Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
A few preliminary WordPress questions
I’ve been horsing around with WordPress for the last few hours. Can anyone tell me:
Why are all my links ‘n stuff way down at the bottom of the page?Fixed, using crappy alternative template!- And why aren’t they alphabetized? (I’m anal about such things.)
And if I mess with a new template, will I lose all my links? (Hey, that’s what happens with Blogger!)Answered!How do I transfer my sitemeter over without losing the numbers? (Remember, Type A stands for ‘anal’.)Fixed!- How do I make this place look like MY place? You know, I’d like to doll it up a bit. Hang some pictures, that sort of thing.
How do I un-moderate comments?Answered!
I’ll add and subtract from this list as I grope around in the dark. Bear with me.
Yes, I’m figuring things out slowly but surely. If you haven’t guessed yet, I have no patience. (Please, no dumb puns about patience/patients. Those jokes are right up there with, “Hey, can you see through to the other side?”)
Note: please make sure I have you on my blogroll. If you’re not there and you’d like to be, drop me a note in the comments.
D.
← Oyreka!
Hi Doug! Yep Blogger were having a VERY bad day yesterday! If no one can answer you questions, I’ll sign up to wordpress later (when I find the time ;o)) and look at the template to see if I can make head or tail (I’m quite interested to see how they differ :o))
Thanks, Jona. Let’s see what shakes out of the tree tomorrow. I’ve taken a look at WordPress’s template tutorial, and it’s written in some sort of foreign language not comprehensible to people over 40. I might need your help on this.
* Hmm, odd, dunno why your links are down below. Usually it’s because one column or the other is too wide, but that doesn’t seem to be the case from what I can tell (sidebar could be too wide though).
* For alphabetical links, edit the link categories and setting them to alphabetical should probably fix it.
* As for changing themes, no, links are stored in the database, not the theme.
* Depends how your sitemeter works. Could depend on URL or it could just be per account. If it’s URL, you’re SOL. If account, then just drop in the code.
* Click me for theme help
* Click here to adjust comment options.
Good Morning, Doug —
Playing a little “Follow the Leader”are we? I don’t blame you for your frustration. Although I’m only a “groupie,” many of my favorite (so far) blogs were caught up in the maelstrom this weekend. A Check at the official mouthpiece for Blogger shows they are mighty dismayed at the weekend’s troubles as well. I wonder if a mass diaspora isn’t taking place as I write.
Good luck in transition. It will be interesting to see if & how many of your readers are WordPress users or proficient enough to lend some aid. Wish I could help w/ the mechanics, but unfortunately, I will be a kibitzer instead. For example, I really like the date & time stamp on the comments, but the clock appears to be set for “sometime” off the east coast ;>)
Make that GMT??!!
Bitch, bitch, bitch.
I added you to me bloglines roll call last night so I woun’t miss a word.
I suppose it’s getting to the point where I should think about bailing at blogger as well.
There would be better navigation between the five blogs I semi-maintain then…
hmmmm.
Hi Doug: WP is teh r0x0r, as the old people say.
Link placement and ordering is a function of the template. WP generates all content dynamically, so, unlike Blogger, you don’t have to rebuild a bunch of stuff if you change templates. I’d suggest wandering over to the WP wiki (there’s a link from http://www.wordpress.org) and looking through the template sites there. There are probably several hundred to choose from, and you’re sure to find something that your tightly clenched anus can live with.
Mess with your template till you puke. Just back it up before you start, and you can’t do any harm. The links are stored in the MySQL database that you connected to, and you can’t lose them by fooling with your template.
WP is open-source and infinitely customizable. The only problem is that you need to learn PHP (and maybe a little SQL) and PHP is not the most transparent of languages.
When you say ‘unmoderate comments’, do you mean ‘turn off moderation’ or ‘approve comments that have been placed in the moderation queue?’ I recommend leaving comments for unapproved commenters moderated. You’ll be approving a bunch of stuff for the first while, but you’ll also catch a lot of spam. I didn’t for the first while, and now I’m poor from playing Texas Hold ‘Em. I do, however, have a really large penis, and a megaton of herbal v— you know what.
If you want to set your comments so that they aren’t moderated, go into Options – Discussions. Turn off the three checkboxes under ‘Before a Comment Appears’. I don’t recommend this. I recommend leaving the default settings, which are
Comment author must fill out name and e-mail – on
Comment author must have a previously approved comment – on
That way, the first time someone leaves a comment that you approve, they won’t be moderated any more. This catches all spam.
Sitemeter: I think you can set a starting number when you set Sitemeter up, so just take the number that’s in there now, create a new sitemeter link, and start it at your current count. I don’t think Sitemeter allows you to move a meter to a different URL.
As for how you make it homey, I think you start with a template you like, and build slowly from there. Get yourself a book on basic PHP, and you should be good to go.
Here is how to add Site Meter to your wordpress blog. http://weblog.sitemeter.com/2005/05/04/wordpress-instructions/
Just use your existing account and don’t create a new one and they’ll transfer over fine.
You should be able to add this site to Sitemeter (I was tracking 3 separate sites under one log-in, with no problems – I just get a single visitor count showing combined traffic). I don’t know how you add the sitemeter html in WordPress (which is why I don’t have visitor stats on the barkingaardvark site), but if you can figure that out, you should be able to track both of your sites at the same time.
my concerns:
1. I hate change.
2. There is no blog roll.
3. How is Karen?
4. Will you be able to transfer the glorious frog portrait of you?
You’re a brave man. I had conniptions for ages because my sidebar showed at the bottom. I’d get it fixed in firefox and opera and it would still be screwed in IE. I adjusted the widths of the main (content?) and sidebar areas on the CSS sheet to finally get it straight. Be sure to check it in all the different browsers.
I like to change things, 😉 but am not all that tech savvy. You shouldn’t lose your links when you change templates if you added them in the WP links area. I don’t know about getting them alphabetical, because I don’t add links manually and use blogrolling.com. I embedded the code in my sidebar until the number of blogs I added became monstrous and made my pages load really slow (it’s too easy to add them–you just click a link). Then I put my blogroll on a separate page.
When I change a template I have to edit the sidebar.php file in that particular template and add all my goodies and extraneous code. I edit the header.php file there too to add.change header graphics and add links too.
Have you started fooling with plugins yet? That’s where I had the most fits.
I use semiologic.com for a template now and LOVE it. The look is clean and simple. The plugins are already installed! I’m just modifying it now to make it more personal.
5. awaiting moderation??? what kinda wimpy shit is that? Moderation sux! Full-bore wicked life is the only way to go. No humming under your breath! Singing at the top of the lungs like that dishwasher! More exclamation marks! Always! Moderation is for sissies!! Dance on the tables, dude!
6. I love this video http://www.teambio.org/2006/02/i-will-never-look-at-the-doc-the-same-way-again/
(can you do that html crap over here?)
look at all the messages you’re getting in your new blog! Granted they’re all from me but it’s a start. . .
7. Oops, and from Jona. (I forgot Jona.) Hi Jona!
Hey Doug,
I’ll have a look at the template tutorial and try to translate it into non-geek, but it’s going to be later on.
-pat
Another addition to the update-links-list (grumble, grumble.)
I’ve never used WordPress so I will refrain from offering technical advice. Also, everyone starts snickering as soon as I do. Ingrates.
A virgin blog? Are there volcanoes around here?
I only hope this thing will remember all the info I had to type in in order to post. If I have to retype name, email and web-url every friggin’ time I’m going to become a lazy commenter here. 🙂
I like that he’s moderating comments now, Gabriele. I might come over and comment a few dozen times an hour, just to drive the Doc crazy.
Look at me! I’m Walnut! (Good thing I didn’t type in “Balls” when it asked for the username, eh?)
Thanks for the support, everyone. It looks like you only need to go through moderation once, so hopefully This Too Shall Pass (Kate, Gabriele).
Thanks for the Brokeback to the Future link, Kate. That was cute. I wonder if that woman who got p.o.’d at Blue Gal would find something upsetting about it, though.
Sheila, take your time. I’m going to leave the Blogger Balls and Walnuts up indefinitely (why not?) so folks can jump over from the top link if they don’t mind the extra step.
And now, I’m off to look at templates 😉
Yep, looks like it’s going to remember the info. And it has smilies. 😀
Sheila, you’re evil. 😉
I’ll stick to Blogger for now. No, I wasn’t happy about the mess yesterday; it would have been better had they taken the thing completely offline instead of giving the impression you could post only to have the posts and comments eaten. But I’ve issues with my other blog on LifeJournal, too: the more interesting features (like picture upload) cost extra, the modification of templates is limited, and the system kicks me out once a week or so. The only plus is the option to lock posts for a limited readership (which, on the other side has to have a LJ account as well in order to read f-locked posts).
The woman who got p.o’d at Blue Gal deleted her blog without a word. Musta burned herself out with her own hatred. And I never had to go through moderation. NOT a surprise, as wordpress probably knew they’d get a limerick (just kidding, no more limericks.)
Hey Doug,
How goes it? I see you’ve made some progress. Well, here’s a little more help for you, specifically for your blogroll. I assume that you’re using the WordPress Links for your ‘roll. If so, you can specify how to sort them in your Links > Manage Links page (probably http://www.ballsandwalnuts.com/wp-admin/link-manager.php).
Also, you can tweak your stylesheets and suchlike on the Presentation > Theme Editor page.
Let me know if you need more assistance.
-pat
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