I know you’ve probably heard that WordPress is easy to use, which is true.  But it’s easy to use like anything is easy to use–once you’ve learned how.

Getting started with a WordPress blog (especially a self-hosted one) can be a bit intimidating, and once you start to see everything that the best blogging software known to man can do for you and your content, you may get a little overwhelmed.

One great thing about WordPress is that it is open source, which means it is a combined effort from a community of software designers and bloggers.  As such, there are hundreds–actually, probably thousands–of well-informed bloggers who maintain epic WordPress websites that tackle any problem you may encounter.

Here are four websites that will help you jump any hurdle that presents itself as you build your blog.

WordPress Beginner

Everyone starts as a beginner, and this is a great place for WordPress beginners to start.  Built with a focus on novice bloggers, this site will help those who know nothing about building websites prosper in the rough early days.  

Why this site is good for beginners: It is easy to get bogged down by terms and insider words when trying to learn about WP; this site is an unintimidating place to get started.

Yoast

Yoast is a website run by WordPress expert and plugin designer Joost de Valk.  He writes about WordPress in a clear way and supplies some very high quality plugins like this one that imports Twitter chatter about your site right into your site.

Why this site is a good resource for beginners: Learn from someone who knows a ton about WordPress, wants to share his knowledge, and does it in layman’s terms.  de Valk is not only a software designer, he’s a blogger as well.

WordPress.tv

If you’re looking for WordPress tips and tutorials, why not go directly to the source?  And if you are more visual and prefer video tuts to written, WordPress.tv is the place for you.  

This site is a very fun resource for people interested in blogging and building websites and there is a ton of video content from people who know what they’re doing.  Learn from the community.

Why this site is a good resource for beginners: Find hands-on “how-to” videos for beginners ranging from how to install plugins on your blog to how to write and publish a blog post.

Smashing Magazine

Smashing Magazine is a designer-focused website which has some very good WordPress tutorials.  Since the site is designer-focused, this blog has a very accessible feel and a great layout which makes using it as a resource that much more enjoyable.  

You can read posts about WP hacks and 100 Free WordPress Themes.