Wordpress: The Missing Manual

Missing Manuals

by Matthew MacDonald

Whether you're a budding blogger or seasoned Web designer, WordPress is a brilliant tool for creating websites, once you know how to tap its impressive features. The latest edition of this jargon-free Missing Manual shows you how to use WordPress 3.9's themes, widgets, plug-ins, and souped-up editing and multimedia tools to build just about any kind of site.

The important stuff you need to know:



Create your site. Get hands-on, A-to-Z instructions for building all types of websites, from classy blogs to professional-looking ecommerce sites.

Add features. Choose from thousands of widgets and plug-ins to enhance your site's ease of use, looks, and performance.

Mix in multimedia. Add picture galleries, slideshows, video clips, music players, and podcasts to your pages.

Attract an audience. Create automatic content feeds, sign up site subscribers, and help readers share your posts on social media.

Fine-tune your content. Analyze site statistics to improve your content and reach, and to optimize your site for search engines.

Go Mobile. Choose a theme that automatically reconfigures your site for mobile devices.

Build a truly unique site. Learn how to customize WordPress themes to create a site that looks exactly the way you want it to.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Technology, Computers, Programming, Website Design, Business

612 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Matthew MacDonald is a science and technology writer with well over a dozen books to his name. He's particularly known for his books about building websites, which include a do-it-from-scratch tutorial (Creating a Website: The Missing Manual), a look at cutting-edge HTML5 (HTML5: The Missing Manual), and a WordPress primer (WordPress: The Missing Manual). He's also written a series of books about programming on and off the Web with .NET, teaches programming at Ryerson University, and is a three-time Microsoft MVP.

Reviews

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just like the Missing Manual books, they have saved my bacon too many times to count. I have a full bookshelf of them (it stands out like a long stripe of neon green) and have rarely had a question about an application or any other topic that I couldn't find addressed thoroughly. This book has been no exception.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because WordPress has a intuitive interface, this book serves a better purpose as supplement rather than a how-to for those who are looking to use WordPress as a blogging tool. It you have had any interaction with WordPress, you would find this book telling you much of what you already know. It does provides some additional tips that are helpful for making blogs more robust, but you are reading through a lot of text to get to these items. The self-hosting chapters and template editing chapters are helpful, but the latter does not provide enough information for those really looking to work with a WordPress template to make it their own.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was well written and well organized. I was fumbling around WordPress for over a year as I tried to improve my websites. I can say that this book advanced me from beginner to a solid intermediate developer.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has been using WordPress for over 10 years, this was a good book for beginners.

I even learned a couple minuscule tips and tricks in the book.
Besides that, I didn't get much from it, but it was still an interesting read.

Would recommend if new to WordPress!

4.0/5

[Ashley Cadaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the super simple to stuff like editing the php in various templates, it's a good manual for anyone who wants to manage their own (or others!) Wordpress sites.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

too wordy.

[Federico · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun trip down memory lane for someone experienced in Wordpress, but of little use for the inexperienced. If you're able to look past the hype in the introductory chapters, and to forgive all the dubious marketing advice which is now hopelessly superseded, there is some decent general advice which remains mostly valid (for example whether to start with Wordpress.com or look for something more custom right away). Unfortunately, there are also many very specific recommendations which can be actively harmful (e.g. plugins now dead for 15 years and counting), so this book is too difficult to navigate safely for the inexperienced.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this for a college course. This is a must have for any easy-to-do Website. I thoroughly enjoy using this book to create websites. Very simple, with illustrations, and down to Earth English language instructions for non-tech-minded folk, like me.

[Parivahan Sewa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parivahan Sewa is an online platform introduced by the Ministry of road transport and highways.The portal offers a wide range of services related to driving licences and vehicles.

https://parivahansewas.com/

[James Blakey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helped me reconfigure my wordpress site. Now I know what I'm doing. A much better alternative than hiring someone off the web.

[Samantha Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought the book (had previously gotten it from the library) because I think this is going to be one I come back to all the time. Great for beginners. Basically if you know how to get on the internet that's the only prerequisite. Reads like a textbook so even if you're a wizard you can probably find something useful here. Buy this book.

[Richard Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been using WordPress for years but decided to read this book because I had found two other books by Matthew MacDonald in the missing manual series so helpful. The WordPress missing manual opened up new doors for me and gave me the courage to open up a new self-hosted blog site in addition to w WordPress.com site that I have had for years. This book explains kinds of WordPress in clear language with plenty of illustrations. It also explains how to use WordPress for a non-blog site of the sort that is often called a brochure site. There are clear instructions on how to tweak themes and even php functions for those who really want to make a blog site distinctive. Macdonald also offers excellent advice on which plugins and widgets can enhance a site, and make it both more accessible and more secure. There is also incidental but valuable advice on creating good content, although the main focus is of course on the technical process of creating and maintaining a blog site using the popular and powerful WordPress tools.

[Andrew V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite simply, this is a top choice if you're a wordpress newbie looking to cover all the bases (experienced WP users and web wizards need not apply).

True to the 'manual' badge, this is a reference book rather than a quick start guide, and it does the job really well. The WP Codex may overlap with the core of the book's content but the author's authoritative hand and personal touch produce a more thorough and digestible resource than any official spiel. You'll be left well on top of things having used up a small pack of post-it notes for all the titbits.

With the exception of only a few chapters, the author addresses both wordpress.com users and self-hosters throughout. If you want to create a free blog using the wordpress.com service then you'll find everything you need here. If you're looking to self-host then you'll find plenty more than you might expect from a beginner's guide.

So why not 5 stars? Well, to accommodate all the detail the author adopts a conversational writing style which some readers may find a little 'wordy'. Those especially daunted by the vast set of features and settings may actually welcome this and it makes for pleasant reading as it gives you time to dream up your perfect blog/site. But if you just want the meat then you might have to be a little patient at times. Don't let this nitpicking deter you though, it's a great book!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem with reading tech manuals front to back is the issue of previous knowledge. That is, if you're a complete newbie you may get lost pretty quickly, and if you've got some experience under your belt you may be bored. My experience was largely the latter: I have been working with WordPress for some time, but was hoping to expand my knowledge and possibly solve a specific issue I'm having with a company website. Sure, I expanded my knowledge, but wasn't able to fully absorb the chapters where CSS and PHP are tinkered with because I haven't actually worked with CSS or PHP (a weakness I'd like to improve). I didn't find a lot of help solving my problem, likely because it's too specific to my site. Regardless, I found the book to be easy to understand, chock full of resources for further reading, and a good reference for the future (my copy now sports many side-tabs marking passages I think will be to my advantage to revisit). Perhaps another way I could have utilized the book while reading was to have my own self-hosted test site running so I could follow along with some of the exercises. A good resource, but I probably came to it with too many expectations.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I skipped most of this book since it’s for beginners. I skimmed the last two chapters, which get into intermediate topics (theming and CPTs). No advanced topics are covered. It has clear explanations and is easy to follow. It has relevant screenshots. The FAQs throughout the chapters are helpful.

Notes
Antispam plugins
• Anti-spam
• Antispam Bee
• AVH First Defense Against Spam

Misc.
Page Security by Contexture lets you create groups of users and give them permission to read specific posts or pages.

Multisite User Management lets you set a default role for each site in a multisite network. When you create a new user, they’re automatically registered on each site with the default role you set.

prchecker.info is an unofficial PageRank-checking site.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this from the O'Reilly User Groups program for the Boca Raton Computer Society and as I have started blogs at Wordpress.com and at Wordpress.org, I went through it myself.

I learned about a lot of things for both platforms, which I had not previously considered.

Prior to reading this, I would explore the great help sections of Wordpress itself, for things to enhance my sites. Now I can easily refer back to this missing manual and find things that I have marked to be done later.

This is one of the most useful non-fiction works I have ever read.

The missing manual series, is great!

[Maryann Morabito · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was excellent. It took you through the entire process of setting WordPress up from scratch. I have to admit, if I had had to start from scratch, it would have saved my life. The book was simple to read, yet very accurate in the directions it gave.

However, I am Dreamweaver user. When I tried to work with WordPress, I was all of a sudden locked into certain templates, that, for me, would not change. Needless to say, WordPress and I did not get along and before long I was back in Dreamweaver again. That being said, it was not the WordPress book that was at fault, I just was not a WordPress person.

[Amelia Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is geared toward the individual that is new to WordPress, however, it is also a good book for any web development professional to have in their short-term reference library. (I have a short-term section in my reference library, because software editions upgrade rather quickly.)

This book is based on WordPress 3.9 and it reviews all the basics of developing a WordPress website or blog as well as the more advance issues with themes, widgets, and plug-ins.

If you are fairly new to WordPress, I recommend this book for your software reference library.

[Kasey Cocoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful resource for anyone trying to start up their blog with Wordpress. This can be a daunting task for many but rest assured you'll be looking like a pro and feeling confident. I really like the format and layout of this book. Everything is so easy to find and understand. I recommend this for all levels. I received an evaluation copy in exchange for my honest unpaid opinion.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

very helpful for starting a blog in Wordpress. The book explained a lot of features I didn't understand at first.

[Peyton Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent manual. Looking forward to reading more in this series.

[Juan Jaramillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a good start point for a newbie, but for someone more advanced it's still very handy, a usefull reference guide.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really for super coders, the techno-aristocrats, so not helpful to ordinary folks using WP. Alas.

[Ulambadrakh · Rating 4 out of 5]

дунд шатны улсуудад тохиромжтой

[Elliot Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written with good examples from start to finish, this is a great book for anyone starting out with WordPress.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview.
Also confirming there are no gaps in my knowledge when it comes to the Wordpress basics :)

[Friscomama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all the "missing manual" books it is helpful and clearly written for beginners, a pleasure to read compared to the average textbook.

[Richard Pavlovsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. As the other reviewers say it's for the novice. Some cool explains of plugins like jet pack and askimet.

[Margo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yegadsss... The last couple months of my work life would have been hellish without this. Concise, comprehensive, and generally-speaking, wonderful. #newwebsite #newworld

[Mary Haapala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful book! walks you through everything you will need to know in setting up your own website. I wish I read this about 4 months ago when I started struggling through the process.