Since I started blogging I’ve had several people ask me about the technical details of fuzzymonkeyskitchen.com. I think once you enter the blog arena, it’s natural to “check-in” with your fellow bloggers. You want to find out how they are doing things. What works and what doesn’t work on their blogs. Since this is a regular discussion among bloggers, I’ve felt compelled to answer those questions as it relates to fuzzymonkeyskitchen.com (FMK).
Disclaimer: If you click the links displayed below and buy the item from the link, I may get paid. It’s akin to receiving a referral for telling someone about a product or service. You as the reader do not pay for this, the advertisers do. I have these links to help support the cost of running the site. They also support my baking and cooking habits.
I remember when I first started blogging. I tried to analyze each blog or website I came across. I wanted to learn how it was built. How they were making money? What features and functions they were using etc. Well look no further, if you are trying to analyze my site. I’ll answer most of the technical details for your convenience.
As I’m writing this up I’ve also found it’s a great way to document and record the work I’ve done. So all you techno geeks, this resource page is dedicated to you. Yes, I include myself in this group.
The main BLOG CREATION tool or content management system (CMS) behind Fuzzy Monkey’s Kitchen is WordPress. I remember when I started blogging, everyone told me to look at WordPress. I remember feeling overwhelmed and clueless. But over time the more I worked with it, the easier it became. I’ve been happy with the decision to use WordPress.org as our blog/website creation tool for FMK.
One of the obstacles I found when people told me to look into WordPress was deciding which one to choose. I also wanted to know the differences between them. It was confusing to a first time blogger. Nonetheless, after further research the differences are clear.
- Use WordPress.org if you want full control over your site. If you ever plan to show ads or make money you will want full control of your website.
- If you just want to blog as a hobby or just get your feet wet then I’d suggest WordPress.com. Keep in mind if you decide to make the move to a commercial blog, the transition will be challenging.
HOSTING – I’m now using the shared hosting plan with bluehost. I’ve been happy with their products and customer service. I have several sites hosted with them.
DOMAIN NAME – If you decide to take the WordPress.org route then you will want to buy a domain name. Since I’ve been a bluehost customer and have several websites with them, it made sense to order the fuzzymonkeyskitchen.com domain through bluehost. If you use another service you can always transfer your domain name to bluehost.
FRAMEWORK – Genesis is the framework or technology that runs on WordPress. Here is where the technology really gets geeky. And to be honest, I’m not going to lie to you, boring. But if you are into WordPress and blogging you’ll want to read up on the various WordPress frameworks. FMK runs on the Genesis Framework from StudioPress, which was purchased by WP Engine in 2018.
THEMES – When you develop a WordPress site there are many different themes to choose from. Themes are the look and feel of a site. It’s like buying a cell phone and then purchasing a case for it. The case would be considered the theme in the WordPress world. Themes come in many different sizes and colors. I purchased the entire pro series of themes from StudioPress. Since the Daily Dish Pro was part of this package, it’s the theme I’ve decided to use for FMK.
PLUGINS – Plugins increase the functionality of WordPress. Here are the one’s I’m using for FMK.
AKISMET – Every blogger is hit with spam at some point. We are referring to all the unsolicited comments, not the canned pre-cooked meat from Hormel Foods Corporation. Akismet helps protect your site from comment spam.
EASY RECIPE – One important element in a food blog are those recipes you find in the articles. There are several different plugins to choose from. I’m happy with Easy Recipe and use it here on FMK. I’m currently using the free version of Easy Recipe.
GENESIS eNEWS EXTENDED – Enables you to setup mailing services with a Genesis theme.
GENESIS FAVICON UPLOADER – Creates the little icon you seen on your browser tab.
GENESIS SIMPLE EDITS – I’m not a programmer, so using this plugin allows me to edit the footer section and other areas of my site with-out having to edit code.
GENESIS SIMPLE SHARE – This plugin adds the function to allow readers to share the articles they are read.
JETPACK BY WORDPRESS.COM- Jetpack includes a bunch of features. You will need to register at WordPress.com. Once your WordPress.com account is set up, you need to connect your website to Jetpack in your WordPress dashboard.
PIN IT BUTTON FOR PINTEREST – Sort of self-explanatory. This adds that little pin it button you see on all the images here on FMK.
SIMPLE SOCIAL ICONS – This plugin gives you those cute little icons in the theme you are using. On our site these are the social icons you see below the “About Author” section in the primary sidebar.
TINYMCE ADVANCED – Enables advanced options in the visual editor of WordPress.
LOGO DESIGN – Elance which is now part of the Upwork community – I’m not a graphic design person or artist, so I needed help with this. I posted a job on Elance for the monkey character you see in the header and social profiles of FMK.
I hope this helps someone out there. If you have more detailed questions please contact me and I’ll do what I can to help.
