How do I setup a blog within OS X on an EarthLink-hosted domain?

August 16, 2008 8:16 AM

Resources for setting up a blog under OS X on a domain hosted at EarthLink.

Does anyone have experience starting a blog on a domain hosted at EarthLink? I think WordPress might be the way to go. I'd like to do this on a Mac running OS X 10.5.4. I'm not looking for heavy database integration or fancy backend scripts of any kind. I'd just like to post text, links, and photos, and some Google AdSense ads. I'd like to be able to tweak the formatting of templates with my own banners, buttons, etc. This doesn't seem like anything major, but I've been unable to find clear tutorials, etc. on how to make this happen. Thank you very much for any assistance you can provide.

posted by Lucy2Times to computers & internet (11 comments total)

I am not entirely sure what you are looking for ...

How to install Wordpress on Earthlink.

WordPress Lessons @ WP.com

For AdWords, find a plugin that supports them, or just add an HTML widget with the adwords code and add it to your sidebar. If you want them in the header, edit the theme's php (fairly simple to navigate).

If you want to edit the themes, you need a grounded understanding of HTML and an image editing program to make whatever buttons you want.

Does this help at all?
posted by SirStan at 9:53 AM on August 16, 2008

ps-Wordpress themes are stored in /wp-content/themes// and are made up of ~10 files. It seems scarry/complicate at first, but it is a REALLY simple setup compared to other systems.

This documentation at Wordpress.com has some great explanations of how to edit/create themes: Blog Design/Layout @ WP.com
posted by SirStan at 9:55 AM on August 16, 2008

I think you have a strange idea of how a blog works. It really doesn't matter if you're running OS X locally. Wordpress runs on your webserver (which probably runs Linux) and your interaction with wordpress is through a web browser.

It is possible to install wordpress on OS X, and develop your wordpress templates locally, and then when you are ready to go live, you transfer them over to your webhost. (Hint: You'll need mysql. you should have apache and php already.)

btw, Earthlink seems expensive. $19.95/month (after the promo ends) is a lot for shared webhosting, when you can get a VPS for the same price.
posted by kamelhoecker at 11:17 AM on August 16, 2008

VPS?

http://www.pairlite.com/ for $100 you get a domain, and a year of hosting, and I know WP works there.

You wrote, "I'm not looking for heavy database integration or fancy backend scripts of any kind," you are away that you do have to have a database still, right?

I do all my dev on mac.

The Erthlink part of this question is what threw me. Is there a reason you're picking them? Heck, even iWeb and a .mobileme account and you get what you;re wanting (without the DB).
posted by cjorgensen at 11:27 AM on August 16, 2008

vps = virtual private server. i.e. your own server, that isn't crashing or unavailable because one of the other 400 sites on the shared webhost is getting slammed with traffic.

I also do wordprss dev on a mac. But I don't think this is what the OP wants to do.

posted by kamelhoecker at 11:34 AM on August 16, 2008

I would encourage you to start by just getting Wordpress installed, and start a basic blog. Once you get a reasonable understanding of what it can/cant do; you can post back with specific needs.

Send meta-mail if my links arent helpful enough.
posted by SirStan at 12:59 PM on August 16, 2008

kamelhoecker/cjorgensen:

A VPS is still shared hosting. The entire industry revolves on overselling.
posted by SirStan at 1:04 PM on August 16, 2008

Thanks for all the information, folks. I realize I wasn't clear enough to reflect my level of ignorance in the original post. I understand I'd be only typing posts on WordPress locally running in OS X. I know the domain and serving of the blog wouldn't be run under OS X. I also know there would be some database set-up work with the host, but it wouldn't be heavy duty. How to do the initial db set up is one of the many things I'm not sure of. The reason I mention EarthLink is because that's where the domain is currently being hosted. Is there another host which is more WP-friendly?

My skillset is in graphic design and basic HTML, so I've got those bases covered, but that's about it. I hope this clears up what I'm trying to do and what I'm comfortable doing. Thanks again very much.
posted by Lucy2Times at 1:55 PM on August 16, 2008

Hmm, no, you wouldn't be typing posts on WordPress locally running in OS X. You would be typing your posts in a your web browser, which will be loading the various WordPress administration pages that live on the server. It doesn't matter if you access the admin pages from your computer running OS X or some random Windows PC at the library--it all happens through the web browser.

It's just like posting a question here on MetaFilter--you just log in from whatever computer is handy, type away in a box, and hit Post. Your blog won't care where you are.

You may want to install a program on your Mac like MarsEdit that provides a more robust set of text editing tools, but ultimately it is still just connecting to the web and uploading your post just as you would via a web browser.
posted by bcwinters at 5:57 PM on August 16, 2008

Yeah, I think you've assumed too much when it comes to setting up a blog. It has virtually nothing to do with your setup at home.

I don't use Earthlink myself, but if you are on the Prosite or Premiumsite plan, Wordpress install seems to be included. Otherwise you likely can use SirStan's link.

Get it out of your head that you need to do something on your own computer. You don't. Get it into your head that you need to administer your website's backend to setup or enable Wordpress. Your portal into administering you website is through a browser. You should have all this information from Earthlink and, if you don't, contact them or peruse their support pages.

Setting up a blog can be a bit tricky, but you'll find more information on what you need to do at the Earthlink site.
posted by qwip at 8:58 PM on August 16, 2008

Oh, and to answer your question on more Wordpress friendly hosts, look for any that support "Fantastico", which is a script system your host uses to automagically install blogs like Wordpress. You can instant update them too. Handles setting up the database and such as well.

I am pretty happy with Host Gator, which uses Fantastico. You don't need to use the scripts to install Wordpress, but it is pretty simple. The downside is that you have to wait until Fantastico updates their script before you can update your Wordpress install to the most recent versions. This can be a lag of a week to many weeks. Usually not a big issue, but more problematic if you need to keep current. Regardless, you can always manually update, but then you lose the ability to use the one button Fantastico script to update in the future.

You can see all the scripts that Fantastico can install on Host Gator on the lower right side column of the link above. Again, lots of hosts use Fantastico, so feel free to shop around.
posted by qwip at 8:07 AM on August 17, 2008