Chapter 3. Getting Started with `WordPress.com`

In This Chapter

Signing up for a blog
Familiarizing yourself with the Administration panel
Important options to set before you begin
Finding the help you need

If installing software on a Web server sounds like something you'd rather avoid at all costs, WordPress.com has an alternative for you.

This part takes a complete look at the hosted service offered at WordPress.com, and in this chapter, you discover how to obtain a free blog through this service. You also find out how to get your hosted blog up and running.

Don't confuse WordPress.com with the blogging software available for download at WordPress.org! The two were created and developed by the same folks, and they do have the same name; however, they are different varieties of WordPress. (See Part III for information on installing and using the self-hosted version of WordPress.org.)

Creating a `WordPress.com` Account

To create your WordPress.com user account, follow these steps:

In your browser, enter the URL http://wordpress.com.
On the page that appears, click the big Sign Up Now! button (shown in Figure 3-1).
You're taken to the WordPress.com signup page at http://wordpress.com/signup.
Figure 3-1. On the WordPress.com main page, click the Sign Up Now! button.
In the Username text box, enter the name you want to use to log in to your blog from now until forever.
This username must be at least four ...