Blogging using hosted platforms like blogspot.com, livejournal.com or friendster.com is free and it offers a lot of convenience but has many limitations. It is always advisable for those who want to make blogging a lifetime endeavor to have a self-hosted blog with a domain name of choice.
Nowadays, building your own blog site with your own domain and hosting is very easy to do. You don’t have to know even the basics of HTML or PHP programming… All you need is passion to have your own blog and basic internet/computer skills (e.g. knowing how to type and click). If you are looking for the quickest way to build your blog with domains like www.your-name.com or www.whatever-name.com, here it is…in just three easy steps:
1. Buy a domain and hosting with Cpanel control panel
Register a domain name for your blog (e.g. www.your-name.com) and avail of a web hosting package with CPanel™ as the control panel software. Other companies use Plesk™ or some customized control panels. If you have the means to pay through credit card or Paypal, you should go for US-based registrars and web hosting companies. Many local companies are just resellers of these and are usually more expensive in the long run. The advantage of local registrars and webhosts is that you can pay them through bank deposit. Webhosts also offer domain registration services, or vice versa. I recommend Hostgator.com for a webhost…they have a guaranteed 99% uptime and an excellent customer service.
Beware of Philhosting.net, it’s a local webhost company…their service really sucks (servers are down most of the time) and they have the most lousy and anger-provoking customer service in the whole wide universe. (Sorry…I got carried away, but it’s true.)
2. Install Wordpress through Cpanel Fantastico De Luxe
Once you have your domain and hosting already running, log-in to your control panel, which should be www.your-domain.com/cpanel. You will be asked for your user name and password given by the host. In the control panel home page, look for Fantastico De Luxe (please refer to icon pointed by the yellow arrow in the snapshot below).
CPanel Home
Click on Wordpress from the menu in the left panel, then click New Installation. What follows is an installation wizard which should be as easy as filling up a form, then just click Install Wordpress, confirm installation, then you’re done.
Wordpress in Fantastico De Luxe
3. Log in to your blog admin and start customizing your blog
You blog’s admin section is at www.your-domain.com/wp-admin. Visit that page, log in, then familiarize yourself with Wordpress. It may take some time to completely grasp how the blogging platform is used but once you get to master it, it really pays off. Good thing that the latest version of Wordpress has become much more user-friendly than earlier versions and also compared to other current blogging platforms or CMS to date.
Wordpress Admin Log-in
You may contact me if you need some assistance in using Wordpress or you can simply drop your questions here as comments to this article.
Enjoy and happy blogging. 
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