On this page you will find detailed instructions on how to start up and manage your own blog.
1. Go to http://wordpress.com/
2. On the right side of the screen there is a “sign up now” button. Click on it.
3. You will be asked to fill in a username and password. You will use these to log in every time you come back to wordpress.com. Make sure you write them both down in a safe place and that they are fairly easy to remember. Don’t tell your password to anyone!
4. Where it says, “Confirm,” please retype your password a second time.
5. Where it says, “Email,” please write your school email address. (This email address will be the same as your school username; for example, “jdoe12@4j.lane.edu“).
6. Check the box next to “Legal flotsam” and make sure there is a dot next to the words “Gimme a blog!” then click “Next.”
7. On the next page you will be asked to provide a blog domain (the web address people will type in to visit your blog; you cannot change this later so make sure you like it and that it is appropriate!)… a Blog title (this is what will be displayed at the top of your blog’s home page; example: “Mr. Heinz’s Blog”; you can change this later if you want to)… a language (English) and you can check or uncheck the box that would let google searches find your blog.
8. When all the lines from #7 are filled in, you may click “create blog.”
9. If your blog domain is already taken, you might be asked to make a new one.
10. The first time you make a new blog on your wordpress.com account, you will be asked to check your school email address (the one you entered in step 5) and confirm your account. Just open a new window or tab in your browser, and go to https://stumail.4j.lane.edu
11. To log into your email, enter your school username and password (the same one you use to log onto the school server). If you don’t know your username or password I can help you find it. Click “log in” and you will be taken to your email inbox. You should find an email from WordPress.com there. Open it, click the link inside to confirm your account, and log back out of your email.
12. Now you can switch back to your old window and begin adjusting and personalizing your blog. Just click on “My Dashboard” whenever you are logged in to get back to the “controls” of your blog. From there you can change settings, add new posts and pages, change the design of your page, and so on. Just explore the buttons on the left side to see what you can do…
13. At any time from your dashboard, you can click “visit site” (next to your blog title at the top of your dashboard) to see what your changes are looking like. This is what others will see when they look at your blog.
14. Most importantly: experiment, be creative, don’t be afraid to ask questions and always have fun!
