WordPress.com

1. 5700words
   Member
   Nov 13, 2008, 5:32 AM

   I am new here and want to choose a blog theme before I start to learn how to blog with WordPress. I like the idea of a fluid width and two sidebars on either edge and am starting out looking at the themes that have those features.

   QUESTION #1:
   I see An Andreas theme that is orange. The descriptor says ”custom colors“ but I do not see any colors. I see a silver one that has two sidebars next to each other on the right, but that is not what I want. So... I like the Andreas with two sidebars on either end, but I do not want orange! How do I know which colors I can change it to? I do not know HTML.

   QUESTION #2:
   Do all themes have the same features? I read the blog entry by Lorelle so I know tht different themes treat the features differently, but DO ALL THEMES HAVE THE SAME FEATURES? (Capitals for emphasis, not for shouting.)

   Also, do all themes support all the widgers or do some themes have more or fewer widgets?

   I have more questions but will rein myself in for this, my first Forum question. :-) Thank you very much.

   ~Lorna

2. lizii
   Member
   Nov 13, 2008, 5:35 AM

   Colours are changed by purchasing the custom CSS upgrade. And some different themes have different features, but the widgets are generally the same. WordPress.com supports the same widgets in all it's themes. The features differentiate in areas like custom header images and different amount of columns.

   Also, for future reference, please link your blog to your name as explained in the stickly "8 things" at the top of the forum page.

3. 5700words
   Member
   Nov 13, 2008, 5:40 AM

   Lizli, thanks. Is this custom CSS upgrade easy to work with? I don't even know what CSS stands for other than ”cascading sheets.“ Is there a way to read how to work that CSS upgrade? If it is beyond my present skill set, then I will leave it alone for now.......

   I like the orange Andreas theme. I think but am not sure.... think that it is Andres 09.

   How do I link my blog to my name? Ok, I wil look at the Sticky ”8 Things“ at the top of the forum page.

   Again, thanks, Lizli.

   Lornakismet

4. lizii
   Member
   Nov 13, 2008, 5:42 AM

   Generally, if you don't know CSS, it isn't recommended. There is no technical support for CSS on wordpress.com, only other bloggers that have CSS knowledge can help you, and even then you may not get what you want. It's not necessarily hard to work with, but you will need knowledge of CSS to make changes.

5. zabez
   Member
   Nov 13, 2008, 8:07 AM

   If you activate any of the themes that list "Custom Colors" as a feature, you'll have a section in the theme options for changing the colors (either Color options or theme options); most (including Andreas09) have a preset list of possibilities.

6. raincoaster
   Member
   Nov 13, 2008, 11:15 AM

   Note that not all themes are widget-enabled, some have no sidebars on individual posts, some have customizable headers, some are flexible width, etc. It pays to spend some time poking around. Engtech did some theme reviews over at http://internetducttape.com but I don't know how current they are.

7. rosclarke
   Member
   Nov 29, 2008, 12:31 PM

   Here's a more current overview of all the wp.com themes: http://wpthemes1.wordpress.com/

   Use the tags to view themes by feature (number of columns, flexible width, custom header etc.).

8. raincoaster
   Member
   Nov 29, 2008, 1:03 PM

   If one might speak into the whirlwind here, I'd suggest you concentrate on the CONTENT of your posts, rather than the format. Content and regularity plus linking out are the great (hidden) secrets to success on the web. This might be irrelevant, I don't know. I put it here for what it's worth.

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