Getting Started with WordPress

1. Getting Started with WordPress David Grogan edtech@tufts.edu 7-2859

2. Goals of this Session At this end of this session you should know: • What WordPress is. • How to create a new WordPress site. • The basics of: • Changing the look and feel. • Adding content. • Adding additional functionality • Where to get support.

3. WordPress • Is a content publishing tool for the web. Originally designed as a “blogging” tool, it is now a fully featured, custom website, creation tool. • Is good for: • Rapid development of and attractive, easy to use, publicly accessible web sites. • Mixing blog content with static content for an informative and up-to-date “news” type web site.

4. WordPress – Tufts Examples

5. Overview • Creating a new site. • Changing it’s theme (e.g. how it looks) • Adding pages and menus. • Adding blog items and moving the blog page. • Adding widgets. • Adding plugins. • Free for all!

6. Step 1: Creating a new site • Go to http://spark.uit.tufts.edu • Login using your Tufts Username and Password • Select “blogs/websites (WordPress) from the Get Started box. • Click on “Create New” • Give your site an address e.g. sites.tufts.edu/davidtest • Give your site a name (title): e.g. David’s Test Site • Press “Create Site”. • Click on “admin dashboard” • Click on “settings > privacy” • Select “I would like my site to be only visible to users that I give permission to” • Click “Save Changes” • Click site name on top menu to see the “readers” view of your new site.

7. Step 2: Setting Your Site’s Theme • Go to your site’s dashboard (click on “dashboard” link at top). • Go to “Appearance > Themes” • “Preview” your site in the different themes. • “Activate” the theme you’d like to use. • For this session use “Twenty Ten” • Select “Appearance > Header”

8. Step 3: Adding Page and Menus • Go to your site’s dashboard. • Trash “Sample Page” • Click “Add New” • Give your page a title (e.g. “About”) • Add content to the page. • Press “Publish” • Do it again! • Go to “Appearance > Menus” • Give you menu a name (e.g. Main Menu) • Press “Create Menu” • Add your pages to the menu and sort them the way you want. • Press “Save Menu” • Select “Main Menu” for “Primary Navigation” • Press “Save” • Visit your site!

9. Step 3: Adding Page and Menus • Go to your site’s dashboard. • Trash “Sample Page” • Click “Add New” • Give your page a title (e.g. “Home”) • Add content to the page. • Press “Publish” • Do it again! Add a page called “News” and a page called “About” • Go to “Appearance > Menus” • Give you menu a name (e.g. Main Menu) • Press “Create Menu” • Add your pages to the menu and sort them the way you want. • Press “Save Menu” • Select “Main Menu” for “Primary Navigation” • Press “Save” • Visit your site!

10. Step 4: Blog Posts • Go to your site’s dashboard. • Click on “Posts” • Trash the “Hello World!” post. • “Add new” post. • Give your post a title. • Add some content. • Press “Publish” • Visit your site. • Go to your site’s dashboard • Go to “Settings > Reading” • Change “Front Page Displays” to “static page” and select “home”. • Change “posts page” to “News” • Press “Save Changes” • Visit your site.

11. Step 5: Widgets • Go to your site’s dashboard. • Go to “Appearance > Widgets” • Drag off the widgets you don’t want. • Drag a “Text” widget onto the Primary Widget Area • Give your new widget a title (e.g. “Contact”) • Add content (e.g. Email: david.grogan@tufts.edu) • Press “save” • Visit your site.

12. Step 6: Plugins • Go to your site’s dashboard. • Click on “Plugins” • Activate “FaceBook Share (new) • View your site. • Go to your site’s dashboard. • Click on “Facebook Share” • Change settings. • Click on “Save Change” • View site.

13. Things to Explore • Tags and categories. • Embedding media (images, audio, video) into your content. • The Pagelines theme (http://www.pagelines.com) The only thing you really need to remember is: edtech@tufts.edu Email if you have any questions or need help setting up your site.