But I know many artists who use WordPress never get around to activating Akismet because they get confused when it asks for a WordPress.com API key.

What is a WordPress.com API key and how do I get one?

Basically the API key allows your blog access to Akismet’s service to check if the comments appear to be spam or not. There are two simple ways to get your key. You can go to WordPress.com and sign up for a username only account or you can go directly to Akismet’s site and have them email you a key.

Does not really matter which route you take, they are both very simple. But I highly recommend that you do take this step of getting that Akismet plugin activated. It will save you a lot of time by weeding out the real comments from the ugly comments.

WordPress For Artists | Stopping Spam Comments On Your Art Blog is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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The default answer when talking WordPress is “there is a plugin for that.” And that answer holds true for this dilemma as well. The one I use and recommend is WordPress Automatic Upgrade. Once installed this plugin does all the heavy lifting for you.

WordPress automatic upgrade upgrades your wordpress installation by doing the following steps.

1. Backs up the files and makes available a link to download it.
2. Backs up the database and makes available a link to download it.
3. Downloads the latest files from http://wordpress.org/latest.zip and unzips it.
4. Puts the site in maintenance mode.
5. De-activates all active plugins and remembers it.
6. Upgrades wordpress files.
7. Gives you a link that will open in a new window to upgrade installation.
8. Re-activates the plugins.

This little plugin really helps you keep your WordPress blog up to date. You can find it at:  http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-automatic-upgrade/ Or search from it through the plugins page in your WordPress dashboard for a direct install.

WordPress For Artists | Staying Up To Date With The Latest Release Of WordPress is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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I recommend using

Welcome to WordPress Wednesday!

Plugins are tools that you use to add function to your WordPress blog or site. Think of them as upgrades. There are hundreds of them and most of them are free. The following list is what I consider a good foundation for any WordPress based website.

1. WordPress Database Backup – This plugin simplifies and automates the back up of your site’s database. The database is where most of your site’s information is stored. Having regular automatic back ups can really save you when things go wrong.

2. Yet Another Related Posts Plugin – Every time you post to your blog this little guy will look at your past posts for ones that relate and add links to them after the post. This helps your visitors to keep reading and stay on your site longer. That is a good thing.

3. All in One SEO Pack – SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and good SEO helps people find your site and you through organic cost free searches. This plugin boosts the SEO of your whole site and blog posts. If you do use this one I suggest checking out the plugin’s site to learn how to really get the most out of it.

4. SEO Friendly Images – Properly handling the images you post to your site can really increase traffic to your site. (As previously mentioned.) This plugin does some pretty geeky stuff to improve your images in the eyes of Google.

5. SEO Slugs – If you can’t tell already SEO is important and you want to do all you can to improve it. This plugin removes common words like ‘a’, ‘the’, ‘in’ from post slugs. Trust me the last thing you want is an ‘a’ in your post slugs.

6. Google XML Sitemaps – One more to help search engines find you. This plugin creates a file that makes for easy reading if your a search engine robot.

7. WordPress Automatic Upgrade – WordPress is great but there is always room for improvement. Which is why every so often new versions will come out that contain bug fixes and feature upgrades. This plugin does all the heavy lifting for you when it comes to keeping your site up to date.

8. RSS Footer – Many people will be reading your blog via RSS. That means they will rarely visit your blog. This plugin allows you to include a signature in every post that you can use to brand your posts or to market something specific. If you’re reading this post via RSS you’ll see what I mean below. If you’re not reading this post via RSS you can subscribe (For Free!) by clicking here.

9. What Would Seth Godin Do – Funny name but a great plugin. This one allows you to give a specific “hello” to new visitors who have never been to your site before. A great way to grab their attention and encourage them to subscribe to your content.

10. Gurken Subscribe to Comments – Pretty self explanatory. After someone comments they can get an email when there are follow up comments. Help encourage dialogue between you and your fans.

This list is by no means an end all be all list, just a foundation. Like I said there are many plugins out there that do a wide range of things. I am always on the look out for new ones so let me know of any you’d put on a list like this.

WordPress For Artists | Ten Essential Plugins For Your Art Blog is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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