INSTALLING EXPRESSION ENGINE
You can find several other good independent blogging software solutions. Many are targeted toward a very technical user and aren’t good solutions unless you’re a fairly competent programmer, or can work with someone who is. At this level, some of these systems are also great content management tools, and you can use them for entire Web sites and not just blogs.
Whichever solution you choose, you need to be aware that committing to independent blog software gives your blog added flexibility now and in the future, even if you don’t know what your blog needs to be accomplishing two years from now. Keep in mind also that although you can switch platforms — and most software solutions offer a porting option from other major blog software solutions — it’s usually a huge headache to do so.
Make a list of all the features you know you need, you think you might need, and those that you think might be great but don’t seem realistic right now. Choosing the right platform now saves you time and money later.Are you ready for a challenge? Installing and customizing an independent blog solution isn’t a task for the faint of heart.
I use pMachine’s Expression Engine as my example, but if you choose another independent blog solution you may still find the information here useful, because many of these software packages work similarly. If you have not already done so, acquire Web hosting and a domain name to use with your blog. Make sure the Web hosting you choose is compatible with the blog software you want to use! Your first step in this process is to purchase the appropriate software license for ExpressionEngine from pMachine.
1. Visit www.pmachine.com, and go to the pMachine store. Select ExpressionEngine from the list of available products.
2. pMachine asks you to enter the quantity of licenses you want to purchase.
These licenses are for separate installations of the software, not the number of users or blogs you plan to run with a single copy of the software, so chances are you only need one license.
3. Follow the Web site’s process for registering and purchasing the license(s).
The ExpressionEngine license is a lifetime license to use the software. When you make your purchase, you’re given access to technical support forums and to future software updates. This differs dramatically from the way in which most software manufacturers make their money and means that there won’t be additional software costs down the line.
After you purchase your ExpressionEngine license, you need to download the software itself and then install it on your Web server. The best part of installing an independent blog software package is that it only has to be done once. If you’ve never used FTP, or file transfer protocol, to move files to and from your Web server, this process will be confusing to you.