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WordPress Questions

A

Adammo

New Member
affiliate
When I do eventually find something to write about, ideally i'd like to set up a WordPress blog. I just had a couple of questions about them (sorry if this is the wrong area again):

1 - How customizable are they? If I find a theme I like can I add an image on the top, change the colors, etc.

2 - What is the best way to find the theme you like? Ideally, I would like to have a navigation bar on the top provding links to some static content. I then would like to have a column on the right where I can place my affiliate banners. In the middle/left column is where i'd like my content.

Thanks!
 
Adammo said:
When I do eventually find something to write about, ideally i'd like to set up a WordPress blog. I just had a couple of questions about them (sorry if this is the wrong area again):

1 - How customizable are they? If I find a theme I like can I add an image on the top, change the colors, etc.
Click to expand...

Very customizable. There's not much you can't do, especially if you have a basic knowledge of HTML and PHP. Even if you don't, there is a huge repository of free plug-ins and themes for customization.

Adammo said:
2 - What is the best way to find the theme you like? Ideally, I would like to have a navigation bar on the top provding links to some static content. I then would like to have a column on the right where I can place my affiliate banners. In the middle/left column is where i'd like my content.
Click to expand...

Warning: There are a LOT of options here.

You can start by Googling "wordpress themes" or "free wordpress themes" or "three column WordPress themes".

The WordPress site itself also has a list of themes. They had discontinued that for a time so it's not nearly as complete as their plug-ins directory but it's growin.
 
Adammo said:
When I do eventually find something to write about, ideally i'd like to set up a WordPress blog. I just had a couple of questions about them (sorry if this is the wrong area again):

1 - How customizable are they? If I find a theme I like can I add an image on the top, change the colors, etc.

2 - What is the best way to find the theme you like? Ideally, I would like to have a navigation bar on the top provding links to some static content. I then would like to have a column on the right where I can place my affiliate banners. In the middle/left column is where i'd like my content.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I use Wordpress all the time. It is extremely customizable. In regards to changing colors, if you are a beginner, the best thing to do is find a theme that already offers a color scheme you like. The 2 main places that I use themes from is Elegant Themes and Woo Themes. With Elegant Themes there is a yearly fee of $20, but that gives you unlimited access to all of the themes, many of which offer different color variations. Woo Themes has a few free themes as well that are very nice looking.

Another way to find a theme is to Google it, say you want to make a blog about Thanksgiving. Try searching "Free Thanksgiving Wordpress Themes"

If you want to display affiliate banners on the right hand side make sure the theme you choose, displays things on the right and not the left. Then simply use the text widgets in the control panel to paste in your affiliate links or banners.
 
Unlike lots of people here, I was intimidated by WP and pretty lost using it at first. I dont' know any html, php, css or even what they were about 3 months ago. I still get lost when I want to tweak small details but the WP forum has been pretty helpful - especially after I used the free theme Atahualpa and donated $25. Those guys have been really patient. And I've found that particular theme to be very easy to customize.

Other free themes I also found easy to use and customize were Arclite and Vigilance. All of these are available as a direct download from WP through your c-panel using Fantastico.

Those who are more experienced with WP may disagree with me on this, but based on my very limited experience, a newbie should be careful using one of the free themes out there from other sources. I spent weeks screwing around with one of these that was already geared towards my niche. Looked sweet - even the header would have been fine. However, support was non-existent and I eventually found out that the theme itself was flawed when you used images in posts (Nope, it wasn't me - I finally had someone who knows what they are doing check it out.) So, switched to regular WP theme, and I was far better off.

Also, unless you've got more background at this than I do, I'd suggest you seriously consider going with a theme that only has one sidebar (many give you choices of 2 or more). Having one one sidebar to mess with made it easier for me to learn how everything interacts.

One other bit of advice that I wish somebody had passed on to me. When you are setting up your pages and/or categories and deciding what order you want them to be listed, don't use 1,2,3,4 and so forth. Use 10, 20, 30, 40 or even 100, 200, 300. This will allow you to add pages/categories later without redoing the entire structure.
 
Linda Buquet said:
Glad to see you are leaning toward Wordpress again.

Google keyword wordpress theme.

I did one for sports themes and came up with this.
Amazing Wordpress Themes - WP Themes Free Sports
VERY nice free themes, even one for hockey if you go that route.

Lots more here: sports wordpress theme - Google Search
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone, I have a decent bit of coding experience so I am hoping this is easy for me!

Linda, I love that hockey one you found. So can I modify the top image, and the right hand side to contain affiliate links??

http://themepreview.amazingwordpressthemes.com/?theme=hockey-10
 
Adammo said:
Ideally, I would like to have a navigation bar on the top provding links to some static content. I then would like to have a column on the right where I can place my affiliate banners. In the middle/left column is where i'd like my content.
Click to expand...

The way I read it he only wanted a 2 column theme?

Top nav bar, content on left, sidebar on right. That's what he said anyway.

But I agree with minstrel, IF what you really wanted was a 3 column theme, then you would not want to modify a 2 column theme, it would be too hard unless you are a highly experienced WP designer.
 
I assume the same goes with the navigation bar? Can I modify it so that the child links display when hovering over a link in the nav bar?

I hope that makes sense, not quite sure on the terminology :).
 
If that theme doesn't already do that my guess is it would be REALLY hard to code yourself. So maybe better off trying to find a theme that does that and just change the header.
 
Another question about those navigation bar links. I know I ask alot!

Are these links normally linked to post in your WordPress blog, or can you add static content to your site and link them from these navigation menu links?

I hope that makes sense.

Thanks!
 
Thanks. I think I asked this before, but I just wanted to confirm, just in case!

I kind of liked a theme like this:

Theme Demo

Can I easily add widgets to the right hand bar for my sponsors? Or do I need to find a theme that has these built in already?

Sorry for my confusion!
 
How about FireFox? Does anyone have any issues with themes using Firefox?

I've been looking at a few previews for different themes with ads already displayed. I find for the most part in IE it works exactly as shown, but Firefox does not seem to display the Ads? I think I have an Ad blocking extension in FireFox, so that could be the reason. If it is...is it possible to have them display for FireFox users?
 
Adammo said:
How about FireFox? Does anyone have any issues with themes using Firefox?

I've been looking at a few previews for different themes with ads already displayed. I find for the most part in IE it works exactly as shown, but Firefox does not seem to display the Ads? I think I have an Ad blocking extension in FireFox, so that could be the reason. If it is...is it possible to have them display for FireFox users?
Click to expand...

1. It is a good idea to check the theme in different browsers. A well coded theme should display pretty much the same in any browser, making allowances for individual browser quirks.

2. The really is no way to get around the problem of ad blocking. Firefox plugins, AV programs, etc., often have these things. The only options are (a) live with it or (b) use a script to detect ad blockers and deny access to anyone using one (not recommended).

Of course, if you're using one yourself, you really have no right to complain if your visitors use one. :)
 
minstrel said:
Of course, if you're using one yourself, you really have no right to complain if your visitors use one. :)
Click to expand...

Lol, no of course, I understand if people don't want to see ads they should have that ability, but I was wondering if there was anyway around it...like text links or something?
 

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