Lesson 13. WordPress Support
Sometimes you might have to look for help while working with WordPress. The knowledge of friends and family may take you only so far. In this lesson, you look at the various support options you have with WordPress whether you self-host or use WordPress.com.
Looking for Help
WordPress is open source software. It is free for you to download and use, and you can even modify the code for your needs. As is the nature of open source software, you can find help in a many places.
One advantage of WordPress support is that it has such a large user base; therefore, it is inevitable that someone else has had the same problem as you and has already solved it. Because WordPress is a blogging tool, often you will find that people post their solutions to problems through their blogs.
Blogs are not the only area for help with WordPress. There are many free support channels, and there are those you can pay for and be able to contact someone.
Free Support
You can find free support for WordPress in many different formats, such as using WordPress documentation, searching the Internet, and reading WordPress forums.
WordPress Documentation
Before you start searching the Internet high and low for instructions on how to do something, consulting the WordPress.org documentation is a good place to start. Visit http://codex.wordpress.org to read the documentation.
The official WordPress documentation is very well organized and well written. It is a wiki that is set up so that anyone can add documentation; you get input from a lot of sources on how things work with WordPress. The reason it is such a good resource is that you get input from lots of individuals. If you have knowledge about a particular subject and you would like to share, you, too, can participate. To do so, just create an account at http://codex.wordpress.org.
Plain English: Wiki
A wiki is a website set up so that anyone can view and edit the information on the site. This capability might sound strange at first, but wikis have real value. If you come to a wiki such as this, you can add information that you know about and someone else can do the same. Eventually, you have knowledge from several sources and a quality set of source material.
The WordPress documentation is organized from beginner topics to advanced.
• Getting Started with WordPress—Installing and upgrading WordPress
• WordPress 2.9 Information—Compatibility, feature lists, and so on
• Working with WordPress—Administration, themes, plug-ins, and spam
• Design and Layout—Installing and creating themes
• Advanced Topics—WordPress MU (multiuser), backing up
• Troubleshooting—Support forms and FAQs
• Developer Documentation—How-to documentation on creating themes and plug-ins
• About WordPress—General information about WordPress
A lot of information is available in the WordPress documentation. As you grow and learn more about WordPress, this should be your first resource online.
Contact WordPress Directly
WordPress offers support, but it is directed to those who use the WordPress.com service, and not the self-hosted WordPress. You can reach the support team at http://en.support.wordpress.com/contact/. Before contacting WordPress support, make sure to perform some basic troubleshooting. Try looking in the WordPress documentation before reaching out to the support team.
Search Engines
As mentioned previously, because WordPress is a blogging system, blogs are often a support form. When bloggers have trouble with WordPress and find a solution, there is a good chance they will blog about their experience.
Yahoo!, Google, Ask, and Bing are all great places to start your search for issues you have.
If you are doing searches about a particular feature, and not so much a problem, be sure to use the word WordPress in your search terms. For example, search “WordPress edit time stamp,” and you get more results for exactly what you are looking for than if you just search for “edit time stamp.”
Also, when you’re searching for a solution to a specific error message you received, be sure to put the text of the error message in the search box, too. Adding this extra text can help narrow your search results to those that address exactly the error you are having an issue with.
Of course, searching with your favorite search engine will find not only pages and blog posts, but also forum results.
Forums
WordPress hosts Official Support forums at http://wordpress.org/forums. These forums provide another great starting point. Usually, especially when you’re starting out, you find other people have had the same or similar issues.
The big attraction to using the WordPress forums is that other users here share a common interest (WordPress) and are willing to help solve your problem. I have found other users to be friendly and generous.
The forums are free to read and search, but to participate in conversations, you need to create an account. It is quick and easy, and I highly recommended it.
After you register, you are sent an email with a password as a confirmation of your account.
Topics are logically laid out based on function from installation to troubleshooting to theming and plug-ins.
Before you start posting, here are some tips to get the most out of your forum experience:
• Search first. Spending a few minutes can save you and others time trying to figure out your issue. Often you can find an answer right away.
• Be descriptive. Describing your issue thoroughly can make the difference in explaining yourself three times and getting an answer right away. Be sure not to ask something like “Why doesn’t my plug-in work?” Instead, explain which plug-in you are using and what you are trying to do. Also include version numbers, such as your WordPress version and the version of your plug-in. And use clear subject titles when creating a forum post.
• Show your issue. If the problem you are experiencing is visible on the Internet, include a URL or link to a screenshot. Diagnosing your issue is much easier if others can see it.
• Be patient and courteous. Remember the other users of the forums are there to help you at no cost. Often you might not get a response right away. You are on the other person’s time if someone engages you to help with an issue.
Paid Support
Regarding the nature of the issue you are having, an appropriate course of action may be to contact someone at your hosting company. If you are having trouble viewing your website or having other hosting matters not related to WordPress directly, contacting paid support should be covered under your monthly costs for web hosting.
Some companies and individuals prefer to rely on someone they can call and ask for support, and that is certainly available. Depending on your web host, it may provide services that assist in the installation or maintenance of your site for a fee, or perhaps it can recommend someone who can.
Automattic (the company behind the hosting of WordPress.com) offers a list of WordPress consultants from around the world at http://codepoet.com/.
In addition, Automattic offers tiered levels of enterprise support for companies. The cost for this paid support service ranges from $15,000 to $150,000. Automattic states that this support provides
• Access to several members of the WordPress development team to help you solve problems with your WordPress system
• Unlimited number of support incidents
• Software updates and upgrade notices
• Personal introductions to recommended third-party WordPress consultants and companies that offer custom development, design, and training
Automattic offers four tiers of support, each offering more features, better response times, and even site monitoring.
See Automattic’s site for details at http://vip.wordpress.com/support/.
Other Learning Resources
The following sources of support shouldn’t be the places where you start searching for information, but they still provide excellent sources of information on what is happening in the world of WordPress.
WordPress.tv
As stated on its site, WordPress.tv is “your visual resource for all things WordPress.” This site has a lot of excellent videos posted that include how-tos, interviews, talks, and also videos featuring specific plug-ins.
If you navigate to http://wordpress.tv/category/how-to/, you can find lots of videos broken out into categories, which makes it easy to find videos on the specific topic you need.
WordPress Lessons at the WordPress Codex
WordPress Codex offers a subset of some of the topics listed at the official WordPress documentation. These lessons range from installing WordPress to writing themes and plug-ins. You can find this site at http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Lessons.
NetTuts
If you are working on being a web developer, NetTuts is a valuable resource. On the NetTuts site, you can find articles regarding HTML, Ajax, JavaScript, PHP, and WordPress.
NetTuts offers tutorials for web developers and designers to help improve your work.
You can find the tutorials pertaining to WordPress at http://net.tutsplus.com/category/tutorials/wordpress/.
I have found these articles and screencasts to be very helpful in the past.
Sams Teach Yourself WordPress in 10 Minutes 10 Minute Podcast
Chuck Tomasi and Kreg Steppe (the authors of this book) expand on some of the topics presented in this book and also keep you up to date on what’s new in the world of WordPress, including releases, new features, and interviews.
Visit http://www.chuckchat.com/wp10 to keep current on WordPress.
Summary
There is no shortage of WordPress help to keep you going when you need it. In this lesson, you learned many levels of support are available to you, ranging from forums, to blog posts, and even some paid support options. In addition, you were exposed to a lot of resources to continue your education in the world of WordPress.