Click here to view the embedded video.

In Summary:

• From your dashboard, go to Appearance/Themes
• Go to Install Themes
• To find a particular type of theme, type a keyword in the Term box
• To find a theme based on specific features, check the features you want
• Click Fine Themes at the bottom of the page
• When you find the theme(s) you like, click on Install
• From Manage Themes, Activate the theme you want to use

This is the most fun part of the process, so enjoy and don’t be afraid to experiment.  Remember, if the new theme you uploaded doesn’t suit you, all you have to do is either find a new theme or re-activate one you have already installed.  Warning:  There are so many choices that you can spend days looking at all the themes, so don’t let yourself get too bogged down.  Have fun!

All the best,

Click here to view the embedded video.

In Summary:

• Type the following into your browser:  http://yourdomain.com/wp-username (don’t forget to change the information to your domain and username!)
• Type your user name and password into the login box
• Click on updates to install the latest goodies before you start to build your site

See?  It’s so easy, even a music teacher can do it!

All the best,

After my site got hacked and I moved a second time, I found another reason to love HostGator.  I was trying to start a new site, and Fantastico wasn’t working right.  After chatting with technical support, they directed me to what I call the MAGIC BUTTON, which is QuickInstall.  It is a proprietary software developed by HostGator which makes life so much easier.   With one click of a button, I had WordPress installed in less than a minute.  Woo-hoo!

Here is a short video to show you how easy it is:

Click here to view the embedded video.

In summary:

• Go to your HostGator cPanel
• Scroll down to Software/Services
• Click on QuickInstall
• In the left side bar, find WordPress and click it
• Choose the domain name you will use, then fill in the requested information
• Click Install Now
• Watch in amazement as the green bar flies by
• Write down your username and password and put it in a safe place and/or
• Watch your e-mail for a letter that has your username and password and put that in a safe place

I suppose it could be easier, but I can’t imagine how!

That’s it for this lesson.  See you on the next one.

All the best,

Although a lot of people still use Blogger, WordPress.com, or other free-to-use sites, I have become convinced by all the experts that surround me that you need to go with WordPress.org.  WordPress.org still provides the blog software, but you do have to have a web host in order to use it.  That might seem like bad news, because it costs money to host your blog on a server.  However, you have the security of knowing that it is yours to keep.  With free sites, there is always the chance that they will take your site down, and all your hard work will go poof and there will be nothing you can do about it.

WordPress has bits of code called ‘plugins’ that are easy to install and use can add a lot of functionality to your site.  In addition, there are brilliant people out there who build customized sites for just about any need.  I have a couple of programs that I have purchased to make my sites more suited to my needs, and I’ll be talking about those in later posts.

So build your business on the advice from the best and brightest on the internet.  That’s not me, but I’ve gone to the go-to people and am following in their footsteps.

All the best,

I have found a fabulous site called The Millionaire Club that has so much training that it takes a while to get around to it all.  It also has so many other features I want to tell you about, so I made a video, using the awesome Animoto.  Enjoy!

All the best,

Click here to view the embedded video.

For  now, I will concentrate on the 1st and 2nd Nameservers.

One of the cool features of Domain.com is the ability to make many changes at once from the domain control panel.  If you have registered several domains at once, it is very handy.  Just tick the box next to the domains you want to manage, and then click the drop-down tasks menu.

Choose Modify nameservers and it will take you to a page where you will see this:

Just copy and paste the 1st Nameserver information into the box, and another box will magically appear.  You then add the 2nd Nameserver.  Your host may require more than two nameservers, and Domain.com will keep adding boxes until the requirement has been satisfied.  You will then be asked to input your email address, and you are done.

• Go with a .com extension.  It is the most popular, common extension and the one most people look for.
• If it’s not already taken, purchase your name as a domain.
• Your domain should normally be about you and your company, although sometimes a quirky, memorable name can work.
• Try to keep your domain name as short and simple as possible.  It will make it easier for people to remember your name.
• Use different companies for domain hosting and web hosting.  That way if one company folds you won’t have to start ALL OVER!  Just half over.

Finding that perfect domain can be challenging because so many names are already taken.  The company that I use, Domain.com, has a great feature that I love.  I entered the name snickerdoodle.com.  The search told me that the domain is taken, but it gave me some suggestions for available names.  Here are some of them.  Even if I don’t use these particular names, I can combine these words with other words until I find the perfect domain name.

I have enjoyed my relationship with Domain.com because:

•   Their technical support is awesome and their domain control panel is easy to use.
•  They  have good sales on domain names.
• The thing I like best is that they are honest and up-front about their prices.  Some companies try to draw you in with phoney-baloney price ads, but with Domain.com, what you see is what you get.  That is the kind of company I like to go with and stay with.

Once you have your domain name, there are a few more things to do before beginning to build your blog.  That will be coming up next.

All the best,
 

I have been on the internet for about 10 years. My first ‘toe in the water’, so to speak was an informational website for my music studio, Second Street Music Academy. It has undergone many changes over the years as I have learned newer and better ways to have a website.

My first host was a Canadian company that I found by looking for cheap hosting. The owner was a great guy with self-limited number of clients. However, there was often a failure to communicate, because he was such a computer geek and I was a non-techie music teacher. When I wanted to go into new ventures on the internet, I decided to find another host who had a few more tools for dummies.

My second host was in the United Kingdom. I accidentally came upon them while exploring another avenue. Their hosting was inexpensive and featured unlimited domains, bandwidth, email, and space. They were much better about helping me to solve my problems. However, I found it problematic that they didn’t offer 24-hour help. Since I am in the United States, they were frequently sleeping when I needed help. It wasn’t a big deal until I got hacked. Then it became a HUGE deal. The hacker put a dark, scary picture with the “F” word on all five of my sites. It was awful. I’m not mentioning the name of the company host, as I don’t want to badmouth them, but the problem was not solved in a timely manner. I decided that I needed to have a web host in my own country – one that had the same features as my former host but with 24-hour technical chat.

After doing research, I decided to go with HostGator. All I can say is that I’m in love! They also have unlimited bandwidth, space, domains, and email, even with what I have, which is the Baby Package. Their security is top notch, and they took care of migrating my site from the old host at no charge. They also scoured it for and removed those malicious scripts that had taken over my sites.  I signed up for three years of hosting, which brought the monthly rate to less than $4.00. (I spend more than that every week on soda!)  I’ve run into a few issues that I needed help with, and there is always a friendly, knowledgeable person waiting to chat. They also have a doorbell that chimes when the tech sends a message, which makes it easy to work on other things instead of stressing over your chat box.

If you are just starting your internet business and you don’t have hosting, I strongly recommend HostGator. They are a non-techie webmaster’s best friend.

All the best,

My friend, Gavin Mountford,  is an expert in his niche – he’s known as “The Internet Business Productivity Guy”.  He is giving away his course, Empty Email Inbox Formula. Here is what you will get:

• A 28 Page Empty Email Inbox Formula Special Report
• 5 training videos showing you exactly how to implement the formula
• The ‘VIP Members Only’ training area
• A 6-Day Internet Marketing Productivity Bootcamp
• And a few secret surprises to jumpstart your productivity

I used to get such a sinking feeling when I went to my email box.  How could there be 122 emails that I hadn’t done anything with?  By using Gavin’s formula, I have greatly reduced the stress that my inbox used to cause me.  It is simple-to-use system, and even if my inbox gets temporarily overfilled, I know it will take me only a few minutes to get it back under control.  Now I am managing my email box instead of my email box running my life.

Go get your free course.  It takes very little time to complete, and it will clear your inbox and brain of clutter.

All the best,

I will introduce you to some products that I have purchased, am using, and can wholeheartedly endorse. The product creators are not fly-by-night marketers who are looking to make a quick buck and move on. They have created fabulous products that have lots of information and good support.

That said, here is where I am now.  I’ve done some marketing, mostly on Twitter, and I’ve had some success.  At the current time, I teach private music lessons about 20 hours a week.  I am also composing and arranging music that I hope to market one of these days as sheet music and audio files.  I also maintain my blog ‘Music With Miss Leslie’, which has lots of free resources for parents and teachers, as well as a few products that I have for sale.

I’m not going to start out by talking about my 6-figure income, because I don’t make one – and I don’t believe most internet marketers when they say they are making one, either.  I am married to a disabled vet who barely has the stamina to work as a seasonal income tax preparer.  I love my life – I really do – but who doesn’t want to have a little more money coming in?  That’s my goal, and I’m excited to see the outcome.

Know that what you read here will be the honest truth, not a bunch of hype designed to get you to empty your pockets for nothing in return.

All the best,