Building the Blog Part 3: Customizing the Blog

A look at this blog's theme, before and after my customization work.

One of the key features of WordPress is the large number of themes available. You can find a theme to suit any purpose you like, and many are extremely flexible. WordPress, designed to meet almost any website need, has an ecosystem of themes covering every type of website you could possibly desire. Standard blogs, image-heavy Pinterest-style blogs, corporate websites, e-commerce portals, and so on. Most users will select a pre-made theme, apply it to their website, and go on with their life. Well, I guess I’m not “most users.”

I tend to be a bit picky with website design, combing every inch of a design, tweaking even minor details. While there are many talented theme developers out there, none will ever release a WordPress theme that meets every bit of criteria important to me. That is to be expected, of course, and is why many businesses hire designers to create a customized theme (versus select a free, pre-made theme). So, if you can’t find a theme that suits your needs, what are your options? Basically, you have two. You can either create a whole new theme, from the ground up, or you can simply modify an existing theme. I chose the later.

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Building the Blog Part 2: Choosing WordPress

WordPress Logo

In part one of this series, I discussed the reasons for launching blog.danbrust.net. Having made the decision to create a blog, I then set to work on building it. Part two of the “Building the Blog” series, which you are now reading, will explain why I chose to use WordPress.

The way I see it, there are three primary choices available to someone starting a blog: Tumblr, Blogger, or WordPress. Many other choices exist, of course, but these are the big three. Each is a well-developed, mature platform, rich with functionality. While all would work well, I chose WordPress for a number of reasons. Here I’ll briefly discuss each platform, laying out what I see as the pros and cons of each system. Looking for a simpler, bullet-point rundown? Try here, here, or here.

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Building the Blog Part 1: Why a Blog?

Why would I put together a new blogging site, put it out on the Internet under my own name, and make plans to start posting content to it? Well, I’m glad you asked.

Not too long ago, I decided that it would make sense to build a professional presence on the Internet. I wanted more than just a typical LinkedIn profile, though. I wanted a place where I was completely in control of the content and the presentation. A place where I could discuss the latest technology I’m working with. A place where I could share what I’ve learned, and what I hope to learn.

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