Take the time and follow this guide step-by-step and WordPress will be only 2 clicks away!

First you need to make sure that all the following elements are downloaded and functional. (links open in a new window)

Downloads:

1. Firefox – make sure that first you are using the very latest version of the Browser (3.0.7 19th March 09). Mozilla often release security updates that you should allow.
2. Secure Login Add-on – This Firefox extension makes logging in to websites a simple matter of clicking once.

Click to Enlarge

Security Note: This add-on makes it very easy to login to any sites that Firefox has stored passwords for. This extension is not recommended on a public computer.

If you have a private machine but want an extra degree of security you can designate a master password by going to (on a Mac ) Firefox > Preferences > Security > Use a Master Password. Make sure you remember this!

Once you have updated your browser and have the Secure Login addon installed we need to put our WordPress links on our Firefox toolbar for quick access.

1. Open the email you would have received when you installed WordPress that contains your account login details. it will look something like this:
2. Click on the Admin URL link.  This is the link that contains /wp-admin/.
3. Enter your username and password. Allow Firefox to remember it.
4. Once you are successfully logged in, drag the URL in the top of your browser onto your toolbar (assuming you have space – you may need to create it)
5. You can right-click on the link in the toolbar and choose Properties to customize the name that appears.

Now next time you want to login to your WordPress website, all you need to do is click this new link, then click the Key icon (when it lights up) and voila, you’re in!

WordPress Screencast Tutorial

NOTE: All the links in this article open a new browser window.

Download Applications & Plugins.

Firefox 3 – The most secure and fully featured browser.

Quicktime – An essential internet plugin and player.
Flash – Used everywhere on the net so get the latest.

Download Firefox Add-Ons.

• Google Gears – Allows you to use the Turbo function in WordPress and speeds admin functions.
• Live PageRank – Shows you the page rank for the current URL. This is an SEO tool that shows you how popular a website is. NOTE: PageRank is a meaure of inbound links.
• PDF Download – Gives you control of PDFs on the web.
• Save Complete Webpage – Downloads a whole webpage to your computer correctly.
• Explore more Firefox Add-ons here.

WordPress Admin Details

Find the adminstration links for your WordPress website.

They would have been in an email created when you first installed WordPress or sent to you by your Webmaster. They should look something like this:

Your WordPress Website Account

Public URL: http://yourwebsite.com/
Admin URL: http://yourwebsite.com/wp-admin/
Username: yourname
Password: someobscurestring

Firefox Bookmarks Setup

1. Click the Admin URL shown above, enter your username and password and press Login.
2. Allow Firefox to save the password if you haven’t already. This is only something you should do if this is a private computer. As an added level of security you can also create a master password (Options on Windows or Preferences on a Mac then Security). You will arrive at the WordPress Dashboard.
3. Open the Bookmarks menu by selecting Bookmarks (in the top menu) then Bookmark This Page. Or you can use the key stroke (Command+D for Mac and ALT+D for Windows).
4. Click the top arrow on the right of the Bookmarks window. This will open up the Bookmarks folders.
5. Highlight the Bookmarks Toolbar at the top (by clicking on it once) then create a new folder by clicking on the plus symbol at the bottom left.
6. Name the folder MyWebsite or anything you like.
7. Click Done and this will put the link to our WordPress Dashboard in this new folder that will be accessible from our Firefox toolbar.
8. From the Dashboard, click the Write a New Post button.
9. Bookmark this page to gain quick access as described above.
10. Repeat this with any other pages you want quick access to. For example I like to check out my drafts page often. Manage > Posts > Drafts.
11. In the right hand sidebar find the Shortcuts section. Right-Click on the link that says Press This and select Bookmark This Link. Navigate to the folder we just created and save the Bookmark.
12. Now we should have a folder in our toolbar with our quick links and, with your password saved, your WordPress website is just a click away!

NOTE: Select Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks to move and rename items to make things display the way you prefer.

Hot Tip: You can right click on any link and select Bookmark This Link.

Have a look at this email I received recently and tell me if you don’t start feeling special. Click on the image at right to make it larger for a moment.

Don’t worry none of the links go anywhere, they’re screen shots.

It’s tempting isn’t it? You’re itching to click on those links. Well here’s THE crucial bit of advice in this post.

Let the mouse hover over the link. DO NOT CLICK!

If you allow your pointer to simply hover for a few moments, over any link in an email, it will show you the URL or web address that it points to. If that address says something like – http://youidiot.come-on-you-fool/23/455.67.54/ – there is a pit trap just around the corner for you and your favorite browser. The second you click that link you have put yourself at risk for phishing, and spam and SpyWare and all that exciting stuff.

Here’s what the link in this email showed when my mouse hovered over it baring its teeth :

The Lesson : Sometimes spam screams at you as it arrives, and sometimes it poses as a long lost friend.

Here is another scam email that came in a while ago. It didn’t take me long to discover is true intentions, but I was so impressed at the quality and attention to detail that I kept it to show to you.

And again the hovering mouse told me what this email wanted.

You can go ahead and click on it to make it larger. Don’t be afraid.

Be skeptical especially if the email you are receiving it on is one that you never give out to anyone. Its called unsolicited email.

Heres a very important tip:

Use one email only for friends and family, and another for registering on weblogs, posting to forums and general web surfing. Then at least you only have to be cautious with one email address.

Until we chat again, stay warm and fuzzy inside and remember, out there somewhere is a Hallmark E-Card with your email address on it.

Safe Surfing!

UPDATE: I’ve been getting a lot of these ebay fraud emails and thought I would give you a look at what they look like. Again the same principle applies. Let your mouse hover over the links and if you see a string as shown in the screenshot, with no reference to ebay whatsoever then simply delete it!

Hide your PC or Mac from this parasitic spamming strategy and switch to Ninja mode.

On both Macs and PCs it is disabled by default. Here’s how you can turn this protection mechanism on:

Apple Mac OS X

On Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger:

1. Go to System Preferences > Sharing
2. Click the Firewall button
3. Click Advanced
4. Check Enable Stealth Mode

On Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard:

1. Go to System Preferences > Security
2. Click the Firewall button
3. Click Advanced
4. Check Enable Stealth Mode
5. For additional protection you can also turn on the firewall (I recommend the: Set access for specific services and applications option.)

Windows PCs

On Windows XP:

1. Go to Control Panel > Windows Firewall
2. Click the Advanced tab
3. Next to ICMP click Settings
4. Uncheck the first option “Allow incoming echo request”

On Windows Vista:

You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps.

To find ICMP and logging settings, open Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.

1. Click to open Administrative Tools.* If you are prompted for an
   administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide
   confirmation.
2. Double-click Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.

To change logging settings:

1. Under Public Profile, click Windows Firewall Properties.
2. Click the tab for the profile that you want to change.
3. Under Logging, click Customize.
4. In the dialog box that appears, change the settings you want to
   change, and then click OK.

You can specify ICMP settings by creating inbound or outbound rules using
the ICMPv4 or ICMPv6 protocol.

This will set both systems to drop any incoming ping request and effectively hide your computer from this type of spamming strategy.