I find that my biggest blogging frustration, as I’m sure other new and not so new bloggers will agree, is where to find answers to my blogging and wordpress questions. Most of my questions start with one of the following phrases:
- how do I create …
- how do I fix …
- how come it’s doing …
- where do I find …
- how do I make it look like …
As a semi-newbie myself I thought that I would share some of the places where I have gone looking for answers so far in my blogging career (and I use the word career very loosely here).
#1 – I would suggest that everyone have someone, something, or somewhere whose step-by-step advice they can follow to get set up and to start posting. I am in a program called
Partnership to Success (P2S) where I had step-by-step videos to follow which showed me how to get my domain and hosting, install WordPress, a theme, header, opt-in, etc.
Through the P2S program (where I’m currently learning how to create an online product) I was also introduced to
BloggersRoadmap. The
BloggersRoadmap product is an even more detailed video series which is focused on blogging and is very helpful for people who are just starting out and/or are stuck just past the beginning. I have always found it better to follow someone else’s lead in starting new projects in new areas, makes it easier to differentiate yourself when you have the basics working first.
#2 – Find forums, Facebook, and MeetUp groups, or other places where bloggers tend to hang out. Make sure it is a place where you feel comfortable asking what you may think are stupid questions – but are in reality the same questions that some of all of the members have asked before you. People in general love to answer questions and be of help to others. You will also be amazed at how much knowledge is hidden in plain sight in these places. Here are some places I would suggest you look at:
- WarriorForum – this can be free or not depending on the level you pick – I would go with the free until you have spent some time on it. There are many different areas to join/hang out in so look around and find some places you think you may like. You can always find new ones within the forum.
- Problogger.net – this is a great website/blog with lots of good info, answers, guest-bloggers and they just had a wonderful week long blog challenge on FB which many of us (me included) are still working through. There is also a Problogger podcast available on the website and through iTunes.
- Facebook Groups – WordPress Help for Beginners group is a good open FB group that has a lot of questions and answers on it. There is also a WordPress for Marketers group that is a closed group (you have to apply) that has some interesting info on it as well. If you buy some kind of training software (like BloggersRoadmap) there is usually a closed FB group associated with it where you can ask questions and get good answers.
- Meetup.com – go to Meetup and check out if there are any WordPress or other blog-related groups that meet in your area. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and there is a WordPress Meetup group that has weekly meetings in San Francisco for both regular bloggers as well as developers and corporate users/support.
#3 – Other places – check out books (Amazon or Barnes & Noble) and websites (search on Google or whatever search engine you use – I like
DuckDuckGo) that support or explain WordPress and Blogging, especially if you are in a specific niche or area. If you have bought a theme from someone other then WordPress then you should check first with the creators/sellers of the software for questions about their theme.
Quora.com can be a good place to ask or find an answer to any kind of question about any subject, not just blogging. It’s easy to start reading on Quora about many different subjects and have the whole day go by before you know it so be careful you don’t go down multiple rabbit holes on that site…
In the long run it becomes a rather personal choice where you and how you get help and find your answers. Sometimes you just have to figure it out for yourself through cobbling together multiple pieces of information and trial and error. And sometimes you have to decide just how important it is to “fix” or “change” something on your site. Perfection always takes an awfully long time and usually isn’t worth the time or the effort – good enough usually is the best decision.
I hope you’ve found these suggestions helpful and if so then check out my earlier post for
new bloggers. Let me know where you find your best answers in the comments below. Also opt in above to follow me on my journey to internet marketing success!!
21 replies to "Answers to Your Blog and WordPress Questions"
This is great Susan. Some of these places I haven’t heard of. I have a 4 day weekend and will definitely be checking these out. Great post!
Hope they help you – let me know!
Thanks for these tips! I hadn’t heard of some of these resources. I’m going to have to look for some books.
Glad to hear that these tips are useful! Thanks for the comment!
This came at the best time for me… thanks for sharing this info Susan!
Thanks for visiting and I’m happy that you found them helpful and timely!
Definitely bookmarking this for later, thanks in advance!
Emily – thanks for checking out my post. Glad you think it looks interesting/helpful.
Susan
Hi Susan,
This is a really useful post and covers a lot of great ideas and sources of advice on that Pesky WordPress system.
I too have read the Bloggers Roadmap and have found it extremely useful and a very valuable guide for blogging. It is packed full of content that is easy to read and digest.
I wasn’t aware of ProBlogger.net but have ventured around the Warrior Forum a few times, though I must admit I do find that a bit intimidating at first.
A good source of help is YouTube – If you do a search on “How do I XYZ in WordPress” then something is bound to come up. The only disadvantage of this is that sometimes the advice refers to older versions and may not be relevant.
So once again, thank you for a well written and extremely helpful post
Regards
Michael
Michael – Thank you for checking the post and I appreciate your comments. Agree that the Warrior Forum can be a bit overwhelming. I also find YouTube to be helpful about almost anything and I always have to remind myself to look at the dates of the posts to make sure they are still relevant.
Susan
Thank you so much, I’m so glad I found your blog. What a tremendous resource. I’m just a year old so I can take all the help I can get. Tracy
Tracy – thanks for leaving a comment. I’m trying to share the information as I learn it myself.
Susan
Really great roundup Susan. It’s always helpful to get as much help as you possibly can. Yesterday I literally my website for a few hours by trying to make it faster (all by myself). I am no techy girl and the only thing I did right was to download a backup before I started to play with my website. Thank God too! Because I would have lost everything. I love this post because from now onwards I will ask questions and do deep research before I attempt to do anything but the basics on my blog!
Thanks for the comment and yes, always create a back up before you start experimenting or changing things on your site. Most people don’t learn that lesson until after the first time they make changes and can’t get back. Glad to hear you didn’t make that mistake!!
Susan
I find YouTube has anything and everything you would ever want to know, but it is also very useful to be in forums where there are people you can chat with through messaging.
You really should sort out an avatar, Susan, it looks so much better than the wordpress blanks.
Enjoy the journey!
Mandy – thanks for your comment – very helpful as usual!. I have Gravatar set up but it doesn’t seem to be working correctly. Haven’t been able to figure out why – guess I will have to follow some of my own suggestions to get it fixed. 🙂
Susan
Yea! Got it fixed!
Susan
Thanks for putting in the effort to document these answers. There is really good information here that can be used to answer lots of questions.
The best tip I can pass along is to always be learning. Constantly read sites like this and other blogging/social media sites on a regular basis. Don’t just read, but implement what you read.
Garry – I agree with your tip to keep learning and that implementation is the best way to do that. Sorry my reply is late but your comment ended up in my comment’s spam file and I just saw it! Glad you found my blog!
Susan
Awesome blog post. Great.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Susan