Two days ago, I decided to get rid of my ColdFusion based blog, and create one and WordPress. I wanted the domain dedicated solely to my blog instead of a bolt-on to larger domain. The ColdFusion hosting was going to be more than I wanted to pay, so I decided to host it with DreamHost.

First of all, installation could not have been any easier. I simply chose One-Click Installs from the DreamHost control panel, chose WordPress, named a new database, and clicked “Install it for me now”. That was it. The message told me the application would be available in ten minutes and it took about three.

Then, I browsed URL, I was given a password and I was able to log in. The layout of the backend is clean, uncluttered and highly organized. I clicked on Manage > Import, chose RSS and was able to import my posts from my old blog. That impressed me as much as the easy install.

With my posts pulled in, I was ready to alter the theme. WordPress includes a bunch of well-designed themes already installed with the blog. A blogger can can the themes as quick as a double-click. These are found under the Presentation tab.

I wanted to add some bells and whistles, so I checked out the Plugins tab. First to be added was Aksimet. It checks your comments with the Aksimet services to see if it is spam or not. The other included plugins did not seem beneficial. The WordPress plugin directory is a gateway to loads and loads of plugins for every aspect of tracking, presentation, monetization and anything else you can think of. I highly recommend David Ogletree’s Plugin list. Lots of good stuff there.

Well, in two days I:

• • created a blog
• • imported all my previous posts
• • changed the look and feel
• • added some nifty features

This is only scratching the surface of the power and flexibility of this application. I can’t wait to learn more.