Multiple problems with permissions

Hello good volunteers,

I just came to WordPress via ‘Blog Design Solutions,’ which pointed out the famed 5-minute installation. I have had no such luck installing it in my local environment. Honestly, I could not have forseen so many problems.

I seem to have been tripped up by 1) too many variables, including configuring permissions, which was originally sparked by my inability to upload – a common complaint indeed; and 2) my own efforts to follow suggestions in the many support posts that I have consulted for help, including changing permissions and installing a plug-in.

When I solve one problem (e.g., can’t upload/directory inaccessible) another (an all-white blog page) seems to arise out of nowhere. This seems to be related to changing permissions via command line in terminal. Needless to say, I’m a novice.

At present, I cannot access via terminal (on a Mac 10.4) my wp-content folder, and seem unable to any longer change any permissions at all- receiving the message:
usage: chmod [-fv] [-R [-H | -L | -P]] [-a | +a | =a [i][# [ n]]] mode|entry file …

I can’t seem to find any solution in the forums or on the web. At this point, I am hoping to either reset my settings and move to another blog platform, or invest additional time if I feel I can make WP work for me. I’m not optimistic.

But I would be grateful for assistance. I’ve looked at so many posts that seem to only touch on one or other aspect of my dilemma.