Introduction

Writing a book about WordPress isn't the easiest endeavor one could tackle. When my editor and I first started discussing this project, the idea was to create something that not only acts as an introduction to web developers and professionals who want to utilize the power of the WordPress platform, but also to spark the minds to create things beyond the obvious.

Or beyond the blog, as it were, which is also the subtitle of the book.

The whole point is really to prove that WordPress is so much more than a blog-publishing platform. You can build just about anything on it, and you should as well if you like fast deployments and great flexibility. It is not always the perfect choice, but it should definitely be considered at all times. The ease with which you can both build and use this platform is a selling point, just as is the living community that can back you up when you run into problems, and the fact that this is open source at its finest.

To convey this message, Smashing WordPress: Beyond the Blog is divided into five parts.

Part 1: The WordPress Essentials

The first part tackles the WordPress essentials, from install to what actually makes the system tick. It does, indeed, give you everything you need to get started with WordPress, albeit at a slightly quicker pace than traditional beginner books. However, coverage doesn't stop there because there are a lot of things you should be aware of when getting started with WordPress, such as security measures, moving the install, ...

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