckily my choice, artseajody.com, was available. Click HERE for a good youtube tutorial on signing up for Bluehost and choosing your domain name.

Here’s where things got confusing for me. My hosting service works in conjunction with WordPress website building software. There are TWO versions of WordPress. To follow along with the path I’m describing, you need to register for wordpress.org not wordpress.com. WordPress.org is free and works in tandem with a paid hosting site. The homepage of Bluehost has a “log into wordpress.org” button. You click that to bring up your website dashboard where you will create all the magic (remember you need to be registered for wordpress.org first). If you are using a different software builder like SquareSpace or Wix, this guide is not for you.

When I opened my WordPress dashboard for the first time, I heard crickets. I knew I was in over my head, Even google and my kids couldn’t help me proceed. I’d already invested in the hosting and didn’t want to just throw away that money. I decided to spend some more money and took a six week WordPress online course through my local community college. Anyone with internet access can take this course https://www.ed2go.com/cfcc/online-courses/creating-wordpress-web-

Next up is information about customizing your website after I have had some time navigating my own! I will go over choosing a theme and creating your home page. This needs to be done before you start adding blog posts. If you’re interested in my future posts, then follow my facebook page. Click the button below to get there, click the 3 dots and select follow. https://www.facebook.com/artseajody Just for example’s sake here is a link to my website’s Homepage.