Theme - what do you want your blog or site to look like? I struggled with this - tried a few free ones, then bought an inexpensive one, and wasted a lot of time. I finally called on some fellow bloggers and designers for suggestions. Their recommendation was One Theme, and it is what I used to produce the layout you now see at CreativeOptionsBlog.com. Once you watch the video about the theme and the custom control panel called One Panel, you will understand why I did not look any further. It was easy to download and install and works smoothly with my Hostazar web hosting account. A little tip - if you are going to use Hostazar, use the OneTheme version 2 for IonCube. I know that sounds like greek, but you will need to know what version will work with your hosting provider. This will save you that frantic 2 a.m. email to tech support. (Not that I know anyone who did that).

The other thing I really liked about One Theme was for a $99 investment, I got the customizable theme, the One Panel plugin and a license key. This means I own my site, so when you scroll down to the bottom of the page it says "Copyright © 2009 creativeoptionsblog.com." Your purchase also includes FREE upgrades for life and responsive, knowledgeable customer service. To watch the video overview, click here.

With that said, you will still need to gain a good working knowledge of Wordpress and it's standard features. I am a visual person, so I love tutorials. I can stop them whenever I want, go try and apply what they are teaching, then start-up the video again and move on to the next step. WordpressTutorials.com is an outstanding resource for anyone from total beginner to advanced blogger. Sherman Hu, the company's creator, is actively involved on a daily basis, and wants everyone to become an expert at harnessing the power of the Wordpress platform. At $9.95/month or $97/year, this is an educational product worth checking out. I've provided that link for you here.