Clicking on the screendump above will take you to the Serendipity blog software website. There you can read more about an alternative to WordPress. One reader has asked, offline, why I didn’t recommend Serendipity because he felt it was better. That DOES deserve an answer.

For those who read the Features page [available from here: http://www.s9y.org/3.html], a comparison is made with BOTH WordPress and Moveable Type.

The Serendipity team claims:

BSD-licensed, Wordpress is only GPL. That means, you can use Serendipity to power your commercial sites without any issues. Of course, the Serendipity team still likes to get credited where credit is due.

That is NOT true. WordPress nowhere takes exception to how you use your WordPress blogging software, and the GPL only signifies “General Public License.” No company would ever be forbidden to use WordPress.

The claims from Serendipity about WordPress being difficult to update speaks for itself. You upload the new version and only in major upgrades you need to run a single update-file, and everything runs.

So all in all, when you read the Serendipity website you find no basis for claiming it would be better. If it was I would be using it already.

I just discovered that the WordPress team has actually created an entire page with highly useful articles that can guide you step by step through the setup and use of this blogging software. Please take a look at the site [ref: http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Lessons. IF you find anything you want explained in greater detail please do feel free to write a comment so I can check up on your specific problem.

As always, if and when you have specific problems I welcome your question so this blog can truly become your most useful tool in mastering WordPress.

This call to action is directed towards motivating you to realize how important it will be to get started. If you want to affect the number of regular readers and also add extra momentum to your blogging experience NOW is a good time to begin. Winter will soon be upon us, and getting started will keep you focused on your online presence and help you in building content when the evenings get longer.

Read through this blog also to get all the good tips and ideas about what to write about and how to plan your writting across time and categories. Remember, also, that writting your comments will help in targetting this blog to cater to YOUR needs.

Do feel welcome to write. I will, of course, publish your comments and give you replies that can help serve you as you endeavour to master your WordPress blogging software.

Carpe diem.

This is not a techie article on setting up WordPress, but rather a bit of inspiration to add to your blogging experience.
Why would anyone set up a blog if they don’t know what to put into that blog?
Therefore, let’s review a few key points as to “Why We Blog”…

Have A Purpose

I could also have said you should have a clear subject or theme for your article. At the very least introduce what you’re going to write about to spark an interest. Let’s say you KNOW you have something you really want to bring across but don’t have the time to write right now. What do you do? You could announce it at the end of the blog article you are finishing for a two-fold purpose: firstly, you are reminded of it when you return to your blog and secondly, because generating interest for your message could bring even more visitors to your blog.

Stay On-Topic

If you have more than one theme divide them into two separate articles. You must remember that every article in your blog IS a separate entity. Many misunderstand search engines because they think search engines only take the full site into their database when, in fact, each page is indexed.

So when you’re dealing with one subject (bathing cats) and you are reminded about a better brand of cat food, you should consider waiting with your message on cat food for another article. You could write it the same day, or even postpone the publication of the cat food article for the next day as I have explained in a previous article about using the “Post Timestamp” function you can find in your bottom right hand corner in the WordPress Dashboard (control panel).

Catch Attention In Your Headline

Far too many use far too little time getting their headlines just right. You want to generate attention in the headline to ensure that people will want to read your message.

Of course, I would love it if everyone wrote at Shakespearean levels so everything was equally worthy of major attention, but the fact remains we are all responsible for how we spend our daily dose of twenty-four hours. Sifting through headlines is one way to choose what to read and what not to read….

Bring Value To Your Blog

Content is king. True indeed, but real value is having quality content that is unique and well-planned. When you introduce new categories in your right hand side list of categories you should have at least three or four good ideas for articles that would be relevant if you want to add that category. Otherwise it won’t be worth adding that specific category.

There is nothing as boring as seeing a blog with 25 categories and only one article within each category – especially when it is sometimes clearly evident that the amount of categories is just a sign of poor planning.

Always Leave An Open Conclusion

Why would you want locked conclusions? Think of it. You can present your own conclusion – in fact, you should do so when you feel passionately about something – but you should make it evident that you are open to debate in your Commentaries.

Believe me: sifting through commentaries could be quite burdensome if you don’t install Akismet (which I will be writting about next week) to sift away the worst in spam comments. The amount of trash people will write just to get a backlink is simply unbelievable. It doesn’t even make sense but just seems like some people have searched for a WordPress blog to leave any comment.

Comments can open our minds to new ideas, and you are always welcome.

The fact that WordPress 2.3 is in Beta 3 should be a good sign – probably that we are only a few weeks from a final release-version.

I do like the way these versions are developed because careful attention is always paid towards these updates. You should be acutely aware of this if you have remembered to take a look at your Dashboard. Stay up-to-date by paying attention to the front page when you have logged in. That is your dashboard.

Today’s Subject: Categories

If you look at the right hand side of your writting window you will begin by having a category called “uncategorized.” Feel free to add categories when you begin blogging. As you add categories they will be marked, so you should remove dashes from those categories which don’t fit what you’re writting about.

Having a lot of categories is not a sign of a lack of focus, but rather than you have expanded upon your subject. It will help your visitors greatly in finding what is most relevant for them if you use the categories field wisely.

Warm welcome to everyone who reads this blog.

I have finally made the decision to create a blog about blogging – especially dealing with the use of the WordPress blog software in your efforts to create and build your blogs. The idea was awakened recently when a person subscribed to numerous of my other blogs, and suddenly the idea was fostered that perhaps there might be some who needed high quality help straight from beginner’s to experienced levels.

All of that is difficult to find in one single place, but I have embarked on this journey with one goal in mind – serving you as well as I possibly can. Ultimately I hope it may also be possible to add other authors who also catch the vision of participating in this endeavour. It could become a second community next to the other existing communities that no doubt are already cooperating.

The internet has brough us all more closely together, and that is a very good thing. Have a nice day.