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March 2018 – TopGunMembers Portal

Month: March 2018

How to Install WordPress on your Windows Computer Using WAMP

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Did you know that you can install WordPress on your own Windows computer for learning and testing? Working with WordPress for Windows is a great way to test plugins, updates, and other website changes before pushing them live to your au

dience. In this article, we’ll show you how to install WordPress locally using WAMP.

The process of installing WordPress on your personal computer is also known as setting up a local server environment or localhost. Often theme designers and plugin developers install WordPress on a local server environment to speed up their development process.

It’s a good idea to use WordPress for Windows in order to test any major changes to your site. This way you can catch and fix any issues before they affect your audience.

Note: If you install WordPress locally on Windows, then the only person who can see that site is you. If you want to create a WordPress blog that is available to the public, then you need to have a domain name and web hosting. We recommend that you follow this guide on how to install WordPress.

Having that said, let’s take a look at how to install WordPress on localhost using WAMP.

What is WAMP?

WAMP, also called WampServer, is a compilation of Apache web server, PHP and MySQL bundled for Windows computers. You need WAMP to setup your own local server environment and install WordPress on Windows. There are other clients for Windows such as XAMPP, but we use and recommend WAMP. It is free and easy to use.

Installing WampServer on your PC

The first thing you need to do is go to the WampServer website and download the latest WampServer. You will be presented with various options on their download page. Simply choose the one that applies to your Windows (64-bit or 32-bit). When in doubt, select the 32-bit version because it will also work on 64-bit versions of Windows.

Once you have downloaded WampServer, run the installation program and carefully follow on-screen instructions.

At one point during the installation, WampServer will ask for the location of the default web browser.

By default it will use Internet Explorer, but you can change that to Google Chrome or Firefox by locating the browser in Program Files.

Once you are done with the installation, launch WampServer.

Setting Up a Database for WordPress

Next, you’ll need to create a blank MySQL database WordPress can use.

WampServer comes with phpMyAdmin, a web based application to manage MySQL databases. Click on the Wampserver icon in windows taskbar and then click on phpmyadmin.

The phpMyAdmin login screen will open in a new browser window. By default, the Username will be root, and you can leave the password field blank

Once logged in, click on Databases in phpmMyAdmin to create a new database for WordPress. You will be asked to choose a name for your database (we named ours test_db). After that click on the Create button.

6 Things Smart People Do to Have Really Interesting Conversations

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Next time you go to a traditional networking event, a cocktail party, or a dinner, do us all a favor: Lose the elevator pitch. That approach is quickly losing relevancy in making authentic connections that could open doors for you.

Instead, your first order of priority is to take the attention off yourself and put it squarely on the other person sitting or standing across from you. You start by asking the right questions and listening more than you speak (more on that below). And, of course, always be conscious of having open and positive body language.

Try any of these tactics to keep yourself on track to having exceptional conversations. Now you’re off to the races.

1. Become genuinely interested in the other person.

George Mason University psychologist Todd Kashdan, author of Curious?, determined that being interested in others is more important than being interesting yourself. “It’s the secret juice of relationships,” stated Kashdan. So, whatever you do, talk in terms of the other person’s interest. You’ll be surprised by the outcome.

2. Show those pearly whites.

According to Psychology Today, research has determined that smiling can make us appear more attractive to others. It also lifts our mood as well as the moods of those around us. Most of us aren’t fully aware of when we’re not smiling. Make smiling a habit.

3. Give the gift of a “five-minute favor.”

Five-minute favors are giving acts, without asking for anything in return from the person whom you’re offering help. Examples of five-minute favors include sharing knowledge; making an introduction; serving as a reference for a person, product, or service; or recommending someone on LinkedIn, Yelp, or another social place.

4. Listen more. Speak less.

Want to create a great first impression? Let the other person speak without interruption. Yes, I’m talking about parking your thoughts and avoiding jumping in and finishing the other person’s sentence or waiting impatiently for your chance to respond. When you actively listen, it will draw the other person to you with equal or greater interest. So go ahead, give the other person your full attention. What you’re communicating is “I am interested in what you have to say.”

5. Make the other person feel important–and do it sincerely.

The best conversations with someone you just met are initiated by wanting to learn about the other person: what they do, how they do it, and why they do it. This goes back to having a high curiosity quotient. By wanting to learn from someone — even someone younger and less experienced than you — you will garner an immediate positive first impression.

6. Tell a good story.

So now that you’ve captivated the person you’re talking to, they probably want to know about you, so it’s your turn to shine. Rather than boring them with work or with business-related lingo (that will come later), it’s good to have a few go-to stories you can pull out of your hat to keep the momentum going. Have stories you can share that have been tested with other audiences and found to be reliably funny, entertaining, informative, or engaging. Scott Adams, author of How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life, suggests putting your focus on stories about other people rather than things, because most of us find human behavior fascinating.

Closing thought

If you haven’t caught on yet, the key for your new social approach is this: You take the initiative and make the conversation about the other person. People love to talk about themselves–if they have something worth talking about that adds value to the conversation. Once they know you’re not a wacko, if you ask a genuine question first (try “what’s your story?”), they’ll appreciate your showing interest. This selfless act of putting the spotlight on someone else makes you the more interesting person in the room.

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