One of the most popular platforms for creating and managing a blog is WordPress. From its origins in 2003, WordPress has grown to be the largest self-hosted blogging tool in the world, used on hundreds of thousands of sites and seen by tens of millions of people every day.
A new book, WordPress For Dummies, has just been published, with explanations in plain English about WordPress and how to use it.
Written by Lisa Sabin-Wilson, WordPress for Dummies covers blogging basics, choosing a hosting solution or setting up a host, developing blog content, syndicating blog posts with RSS, launching a specialized blog (including podcasting, photoblogging, mobile blogging, and videoblogging), and even earning revenue. It includes help on every aspect of installing and using WordPress, illustrations from real-world WordPress blogs, step-by-step tutorials on key topics, and insights from bloggers who use WordPress.
FIR co-host Neville Hobson and FIR correspondent Dan York discuss their take on the new book, looking at various aspects of the overall content, and concluding with their recommendation about the book.
Download the review here (MP3, 12.6MB, 27mins 37 secs), or sign up for the FIR Book Reviews RSS feed to get it and future reviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a podcatcher such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio or iTunes, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon. To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, sign up for the full RSS feed.
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Podsafe intro music – On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.
WordPress for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Paperback, 384 pages
Published in November 2007
ISBN: 978-0-470-14946-1
Available online now from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and other outlets.
(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel’s and my podcast blog.)
13 responses to “FIR Book Review – WordPress for Dummies: November 27, 2007”
[…] Review of WordPress For Dummies November 27th, 2007 (1 Views ) Neville Hobson and Dan York provide an in-depth, comprehensive audio review of WordPress For Dummies. By and […]
Neville and Dan – I had the opportunity to sit down this evening and give a listen to your review of WordPress For Dummies and would like to thank you for providing such an in-depth review of the book. Obviously, I am very happy to hear that you liked the book, overall, and consider it a book that you would highly recommend to users of any of the different versions of WordPress. Thank you very much.
I also appreciated a few of the criticisms in your review, which I will file away and take with me for future pursuits. Particularly Dan’s displeasure with the lack of transparency when listing my sites as providers of some WP related services.
I had considered it while writing the actual text of the book, however because the very first page of the book (About The Author) clearly indicates the names and URLs of the companies that I own, I suppose I didn’t think re-stating it throughout the book was necessary. After listening to Dan’s take, perhaps I should have err’d on the side of caution and considered that maybe, in the name of transparency, it beared repeating.
Overall, I thank you both for a well thought out, in-depth and helpful review of the book! I also really enjoy the flow of your broadcast and the two of you really have a great format. I’ve got you in my feedreader now!
Happy holidays to you both!
Lisa, thanks for those comments. I’m very pleased that you take the few criticisms in the review in the spirit in which they were made, ie, constructive and objective.
Congratulations again on the book. It really is a great resource for anyone looking to figure out how to do amazing things with WordPress!
Nice work gentlemen.
Lisa,
Thanks for your comments and also your response to my criticism. I can understand why you might find it redundant to re-state your affiliation given that it was in the “About the Author” section, but I’ll be honest and say that by the time I worked my way through to some of the later sections I had forgotten that you had mentioned it there. Perhaps a reminder the first time you mention the URLs?
I don’t know the right answer, because if you state the affiliation every time you mention one of your URLs: a) it can get very redundant; and b) you’ll have people responding the opposite way saying that you are promoting your affiliation too much! There’s a balance in there somewhere… and I’m not sure exactly where the line falls.
As I said, overall I’m quite pleased with the book (and used it as a reference tonight, in fact) and would recommend it to others.
Thanks for your comments,
Dan
FIR Book Review: “WordPress for Dummies” – November 27, 2007…
Earlier today I participated in a audio book review of “WordPress for Dummies” with FIR co-host Neville Hobson (I am a weekly “correspondent” into the FIR podcast). The podcast is now online on the FIR site and I will also…
Thanks, Rob, glad you enjoyed listening!
[…] MU. They want to support multiple gymnastic coach’s blogs. It was suggested checking out WordPress for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson, the book includes help on every aspect of installing and using WordPress and […]
Thanks for the in depth review gents. Should be valuable to many folks
Glad you enjoyed it, Ted. We enjoyed doing it!
[…] Reviews: by essentialkeystrokes.com | by nevillehobson.com […]
Thanks for the review! Any idea if there is a “Drupal for Dummies” in the works?
[…] FIR Book Review – WordPress for Dummies: November 27, 2007 […]