BlogMunch

blog migration series – cpanel orientation

Migration of your blog is not an easy task. That’s why there are many bloggers who reflect on their first year blogging said that shifting to your own domain is of the first priority. I am starting a series of posts on my migration from Blogger to WordPress.org, so that I can share my knowledge to anyone wanting to migrate their blog . Blog Migration Series:

1. Choosing my Wordpress theme
2. Choosing a webhost
3. Choosing wordpress plugins
4. cPanel orientation

When you got a web hosting plan, the first thing you will encountered is the cpanel. For first-timers, all the new terms and variety of services in the cpanel will seems daunting. At least, it was like that to me. Even now after two weeks of using it, I have used less than half of the features there.

Fantastico

To install Wordpress, you can either for for the famous 5 mins install or you can use Fantastico. With a name like that, you will need fantastic performance to live up to it. It is certainly not a one click install per se, but as close to a one click as can be. You will still need to know the directory (I install at root) you want to install at. Configure Admin and Email.

The only time I have a problem is when I tried to uninstall Gallery2 from my set up. Not sure why, but I cannot uninstall from the Fantastico interface. Needed a technical support staff from Bluehost to uninstall it.

Unlimited ftp

Unlimited ftp client is a java applet that allows you to transfer files to and fro local hard disk and hosting server. It is a two panel screen with your local drive on the left and the server on the right. You can do the usual stuff like make directory, upload or download files. It works fine, but being java based, it is quite slow. An adequate ftp client until you install your own.

Awstats

For stats junkies. If your Google Analytics, Statcounter and Sitemeter combined is not enough for you to get high, you can activate the log program from cpanel. You can choose between Awstats, Webalizer or both. Not sure how too much log program will affect the server performance, I choose Awstats only. Most of what you see on the others analytical programs like outgoing links, search keywords, referrers and content logs is available here. Though from what I noticed, the stats here are higher than others. Maybe it logged my visits too?

I still have much more to learn

The above are my frequently used programs from cpanel. There are more that I need to explore. I will add in more as I find useful stuff on the cpanel. I think new users should not be overwhelm by the cpanel, as from what I experienced, when you need to use it, you will know how to use it. That’s how user-friendly it is. The instructions are clear on each functions with ample warning if you might break something. So be alert and you will be fine.

This ends the four parts series for my blog migration. I hope you enjoy them as I do writing them. If you have not read the other parts, just go back to the top and there are links there to guide you.  

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