The self-installed version from WordPress.org (covered in Part III) requires you to download the software from the WordPress Web site and install it on a Web server. Unless you own your own Web server, you need to lease one - or lease space on one. 

Using a Web server is typically referred to as Web hosting, and unless you know someone who knows someone, hosting generally isnt free. That being said, Web hosting doesnt cost a whole lot, either. You can usually obtain a good Web hosting service for anywhere from $5 to $10 per month. (Chapter 6 gives you the important details you need to know about obtaining a Web host.) You need to make sure, however, that any Web host you choose to work with has the required software installed on the Web server. Currently, the minimum software requirements for WordPress include

✓ PHP version 4.3 or greater  ✓ MySQL version 4.0 or greater

After you have WordPress installed on your Web server (see the installation instructions in Chapter 6), you can start using it to blog to your hearts content. With the WordPress software, you can install several plugins that extend the functionality of the blogging system, as I describe in Chapter 10. You also have full control of the core files and code that WordPress is built on. So if you have a knack for PHP and knowledge of MySQL, you can work within the code to make changes that you think would be good for you and your blog.

 You dont need design ability to make your blog look great. Members of the WordPress community have created more than 1,600 WordPress themes (designs), and you can download them for free and install them on your WordPress blog (see Chapter 11). Additionally, if youre creatively inclined, like to create designs on your own, and know Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), you have full access to the template system within WordPress and can create your own custom themes (see Chapters 12 and 13).
 

 

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