Creating a Website Using SimpleScripts

A basic walkthrough to get started.

Make a Choice.

In today's world, the number of choices can by paralyzing. Author and psychologist Barry Schwartz, in his book The Paradox of Choice, states that any more than six choices can lead to indecision and lost sales for a company. The argument is a solid one, he says. "When there are lots of choices, people tend to put more effort into making decisions and less into enjoying them. What bothers them is the possibility that, if they had chosen differently, they could have gotten something better."

That said, the SimpleScripts goal is to provide you with a website you can enjoy. We have provided you with easy access to the Web's most popular applications and you just need to choose one that works for you. We'll start with WordPress, an easy to use and popular blogging platform.

The Big Leap

You'll need to be logged in to continue. If you came through your webhost's control panel, and you see a tab above labeled "My Installs", you're all ready to begin. If you don't have an account setup yet, go through this link and get started instantly.

We start on the page that shows your chosen script's name (WordPress in this case). You'll see a basic description, license and general script information, and a few screenshots over on the right side. On the bottom left of the screen, you'll see a green button labeled "Install". Clicking this button will automatically examine your server against basic operability requirements, and if your server doesn't meet up to the standards set by the publishers of the script, you'll be informed as to why, and what you'll need to talk with your webhost about.

Hopefully you jumped right into the preferences page. You'll be asked to choose your preferred version (stick with the default, as it's the most up to date and secure) as well as the big question: Where do you want to install WordPress? This question makes all the difference, since it defines the location you'll be putting on business cards, friend's blogrolls, search engine listings, and much more. Is this a personal blog with limited access, an online shop, or the next big social networking site? Each demands it's own location, but as a rule of thumb, either install directly under the domain (leaving the second part blank), or using a subfolder, such as www.yourdomain.com/blog.

The rest of the questions listed are preference only questions and can generally be left the default, though you may want to specify your own administration username and password for easy remembering later. You'll also want to read over the script license.

Once you are satisfied, click the Complete button at the bottom of the screen.

Running and Completing the Installation

You'll see a progress bar churning as SimpleScripts configures and completes your new installation. This process averages about 6-10 seconds, though your experience may vary. Once complete, you'll see a link to your new site, as well as any pertinant login page and password information. It is wise to write this down (case sensitive!), though we'll also email the details to you.

Enjoy your new website!