First of if you search around the web for advice on how to move a WordPress blog you’ll probably get a recommendation to backup all the site files and databases, transfer the site files, and then restore the database on the other server.

While this works, I think it’s unnecessarily complicated, especially if you are transferring a small site (i.e., with 300 posts or fewer, and no special sections like a forum). Not to mention that playing around with databases is always tricky, and if you are not tech-savvy you might screw things up.

A better and simpler solution in my opinion is to use the Import/Export feature on WordPress. Here’s the step by step guide:

1. Login via FTP to your old (i.e., the one you are moving from) WP install and download the whole /wp-conten/t directory.
2. Login to your old WordPress dashboard and use “Export” function (located under “Tools”). Choose the “All Content” option, to export both posts and pages.
3. Put a fresh WP install on your new server/hosting plan.
4. Delete the /wp-content/ folder on your new server, and upload the one you had downloaded from your old server.
5. If you had changed the “Permalink Structure” on your old server, do that as well on the new one.
6. Now login to the WordPress dashboard on your new server and use the “Import” function (again under “Tools”) to import all your posts and pages.
7. Check that everything is working fine by opening the homepage of your new WP install (you can do this using the IP address of your hosting account). If everything is working fine update the nameservers of your domain name to point to your new server).

This method is easier in my opinion, and it has one big advantage: you start with a clean install, meaning that any hacks or compromises you might have had on your old WP install will be gone.

Next week I’ll post about moving larger WordPress sites. Those might not work with this method because your export XML file will be too large, and you might not be able to upload it via the WordPress import feature.

source form: dailyblogtips

In this guide I will look at the pros and cons of each service, which I hope will help you make and informed decision about which platform to use.

Blogger

Blogger was founded in 1999 by Pyra Labs, a company which was co-founded by Twitter creator Evan Williams. It was later acquired by Google in 2003.

One of the pioneers of the blogging medium, Blogger has long been the choice of blogging newbies. It’s incredibly easy to setup yet offers a lot of freedom and flexibility that other hosted services do not.

All blogger blogs have a small banner at the top of the page which is about 30 pixels high. This banner lets search the blog you are on, flag the blog for a violation, visit the next blogger blog and sign in. Unfortunately, this banner can not be removed however the rest of the page is not changed in any way by Google.

Pros:

• Full Control over your blogs template design.
• Advertisements and affiliate banners are permitted.
• Can use your own domain name for free.

Cons:

• Beginners may find customising the blogger design very difficult.
• Need to use a 3rd party script for a contact form (which is why many ‘Blogger users display their email instead).
• Limited number of plugins and widgets available.

I have also hear many people claim that because Blogger is owned by Google, Blogger blogs appear much higher in the search engines that blogs using other platforms. I have yet to see concrete evidence of this myself and advise you to take any such claim with a pinch of salt.

You can find out more at Blogger.com

WordPress

The WordPress hosted service (not to be confused with their popular self hosting blogging script) is a simple yet elegant blogging service which is favoured by many authors and professionals.

Unlike Blogger, you cannot edit CSS code of your blogs design. However, there are thousands of free themes to choose from, many of which let you choose the colour of your blog design. You can also easily customise your sidebar and footer using widgets (plugins which offer more features and customisation). You can also choose a wordpress free feature upgrade to modify your css code for $14.97 a year.

WordPress also offer a VIP Hosting for blogs with a lot of traffic. This is used by many top blogs likeTop Gear and the NFL.

Pros:

• Lets you easily create static pages.
• Very easy to add a contact form to your blog.
• Has a built in trackback system/
• A better comment system than Blogger.
• A huge number of themes and widgets available to bloggers.

Cons:

• Cannot modify blogs CSS stylesheet.
• Cannot add 3rd party tracking scripts like Google Analytics. However, WordPress does provide it’s own stats and they are more than sufficient for most people.
• No advertisements are allowed on WordPress.com blogs.
• WordPress occasionally show small text advertisements in order to cover server costs. This can be removed with a premium upgrade.
• It costs $9.97 a year to use an existing domain name you own or $14.97 to register your domain with them.

source from: bloggingtips

Lunatic Studios, well known for its specialization in Website automation and expertise in developing plugin for WordPress, announced the rolling out of its autoblogging plugin called the WP Robot3 WordPress. The WP robot brings together an array of sources and posts them to a blog which is in autopilot, hence enabling bloggers to save on valuable time and make more profits in advertisement in their blogs.

Since the launch of WP Robot in 2009, the WP Robot3 is the biggest plugin update so far. Many programs have also been rebuilt from the very scratch. Most of the updates were prompted by suggestions made by users that have used this software for several months. So, it is expected that this software will be highly successful and appreciated by the users.

The WP Robot has been updated with several options for randomization and changes template system. This gives the autoposts a unique and yet adaptable look. Another addition called “Campaign” will help in managing and structuring a large number of keywords for autoposting. Even the admin of the latest WB Robot has been completely redesigned and its major focus is user friendliness.

Amongst other very interesting features, it also has an option to replace marked phrases with other words. Another feature is that you can block certain words from popping up in your blog. It also gives you comprehensive lists of changes made in the blog and this can be really helpful in keeping track of your work.

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This experiment is a result of the growing need to offer its users an enhanced experience while reading news articles. They are looking at enabling users to get a comprehensive coverage of stories, rather than having to search for relevant articles. This application once completed will allow publications, news channels and news portals to present the complete coverage at one place, hence saving time and effort of the users.

The plugin would be very convenient for the users reading the stories as it will provide the previous articles related to the news, thus helping them have a proper backdrop on the story. Last year Google partnered with reputed news papers like the Washington Post and New York Times to test this concept. They had provided complete coverage on the Afghanistan war as well as the football season for the Redskins. Needless to say it was a great success; simply due to the convenience in tracking news and much less time needed to read the complete set of relevant articles.

Google recently launched an open-source version for this application and it allows news agencies to use in their websites. This plugin will be highly useful for people creating content in WordPress. This is most definitely a very big step towards offering people a very organized and dynamic way of online news reading.

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