Apr 16, 2015 / Beginner

Five Tips for the New WordPresser

Welcome to the community! Check out five ways to shake off that newbie feeling.

Each week, we’re beyond fortunate to have thousands of new people join the WordPress.com community. (Hi there, and welcome! You’ll find cold beverages right next to the hot tub under the disco ball — make yourself at home!)

In our Blogging for Beginners course, we often see comments like these:

“I’m new here and I’m not sure about x…”

“I’m a baby WordPresser and I’d like to know how to x…”

“I just started my blog last week and…”

Being new isn’t always the most comfy feeling. Here are five tips to help you gain confidence and get situated as you embark on your new blogging habit.

1. Establish your identity: get a Gravatar

Your Gravatar is the little photo of you that appears by any comment you make while logged into WordPress.com. Here’s mine. It’s a cartoon likeness of me:

If you haven’t already, go to https://wordpress.com/me to upload an image to represent you. It need not be a photo of you — it could be any image you like. PicMonkey is a great place to edit your images online, if you need to.

If you don’t have a custom Gravatar, your comments show next to one of the default avatars, robbing you of an opportunity to establish your online identity. Another thing to note is that spammers never take the time to upload custom Gravatars and nobody wants to look like a spammer. Here’s what the default avatars look like:

2. Try a self-directed course

Themes, posts, pages, and blocks, oh my! There’s plenty to learn about how to get your blog looking just the way you want, and/or establishing that blogging habit. To learn more or register, check out our Blogging for Beginners course.

4. Follow your passions in the Reader

What do you love? Rap music? Reading? Dinosaurs? No matter your interests, you’ll find others who share them — from disco to decoupage — in the WordPress.com Reader. In the Reader, you can follow blogs that intrigue you and discover new writers by searching for tags that interest you.

5. Engage with your community

It might feel a little uncomfortable at first, but the single best way to grow your audience is to visit others’ blogs and make thoughtful comments on others’ posts. Giving a like and making a comment are not huge gestures and don’t take a lot of time, but they can mean a lot to those who receive them. People tend to be naturally curious about the person who took time to read their post and contribute meaningfully to the discussion. You never know, they may just follow you in return.

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  7. Love the tips, I’m a newbie here and all tips are really needed and wanted. Thanks again! 🙂

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  9. Thanks… Been blogging since the beginning of the year. Good to have these as a reminder. See you in the community pool soon. (Ps got to 40laps this week) 😊 Mx

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  12. Thank you for these tips! I’m a little lost here, but this post gave me some direction! I love writing and I hope to interact with like minded people, only if I succeed in getting noticed, that is.

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  13. I really like these tips! I will take them into consideration for my blog. I also wanted to let people out there know that I will be willing to make free banners for them if they would like! (YES.. i said free..) Check out my blog to see the banner I have made for myself. Please like and follow my blog for more details. Will be posting about it soon!

    Thanks guys!
    Brent S.

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  16. When it comes to the Community Pool, it seems geared only towards people living in North America. I’m sure there are a lot of bloggers around the world blogging in English who wish they could use the Community Pool but find that their comments and requests are overlooked because they’re posting nine hours later and the rush is over.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We find that the Community Pool is lively all week long. New comments and replies come in right up to the very moment that comments close each week as the new pool opens on Monday.

      You’re right — some of the earlier comments do get a bit more attention, though we also find that for the most part, you get out of the pool what you put into it: those that take time to comment thoughtfully on others’ blogs generally get thoughtful comments in return when they post a question or request for feedback.

      It’s never mandatory to offer thoughts and ideas in response to a blogger’s comment / request, though people do notice and typically respond in kind when someone takes the time to offer thoughtful, friendly constructive criticism.

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  17. Its really helpful and a push to blog. It also saves time, when a new comer is still in a confusion as to what to do. More TIPS could help More PEOPLE. I feel most bloggers have spread their hands and opened mind to receive. Blogging is Happiness!!!!!!!!

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  18. Great tips, thanks 🙂 I’ve been here 9 months and am trying to find ways to boost my blog, get inspired and attract new readers, so your advice comes at a good moment 🙂

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  21. This was a great step by step getting more acquainted with wordpress post! I’m still fairly new to the site for I feel that I’ve learned a thing or two from this to carry on with me if I choose to blog personally in the future.

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