I have very little knowledge about blogging. I want to create a blog on my own domain, using WordPress. Let's assume I have bought a domain, downloaded Wordpress and set it up. Furthermore, what should I know about MySQL and PHP? What should I do with them?
These are not strict definitions, but MySQL is a database software, and PHP is a web programming language. Once you have your domain name, you need to get a hosting plan. Make sure that your host offers PHP and MySQL because Wordpress installs into a MySQL database, and PHP is the coding language for Wordpress, so these have to be supported for you to install wordpress. Most hosting plans have a script installer with Wordpress, so you may not need to worry too much about the MySQL part. But if it doesn't have it, then you'll need to know how to create the database and add a user to it. Once you've installed Wordpress you may want to edit the theme files to make the site look like you want it to, and this is where PHP and CSS come in. You'll also need to know how to read the code to know where to place ads and other stuff if you want to do that. The good news is that none of this is hard, and this is actually one of the best ways to learn PHP and mySQL, by installing and modifying CMSs and blogs and such. There are plenty of tutorials on the web, and google is your best friend. I wrote a blog post about this http://codingpad.maryspad.com/2007/07/19/cmss-another-reason-to-master-php/ You can read it, and if you have any questions about your installation process just ask there and I'll respond. It's a fun project to undertake.
You don't need to know much, if anything, as far as MySQL or PHP. It certainly wouldn't hurt, but you could manage just fine otherwise. You could have your blog up and running within minutes without knowing much. Einsteinboi's right on!
The problem is if you're hosting plan doesn't come with Fantastico or other other script installer with Wordpress in it (although most hosting plans do), then you will need to at least know how to create the database and add a user to it. But you're right, you don't need to know much to start, but it helps a lot when it comes to customizing your themes and such and spiffing up your site.
Guys, thank you for the clear answers. Only one more question: What is "script installer with Wordpress" ?
When you get a hosting plan, it may include a utility that has different scripts that allows you to install different programs, such as Wordpress, Joomla, etc. The most common one, as far as I know, is Fantastico, which comes with cPanel hosting. Just check different hosting plans and they'll show you what they come with, but if they have Fantastico then you're pretty sure you'll be able to install Wordpress with a few clicks. If there is no script installer, but your hosting plan gives you mySQL databases, then you would need to go to Wordpress.org, download the Wordpress software, and then upload it to your hosting plan using an FTP program. Then you would create a mySQL database, create a user and add the user to the database, and then install Wordpress into this database. Again, it's not that hard, it's just easier with Fantastico.
einsteinsboi pretty much covered it all for you! Fantastico is certainly the most popular but it is not the only one, so just ask your hosting company directly if they have an auto installer for WordPress or not. If they don't, you can even ask further if they will install it for you and they just might!
If you really don't want to bother learning how to install a script, you can ask someone to install Wordpress and a basic free theme for you. Blogging isn't difficult, you just enter your text, press "Publish" and you're done However, if you want your blog to be a bit more powerful, you'll need to get familiar with PHP and HTML in order to configure plugins and the theme itself. This really is not difficult. I can recommend you getting in touch with a Wordpress professional and ask him via IM whenever you need help, then tip him via PayPal This way, you get things done and you learn at the same time...
My suggestion to you would be that you start doing some reading. We can give you a lot of answers here but it helps if you get some of the basics down. So my suggestion would be to get friendly with google, and also go over to w3schools.com to get the basic definitions and terms, and to see some examples. Again, these are really really loose definitions, so don't take them for gospel truth, they are just meant to give you some idea. HTML is a markup language. It provides you with tags that you use to format, align, and in other ways set up your pages. For example, to make a heading you would use heading tags formatted so: <h1>I am a newbie</h1> Code (markup): Or to center some text you would use centering tags like so: <center>I really am a newbie</center> Code (markup): PHP on the other hand is a scripting language. You use PHP to create scripts that tell or command your webserver to do something. It has functions that can do math, read files, write files, read complex databases and spit the info out onto a webpage, etc. For example, if you wanted the print some text on a webpage you would have: <?php $myString = "I am a complete newbie!"; echo $myString; ?> Code (markup):
Thank you to all of you. Your useful help is fully enough for now, because I am not going to make the blog immediately. I'll get acquainted with the matter more thouroughly by reading some articles and wikipedia. (I really am a newbie)
Good luck! And remember, you learn best by doing doing doing, making mistakes, asking questions, and doing some more. Experience is often the best teacher!
although you strictly do not need to know those things for getting a blog up & running , but google around for php tutorials ,will surely be useful for you in the future as your blog grows.
there is no need to learn Php and Mysql.Blog set up knowledge is required.For creating Blog ,HTML and CSS knowledge is required