WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms in the world today, whether you are using the free hosting of WordPress.com or running a self-hosted blog on your own web site.

Along with all the power the WordPress carries, though, is a responsibility to keep your blog as secure as possible. There are many exploits (and exploiters) out there that would like to turn your WordPress into a spam-infested Google magnet.

There is an easy way to keep your blog trouble free, though. You need to regularly check for updates to both the WordPress program itself AND any plugins that you might be using on your site. Updates often contain fixes for known errors or bugs that can be exploited by the nasty people of the Internet. Keeping everything updated doesn’t guarantee that your blog won’t be attacked, but it closes the most basic holes in your security.

So, in the interest of keep your blog on the straight and narrow — I am proposing that every Wednesday become WordPress Wednesday. Let’s make this alliterative weekday and use it as reminder to check our WordPress software, our plugins and even comments that we may have missed along the way.

So, how do you keep your blog updated?

First, if you are hosting your blog at WordPress.com, congratulations! You are updated automatically by the WordPress.com staffers. You could still use WordPress Wednesday as an opportunity to check your comments for spam or if they need to be moderated, but most of the work is done for you.

If you are using a self-hosted install of WordPress, here are a few actions to take each WordPress Wednesday.

1. Log into your blog Dashboard
   
2. Look for WordPress Update notes (usually on a yellow background) announcing a new update of the WordPress software itself
   
3. Look for update markers on your Plugins menu item.
   
   • These numbers in a black circle tell you how many plugins need to be updated.
     
   • Click the plugins link to see a list of all plugins
   
   
4. Follow the steps provided to automatically upgrade either the WordPress software or the plugins.
   
5. Look for the same type of update count listed next to the Comments area
   
6. Accept or reject comments that need to moderated or marked as spam.
   

With just a few minutes of time each WordPress Wednesday, you can keep your WordPress blog clean and speedy.

Need more WordPress help? Ask your questions in the comments!