In updating my Blog Resource Page, all the information written moved here. It is still current and helpful, but things I recommend and why need revision. This post has more explanation of the why and wherefore for using certain choices than I think is best for a no-frills resource list.
If you are new to blogging, sort through the following advice for timesavers and tips.
Free Themes
I recommend the default WordPress themes to start out with, unless you are sure you know what you want. There are free child themes available for them. Between the choices that all have the name “Twentysomething” (series starting with ten, you should be able to find a theme that suits your blogging needs.
The Swift theme was one that I used on this site for awhile and warmed up to it.
Update I had to change the Swift theme to the PageLines since the hackers kept getting into the Swift theme, which shows that security is a big deal in choosing a theme.
I have always liked the typography of PageLines, though I did miss the bright colors of Swift. Plus, I don’t think there should be a free theme that only gets updated to work well, forcing you to buy the premium version. That is something to watch out for, although it is much less likely to happen now. Not a problem with the bigger theme developers who have a reputation to stake.
I did a test-drive of the default free themes on this site before deciding to use Divi.
Paid Themes
I use Elegant themes (Divi) in my garden sites, and one of the earlier ones on TrueGrit, a religion blog.
I switched from experimenting with their new themes to using mainly their pride production: the Divi theme. It has pros and cons. Although as time goes on the improvements are wiping out the negative opinions.
Pros
Divi is highly customizable and can do about anything you want it to.
It is responsive (extremely important, now).
Easy to work with.
Cons
The main thing I don’t like is one of the things I also do like: the pagebuilder.
The pagebuilder uses shortcode components that helps you build a page the way you want it. Making landing pages, etc is simple. But if you change from the Divi to another theme like the WordPress default, all the pages which you built show only the shortcode blocks .
This is highly inconvenient, to be locked into one theme.
Solution?
A plugin that helps to sort out the shortcodes coding on the site, or changes made by the ET developers to make all of the shortcode reside within a plugin that remains no matter what theme is chosen.
Looking For A Theme
Find features you need.
Pleasing layout and typography for readability.
Responsiveness now tops the list of needed features.
Support might be important for you, and regular updating certainly will be.
Now Using Fourteen Sixteen Theme
Further Update: WordPress made the good looking magazine theme for 2014 and I switched to it. I am very happy with so many of its features that I imagine staying with it for quite awhile.
Further, Further Update: I kept updating until the twentysixteen theme. It doesn’t have the customizing plugins, nor is it easy to change the look. I love it for its functionality, though.
It is a good beginning theme. However I will say that for a complex site like my Garden site, the Divi pro theme from Elegant Themes is better suited to what I ask from WordPress.
There are several good social sharing helps, right now I use Shareaholic, which includes related posts I used YARPP for years, and that worked well, too -especially with new improvements it has now.
Akismet to deal with Spam. Bruteprotect to deter hackers. These are in the Jetpack. Yes, I use it.
There is controversy about the Jetpack, but I used enough of its features to make it worthwhile. It disturbs me to know that some feel it bloats and greatly increases loadtime for the site.
I switched back to YARPP after Shareaholic made changes that I really didn’t like. I no longer recommend it and deleted the plugin from all my sites.
Disclosure: I use affiliate links for some of the resources. This in no way influences the opinions I post. Everything written is transparent and based on my experience.
A Theme Is Expected to Make your Content Look Good
First Steps In Blogging: Choosing Your Theme
I have been blogging ever since 2004, and for the greater portion of that time I have used WordPress for the platform (although I have also used others including Blogger). I’m one of those experimenters who is always changing things around, so I have used countless theme templates for my blogs.
I know it can get confusing sorting through the thousands of template choices, which seem to do a hundred different things, so I thought new bloggers, or people thinking of setting up their own blogs might benefit from some of my experience.
WHAT YOU WILL FIND HERE:
A quick rundown on what it takes to start blogging, and then a look at some of the types and choices of themes that will help you forge your online presence.
Start with a simple theme that best serves your site’s purpose. Or go with a professional theme that gives lots of support through forums, etc. Once you are used to the way a designer structures the themes, especially if there is an underlying framework (like Genesis), you will find your way around it and get it to function for you through familiarizing your self with the way that particular theme works.
This won’t tell you that any particular designer is the best, but just to give you, the new blogger, a beginners guide to sorting through a huge playing field of theme designs.
5 Blogging Decisions
Top 5 Website Decisions
Choose your platform
Choose your theme
Choose plugins
Write content and decide frequency of posting
When and how to monetize your site
These are the most important decisions to make when you begin a blog.
Choose The WordPress Theme For The Purpose Of Your Site
Because WordPress is one of the most popular platforms, it has been extended through themes and plugins for all sorts of special uses. Some themes have special plugins incorporated right inside to make things wonderfully flexible and useful.
It used to be that each theme had its plugins for common features like slideshows, etc.
The prevailing wisdom is to allow those features to be handled by plugins as they are commonly used: separately.
News, Food, Photos? Ecommerce?
Most of the professional lines of WordPress theme designers have a whole slew of specialized themes all ready for you to create the exact type of site you want.
Photo blogs need to highlight their great pictures. Art blogs are similar. Portfolio highlights which have images instead of text for entries or large images with minimal text serve these sites well.
For most blogs a typical 2 column style with either a left or right hand sidebar is the classic theme choice.
Wordpress blogs are so versatile that they can look like almost anything and function for many purposes from ecommerce to community sites (with the addition of buddypress or bbpress). The more complex the use requirements the more likely the theme will be highly complex and probably professional, costing a fee.
Those themes are a far cry from the early ones that had just a small number of templates.
What Is a Template?
The structures inside the theme which create posts, pages, contact pages, 404 pages, archives, etc.
How to Install a WordPress Theme in your Hosting Site
https://youtu.be/HE1Vy3kXtBM
Your Blogging Experience
Free Or Professional Themes For WordPress?
In blogging, one of the first things you will decide is the platform. This is the general software that supports your blogging site. WordPress is one of the most popular today, and can be both self-hosted (you pay for your hosting and run your blog on the server space of your hosting plan) or free, through WordPress.com. Other platform examples:
Blogger
Typepad
Tumblr
Drupal
But since you have made the choice for WordPress, the next big decision is how you want your site to look and act, and that “frontend” experience is dictated by your “theme”.
Themes can be both simple and extremely complex, they can be free or professional (themes that you buy) also known as “Premium themes”. When I first blogged, I used only free themes. I now need more features and I have purchased professional themes.
Once You Decide on WordPress, the Fun Begins
At first it might seem there is little difference between free themes and pro, especially if you can find a free theme with support, with a community centered around troubleshooting and guiding newbies. There are even free themes with complex features, and a great look.
But generally, a pro theme will have a higher level of design expertise, good code, and be kept up to date in compliance with the many upgrades that WordPress has engineered in recent years. In the case of the “Hybrid core” themes: the themes are free, but the support forums and articles require a paid membership.
I found many years ago that keeping up with the complexity of code, features that I wanted, and time to design were just too much for me as an individual blogger. I broke down and purchased a Pro theme membership. Membership- what’s that? OK. In professional themes there are often two ways to go:
Buy a single theme for a set amount of money OR buy a membership to a design company you like and have access to many themes and the support of experts. The choices are yours (choices, choices!).
Always Changing
The internet, and thus the type of writing and the look of websites, is always changing. The one thing that impacts wp theme choice today is the transition of web users to mobile phones. No longer is the desktop the primary way we access the web. This has resulted in another choice that we ought to be making:
CHOOSE A RESPONSIVE THEME FOR YOUR BLOG.
A responsive theme is one that looks good in a variety of size screens, and adjusts well to mobile users.
Most web designers are creating their frameworks and themes to be responsive now, but if you have made a previous decision, check to be sure your present one has “responsive” features.
My Own Challenges
I write lots of content and the field I blog in is crowded, and getting more crowded every day, so I need something that will stand out. One of the biggest problems for me has been the pagespeed, or time necessary to load a page on your computer screen. The template is going to impact these challenges.
CHILD THEMES ARE RECOMMENDED
The updates for WordPress result in the need for the templates to update, as well. When that happens many of the customizations are lost. Some themes have an interface which helps to preserve your changes either through use of an area to add your css or to add a “child theme”. I like it when the designer adds easy customizations to the backend or admin are of the theme.
Tips To Help You Choose The Right Theme
Make a List. Do you want a blog, a gallery of photos or art? Need a portfolio for clients or e-commerce possibilities? What do you want people to do on your site?
Check how much support is given for the theme. Is there support from creator or forum? How satisfied are the users of the theme? Take note of these things and add it to your decision.
Check structure and flexibility of the theme. Does it have the type of pages you need? Are the style and your content a good fit?
About The Major WP Theme Players
Who Are They? What Are Their Benefits?
Some of these well known designer companies started with free themes. I used them in the past. This is not a definitive list, just some comments about the ones I know enough about to have opinions about their themes. The first two are theme platforms (theme structures that support many different styles).
Divi Is ET’s Cadillac Theme
Divi is their premier theme.
Elegant Themes
The following information is outdated. Elegant Themes has almost exclusively concentrated on its DIVI theme and it has so changed and updated it that it is very user friendly now. The only thing I wish I had realized at the beginning is that when building posts and pages in their builder, the coding shows up if you ever want to with to another format. The way this is given a work-around is to then install the divi builder as a plugin.
DIVI is the one I ended up paying for, probably because I am kind of artsy in my predilection for theme looks, and Elegant themes has one of the most artful, and just plain pretty, looks to their themes.
Elegant Themes, by Nick Roach, are a bit complex, but made easier with the back end epanel that automates most decisions of style and action. Support is so-so, but I don’t have other experience to compare it with. The entire line of many themes- all sorts of styles and basic purpose (they have a dynamite portfolio page) themes to choose from.
I have some affiliate links, if you decide to buy their themes and want to possibly support me in some small way. Note: I became an affiliate after I liked their themes, and am not advocating because I am an affiliate.
It seems like many of the best free themes went professional, and some of theme have limited free versions available. “Platform” Pagelines is one of those, look for others.
Platforms are the software that run the blog. WordPress is a platform for blogging. “Framework” is the basic structures under the “parent themes”, underneath those are the”child themes”. The platform runs all the functions and bells and whistles in the background, the theme or the framework has the basic and not so basic features that creates the look and use of the site. A parent theme is alone or under the child theme, which “sits on top” and is called for creating the specific look of the theme- the colors, graphics, and typography, as well as special templates. It can completely change the way the parent theme is experienced by visitors.
Not all themes are built apart from special frameworks, but many of the pro theme are, and the looks are usually the result of child themes. Look for Thesis and Genesis family themes to have this type of setup.
Best Theme? Review And Advice
What Are The Big Changes In Themes?
Mobile friendly has gone from a suggestion to mandatory. This is driven by the shift of users from desktops to their phones for most internet use.
Design plainly favors a “flat look” that is directly related to its good looks on a phone screen.
Functions increasingly move from inside the theme to a separate plugin.
Style ranges, but a light modern look reigns. Alternatively, handcrafted, like watercolor elements has grown in popularity.
Clean interface and fast loading becomes ever more important for a professional site.
Thesis Theme by DIYThemes
Thesis is used by some of the most successful bloggers, but so is Genesis. It has a more open look.
At first this was the premier theme platform that all the serious bloggers wanted, Genesis has since caught up.
I used the designer’s, Chris Pearson, famous ‘Cutline’ theme for quite awhile on one of my blogs. His design technique is clean and he was known for his beautiful typography. The Thesis theme has a distinctive clear grid that supports all sorts of features. I have not purchased it. Some love this theme, others found it complex to work with (word on the street of bloggers I “follow”.)
Personally, I would consider working with it just because of its nice open feel.
Genesis Theme
I used Brian Gardner’s themes before he started “Studiopress” and loved them. If I had been ready to buy a theme at that time, I would have stayed with and bought what turned into the “Genesis” theme. I am still considering it, although I hate to switch from themes I am familiar with ( learning curve when starting to use a new type of theme).
Genesis themes have a distinctive blocky look that is eye-catching and easy to navigate. They can be highly customized (in my experience). They are very well supported.
What are the assets and liabilities of these choices?
Free
Pro
Costs nothing
Costs a fee
unlimited styles,some great,some poor
pro styling
sometimes supported, usually by fans
usually supported, by experts
often has built-in links to theme creator
links can be deleted
What Was I Using?
Past tense because I bought a premium set of themes that did not live up to the promises. Caveat emptor.
Both Elegant Themes and Studiopress have proved reliable.
I also purchased and used Elegant Themes, and Studiopress, which I had used in the past.
Each one has a learning curve to use, but they also provide forums and support.
Presently, I use Elegant Themes on almost all my sites, but still experiment with the latest free WP theme that comes shipped with the software. A few are on the Genesis platform.
Become A WordPress Ninja
I WISH I HAD A GUIDE IN THE EARLY YEARS OF STARTING A WORDPRESS BLOG
There is no reason for a steep learning curve with all the great learning resources available today. A book will condense all the important steps so you can start the important part: writing all your great content.
Go to the forums or get some initial support to know what your theme can do for your site. It will save you lots of time and otherwise you may not use all the features.
I am updating my Blog Resource Page, all the outdated information previously written moved here.
So much has changed and is now so radically different that this post has to be completely re-written.
If you are new to blogging, sort through the following advice for timesavers and tips.
Free Themes
I still recommend the default WordPress themes to start out with, unless you are sure you know what you want. The format that the present form of WordPress uses utilizes blocks. Use this and familiarize yourself with it since it will save you lots of hassle.
I am still not used to it, and have a “classic” plugin to help me write posts with the editor I am most familiar with- but if you get used to the block system that is much better.
The Themes that come Automatically
Choices all have the name “Twenty[something]” (series starting with twenty, you should be able to find a theme that suits your blogging needs.
I used all sorts of themes until settling onto the Divi from Elegant themes.
I had fits and starts with many of the themes- I would recommend finding the one you like and sticking with it.
I did a test-drive of the default free themes on this site before deciding to use Divi. It is a very powerful theme and probably more than most people need for their sites. I also used Genesis. It is not updated as often.
Paid Themes
Most paid themes have a base engine theme with childthemes to give the look and elements you desire.
Elegant Themes has reduced its efforts to two main themes, but Divi is the main one, and its newest form Divi 5 is very different than the older forms.
Pros
Divi is highly customizable and can do about anything you want it to.
Easy to work with.
Cons
The main thing I don’t like is one of the things I also do like: the pagebuilder.
The pagebuilder moved away from shortcode components. It now uses a block system as far as I can explain it, and you really need to learn how to navigate around all the customizations.
Because it is so popular there are many resources to help you with this theme. There is a very helpful blog to train in all the features as well as give some freebies.
You are still locked into this theme if you use it.
Looking For A Theme
Find features you need.
Pleasing layout and typography for readability.
Speed now tops the list of needed features.
Support might be important for you, and regular updating certainly will be.
What About Plugins?
These provide features for simpler themes,
They can be ways to speed up the site but condensing your images and other optimizations.
Don’t overload with plugins, try to find just the ones you need.
Plugins I Need
I like Yoast’s plugin for SEO and readability analysis.
Elegant themes has Monarch, I like those within the Yoast plugin. Simple Social Plugins is good.
Akismet to deal with Spam. Protections included in the Jetpack plugin. Yes, I sometimes use it. It has a lot of bloat. I no longer use it on this site, only the Akismet.
There is controversy about the Jetpack, but I used enough of its features to make it worthwhile. It disturbs me to know that it can greatly increase loadtime for the site.
I used YARPP (Yet Another Related Posts Plugin) but it is not longer used in WP sites. That’s okay, there are built-in related posts in the theme now.
This is a hard decision, much more difficult than it should be. I will write more in this space. but for now… I have chosen Siteground for probably the past ten years. Ever since I left Netfirms, however long ago that was!
Disclosure: I use affiliate links for some of the resources. This in no way influences the opinions I post. Everything written is transparent and based on my experience.
I originally bought my iPad to be a simpler way to blog while traveling. So how has that worked out for me? And what might my experiences mean for you?
What are the features of an iPad?
Small slimline profile means it easily goes into a large purse. It can function as a phone, though I don’t use it that way.
Loads of apps, many of them free.
Accessories can expand usefulness (I have a keyboard cover).
Bigger screen than a phone, while remaining compact.
Portable
Battery has longlasting properties (compared with a laptop)
Works well for reading eBooks and PDFs
I ended up buying an iPad Air 2.
-click home button to awake, twice to bring up app screen.
-screen adjusts to landscape or portrait mode.
It has a camera, but so far I found that a bit awkward to use. Better sound when not encased in the Belkin cover, but still good. Clear, beautiful display.
The Adventures:Â Traveling with an iPad
I found some things I genuinely liked, but the entire experience didn’t quite work out as seamlessly as I’d hoped. Still, I am not ready to say I have fully mastered bringing this portable device into its full potential.
Things I had to get used to:
Apps are not full programs, so graphics may need to be done elsewhere. Luckily there are easy online programs like Picmonkey and Canva. Only Canva has an actual IOS app.
Passwords. Setting up the device is just like setting up a new computer, so sometimes I have to go looking for passwords. There might be an easier way, but I didn’t know about it.
Can’t get used to using it as a phone… at least not yet.
I liked the portability and accessibility of the iPad, loved the long battery life, and the Belkin cover lights up and makes typing easy.
That said, the keyboard features are smaller and more awkward than a full laptop keyboard. I found it harder to feel at home on the tablet and that interfered with my inspiration to write- but that is just me. I feel that as I get used to it, it will be as natural and I’ll stop thinking about it so much.
One app that makes a tablet highly functional is Evernote. When I put something into it, it transfers it to all my devices that have the app- including my phone and laptop. That solves issues with the need to have good photos/graphics for a post.
My eyesight isn’t very good, so the smaller screen is not always best for me. I enlarge, but I tend to like a larger screen. Huge imporvement on a phone, however.
Am I happy? Â Yes. Happy enough that I want to further explore which apps are best for me and to get greater skill and comfort in using tablets rather than laptops.
What Apps For Me?
I use many that are on my iPhone:
Waterlogue for fun
Camera +
Pronto for graphics (this is a new one for me)
Evernote
Weather
and 22 other apps, including  basics like camera, mail, etc
Other Opinions about Traveling With An iPad
Gizmodo had a post that sings the praises of using an iPad. Joel Johnson also cited the light weight, small size, and the great battery life. This is essentially the same experience as mine.
While written in 2010, I think the plus and minus of the iPads are the same today, six years later. I do use mine differently since blogging is my main activity on any computer.
Useful Accessories For Tablets
From experience texting, I knew I couldn’t get very far with writing posts, or even social commenting  without  a keyboard. I just can’t. But I found a Belkin QODE Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad Air 2, after much searching through reviews. I have to say it was a great purchase which I am very happy to use most of the time I am on the
I like this device more as I learn to use it. It is very user friendly with apps like imovie along with a decent camera, its size, and its good battery life. The screen makes watching video a great experience and Siri is there to help, too. I think it was worth the money invested.
My family also uses Amazon Prime often, which saves us money on shipping and more.
Please support my site by using my links, thank you. This Page may contain affiliate links. “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases”
Divi is their premier theme.
