How to build a portfolio Web site: A new blog series

For a while now, I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a series of blog posts that takes my blog readers, who are mostly journalists, step by step through the process of setting up a personal Web site with WordPress on their own server space.

But I didn’t know if it’d be of any use, so I posed the question to my friends on Facebook. The overwhelming response was that it would be, so here I go.

What you can expect

This will be a weekly blog series. In each post, I’ll take you through the details of getting one step closer to having a personal portfolio Web site much like mine. If you have questions, leave a comment and I’ll find you an answer or at least start you in the right direction to finding one on your own.

What you’ll need

• A little cash: A domain and server space will run you about $60/year based on the rates from GoDaddy, the host that I’ll be talking about in my blog posts and the host I use for my site. (You can use another host if you want, too. No big deal.)
• A little time: I built my site in my free time last summer, so this is absolutely something you can accomplish on your own. No need to hire a Web designer or quit your day job.

One caveat: The free option

I’m going to talk you through setting up a site on your own server space because I honestly think it’s the best option if you’re OK with investing a few bucks into the project.

That said … you can go the free route and go straight to WordPress.com and set up a site that way. WordPress takes you through the pros and cons of either option.

Personally, I look at my site as an investment well worth the $5/month I pay in hosting, and I think the extra skills I’ve learned through having to host it on my own come in handy. (I can go into interview now and say that I know what it means to transfer a file via FTP. I couldn’t do that before.)

Plus, as an journalism and advertising double major, I think it’s important to be able to market yourself in a professional manner when you’re applying for jobs and internships. Having a short and simple URL for my site allows me to do that.

So that’s my two cents. If you or someone you know might get some use out of this series, feel free to send them a link here.