Ok, I admit that even though I have a web design qualification I know pretty much nothing about security etc so being the slack tech girl I am I left mine as “Admin”. Right up until the other day when the blog stats package I use (WassUp) showed up with a “possible hacker” visit.

Arrghhh .. wake up call!

There are a few ways around this but what I did was change it directly in the backend database. Some people get nervous playing around in database tables etc so if that’s you, then you’re probably better to use the WordPress Admin Panel to change it. Instructions for that can be found here.

But if you’re ready to get down and dirty in the WordPress databases read on …

1. Log into your hosting account (cPanel etc)

2. Find the MySQL tool (mine is phpMyAdmin) and log in

3. Click on the database for your blog (on left hand side in phpMyAdmin)

4. Find the wp_users table

5. Find the ‘admin‘ user and click the edit pencil graphic

6. Locate the user_login row and change ‘admin‘ to your preferred WordPress login name

7. Click ‘Go’

All done

If you aren’t confident playing around in the database you can also create a new user with ‘administrator’ rights, then read on to find out how to change the Admin name using the WordPress Admin Panel.

I recently wrote about changing the default Wordpress Admin username through logging into the backend database.

I appreciate that some people may not be confident doing this .. or even know they have access to the databases! So, here’s how to do it in the WordPress Admin Panel.

1. Log into your WordPress Admin Panel

2. Click on Users -> Add New

3. Create a new user, filling in username, email and password (anything else is non required but you can add it if you wish)

4. Change the ‘Role‘ drop down box to ‘Administrator‘. This is important as it will allow this new user to delete the original ‘Admin’ administrator user (oooh the power!)

5. Save and log out

6. Log back in using this NEW user account and navigate to Users -> Authors & Users

7. Find the old ‘Admin‘ user, click the checkbox next to the name and choose delete.

8. You will be asked where you want to assign the posts this users has created. Choose another user and confirm deletion.

All done!

If you’re building your site on WordPress you’ll know that trying to choose a WordPress theme is a bit like sending a 25 year old single guy to a ‘Looking for Love’ convention for women.

The choice is vast and no sooner have you found one that you think is just perfect then you find yet another ‘10 Best WordPress Themes’ articles. There you were, ready to settle down and choose a WordPress theme and suddenly you’re back into a downloading, uploading and activating frenzy all over again. Or am I the only serial theme hopper here?

Anyway, somehow one night in a ‘10 Best Wordpress Themes’ frenzy I stumbled upon the StudioPress site and ended up purchasing the Lifestyle theme.  And I can honestly say I am now a reformed theme-a-holic.

Yes it was $60 which but I’ve definitely had value for money there. There is no way I could have designed that theme for that price for a start! But over the weeks that I have used it I’ve really started to appreciate it more and more.

So, top 3 features for me?

1. It’s pretty & professional

Simple, stylish but with just enough design features to keep it interesting.

2. It’s simple to customise

The style sheet is set out very logically if you’re looking to make changes. I won’t lie here, you definitely do need to know a little over a smidge of code but it’s easy to learn that as you go along.

3. Video tutorials

It has a whole series of super simple, video tutorials. Can’t speak highly enough of these and wold love to see more of them added.

4. The price

Yes, it’s $60 more than a free theme. But where else can you get a professional deisgner to develop your site and be available to support it for that little?

5. The support forums are top notch.

This is what sets StudioPress apart for me. No matter what theme you choose there will invaribly be times that you have to customise in the actual code and this can be hairy. People are so helpful .. you are encoraged to post the URL of your site and they will take a look and tell you exactly where your code is wrong, the exact file you need to edit etc. How cool is that?

But, even with the tutorials and forum support you will invariably still find yourself spending hours customising and tweaking your site. I’ve probably spent 50 hours minimum on this one.

But you know what. I’ve realised that that is not specific to this Lifestyle theme. All themes need that kind of love and attention to get them humming along. And now that I’ve stopped the ‘grass is always greener’ kind of approach and settled on one we’re getting along just fine and I can definitely see us growing old together

Who would have thought there was a life lesson in a simple WordPress theme?