How do I find help for my WordPress blog?

WordPress is just one of many blog platforms available and it is also one of the most popular. From novice bloggers to businesses, WordPress continues to be a top choice when creating a blog.

Although many of the features of WordPress are easy to use, it is often hard for a non-technical person to know what makes a blog run smoothly. There's more to maintaining a blog than just posting consistently. However, most bloggers do not want to be concerned with the technical end. They are there to write. 

How do you find out which WordPress plug-ins work best on your blog? How do you back up your files when there is a WordPress upgrade? Come to think of it, how do you install an upgrade?

If you are patient, you can turn to WordPress help and post on the forum. Then you can sit and wait for an answer. Chances are someone with a technical background will tell you what to do. However, it's often harder than figuring out HTML code to understand the person's instructions. Even worse? You might get a novice who claims they are a WordPress expert. If this person gives you bad advice, you might end up with a blog that is a total mess.

Deb Brown, owner of Aligned Blog Support, offers some great advice for those who are not sure if they want to be responsible for maintaining their blog (or just getting it set up):

I recognize that a lot of bloggers DON’T speak HTML (HyperText Markup Language) or PHP (the scripting language used to make blogs work the way they do) as a native language, nor do they have an interest in doing so.  That’s where my work will make you smile. I use plain English to explain things, with tremendous patience and empathy.  Having worked as a User Experience Designer for many of my 12 web years I have a special knack for making things understandable to just about anyone.

In a world where people communicate via email and text, Deb uses her twelve years of web experience on a more personal level. She talks about your needs by phone. A real, live person and not a forum or a stock email? That alone is a great reason to seek out a resource like this if you're serious about having your blog run smoothly.

If you are going to go the route of finding someone to help you with the maintenance of your WordPress blog, make sure that person knows WordPress well. It won't pay to have someone look after your blog if they are only "somewhat" familiar with WordPress.

"I do a lot of handholding," Deb Brown explained, "I only focus on WordPress blog support because it is essential to be well-versed in one platform. No one can be an expert in everything and I think focus is extremely important."

Bottom line -- be savvy about how you manage your blog. If you have a technical background, you may be able to handle it yourself. Then again, you might not have time to maintain it. If you're just completely lost and spend more time trying to fix things than write blog posts, it might be a good time to seek out a pro.

For more information on Deb Brown and her company go to: Aligned Blog Support.

image: flickr.com