What You’ll Need First
Before we get started, grab these:
- Email address you can access right now
- Username idea (doesn’t need to be perfect—just a starting point)
- Password in mind, or let your browser generate one
- Five minutes without distractions
You don’t need blogging experience. We’ve done this hundreds of times with people who’ve never touched WordPress, and they’re fine.
Quick Reality Check: Why Badass Network?
Most people choose our platform because they don’t want to deal with hosting, security updates, or technical setup. Here’s what you get when you sign up:
Free hosting. Your blog lives at badassnetwork.com/yourusername. No bills, no expiration dates.
WordPress under the hood. It’s the same software millions of bloggers use, but we handle the technical stuff so you don’t have to.
Theme customization. You can’t switch themes (we’re a network, so everyone uses our Badass Network theme), but you’ll have plenty of control over colors, fonts, layouts, and widgets.
Built-in tools. Everything you need to write, publish, and manage posts is already there.
Getting Your Account Set Up
Finding the Signup Page
Head to badassnetwork.com/signup. You’ll see a simple form asking for email, username, and password. The page is clean—no clutter, just the essentials to get you started.
Your Email Address
Type your email in the first field. We’ll send a verification link there, so make sure it’s an address you check regularly.
Why we need it: Account verification, password resets if you forget your login, and occasional updates about the platform. That’s it. We’re not going to spam you.
Choosing Your Username
This matters more than the other fields because your username becomes part of your URL. Can’t change it later.
Your blog will be at: badassnetwork.com/yourusername
Rules for usernames:
- Lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only
- No spaces or special characters
- 4-20 characters
- Must be unique across the network
How people usually pick:
Some use their name. If you’re building a personal brand, something like johnsmith or sarah-jones works.
Others go with their topic. If you’re blogging about fitness, maybe fitness-journey or run-with-sarah.
Business bloggers often use their company name.
Creating Your Password
Password field is next. You need something secure but memorable.
Good passwords:
- At least 8 characters (longer is better)
- Mix uppercase and lowercase
- Include numbers and symbols
- Unique to this site
If your browser offers to generate a password, I’d recommend taking it. Those auto-generated ones are strong, and your browser will remember it for you.
Most people either use a password manager or let their browser handle it. Writing passwords down is fine too, just keep that paper somewhere safe.
Terms of Service
There’s a checkbox at the bottom asking you to agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The links are right there if you want to read through them.
The short version: We protect your data, you don’t post illegal stuff, and we all follow basic internet etiquette. Pretty standard.
Check the box when you’re ready.
Submitting Your Registration
Click the Sign Up button.
If everything’s valid, you’ll see a success message: “Check your email to verify your account.”
Your account exists now, but it’s not active yet. You’ve got to verify your email first.
Verifying Your Email
Open your email inbox. Look for a message from Badass Network with the subject “Verify your Badass Network account.”
Usually arrives in under two minutes. If it’s been five minutes and you don’t see it, check your spam folder. Email providers can be overly cautious with automated messages.
Open the email, click the Verify Email Address button.
This opens your browser and confirms your account automatically. You’ll land on our login page with a message saying your account is active.
Logging In for the First Time
You’re at badassnetwork.com/login now. Enter your username (or email—either works) and your password.
Click Log In.
If you typed everything correctly, you’re in.
Your Dashboard
Congrats. You’re looking at your blog’s dashboard—this is where you’ll spend most of your time.
The left sidebar has all your main sections:
- Posts is where you write and manage blog content.
- Media handles images, videos, and files.
- Pages are for static content like About or Contact pages.
- Appearance lets you customize your theme’s look.
- Settings controls your blog title, URL structure, and other configuration.
- Users manages contributors if you’re working with other people.
Don’t worry about memorizing all this. You’ll figure out where things are as you use them. Most people stick to Posts and Appearance for the first few weeks anyway.
What Happens After Signup?
Once you’ve verified your account and logged in, a few things happen automatically:
- Your blog goes live. It’s at badassnetwork.com/yourusername right now, though there’s no content yet.
- Default theme is applied. You’ve got the Badass Network theme with standard settings. You can customize this whenever you want.
- Sample content gets created. WordPress adds a sample post and page so you can see how things work. Most people delete these after they publish their first real post.
- Dashboard access is ready. You can log in anytime at badassnetwork.com/login.
Your blog’s ready. What you do next is up to you.
Common Questions
Yeah. No credit card, no trial that expires, no hidden fees. You get a blog on our platform at no cost.
Nope. It’s part of your URL, so it’s permanent. If you really need a different username, you’d have to create a new account.
Try variations. Add a middle initial, a number, or hyphens. The form tells you immediately if a username’s available, so you can test different options until you find one that works.
Check spam first. Still nothing after five minutes? Go back to the signup page and look for “Resend verification email” (you’ll need to enter your email address). If that doesn’t work, contact support.
No, each blog needs a unique email. If you want multiple blogs, you’ll need different email addresses (or use email aliases if your provider supports them).
I’d recommend: Update your blog’s title and tagline in Settings > General, fill out your profile in Users > Profile, explore the Appearance customizer to change colors or fonts, and write a test post to see how publishing works.
No. Your email stays private. It’s only used for account stuff. Visitors won’t see it unless you manually add it to a post or page.
Yeah, the signup works on mobile. But honestly, I’d wait until you’re on a computer for the actual setup and customization. The dashboard is easier to navigate on a bigger screen.
A Few Things That Help
- Use a password manager. Tools like 1Password or Bitwarden generate strong passwords and save them for you. Makes your account more secure without having to remember complex passwords.
- Keep your email secure. Since that’s how you reset your password, make sure your email account itself has a strong password and two-factor authentication.
- Pick a username you won’t regret. Even if your blog starts casual, choose something you’d be comfortable sharing professionally. You might put this URL on your resume or LinkedIn someday.
- Save your login info somewhere. Password manager, notebook, wherever. Just don’t lose it.
- Verify your email right away. Don’t wait. Complete it while the signup’s fresh in your mind.
- Test your login. After verification, log out and back in to make sure you remember your credentials.
- Bookmark your dashboard. After you log in the first time, bookmark badassnetwork.com/yourusername/wp-admin for quick access later.
- Update your profile early. One of the first things you should do is add your display name, bio, and profile picture in Users > Profile. This info appears when you publish posts.
When Things Go Wrong
You might’ve created an account before, or someone else is using that email. Try logging in instead of signing up. Forgot your password? Use the “Forgot Password” link. If you’re certain you never registered, contact support—there might be an account issue.
Someone already took it, or it’s reserved for system purposes. Try adding a hyphen, number, or extra word. If travelblog is taken, try travel-blog or mytravelblog.
Wait ten minutes and check every folder (spam, junk, promotions). Still nothing? Look for “Resend verification email” if that option’s available. If it’s still not working, contact support with your username and signup email—they can verify your account manually.
Could be a browser caching issue. Try clearing your cache and cookies, then log in again. Or use a different browser or incognito window. If that doesn’t fix it, reach out to support.
Unfortunately, you can’t change usernames. The only option is creating a new account with the correct spelling (you’ll need a different email address). If you’ve already published content on the wrong account, contact support—they might be able to help migrate your content in special circumstances.
What You’ve Done
You’ve got a Badass Network blog account now. Your username is your permanent URL, your email is verified, and you can log in to your dashboard whenever you want.
Next steps: Customize your blog’s appearance, fill out your profile, and write your first post. That’s where the real work begins.
If you run into issues, we’ve got tutorials for every part of the platform. And if something’s not covered, support’s available.
If you’re stuck on signup or verification:
- Email [email protected] with a description of your issue
- Include the email address you’re trying to register
- Attach screenshots of any error messages
- Tell us which step isn’t working
We’ll get you sorted out.