Mike Simpson is an ESL and computer skills teacher and workshop leader with expertise in graphic design, websites and blogs, and audio/video. If you or your organization are interested in tutoring or workshops please feel free to contact Mike.
mike @ strongandfree.ca
Self-reliance is always a good thing. When it comes to acquiring some technical know-how some folks are keeners, some reluctant and many of us someplace in the middle. I hope to share some advice with you on a variety of topics: websites and blogs, images and text, presentations and video and all the places these areas intersect.
My first article will be about implementing a WordPress blog which is one of the easiest places to begin if you want to create a site. Before you read further, I would encourage you to explore my blog and familiarize yourself with the layout, menus, and content. My blog has a custom header graphic and a right sidebar. What other sections or components can you identify? (What are categories? RSS feed?)
Questions I will address:
What is WordPress? What is a blog?
Is a blog a website? Is it for text and writing only?
How can I start my own WordPress site?
Dos and Don’ts – Tips and Advice
Advanced Blogging
What is WordPress? What is a blog?
WordPress is a hosting platform that allows people to create blogs and websites without knowing any code. You may have heard of other “blog” platforms such as “Typepad” or “Blogger.” The main advantage of WordPress is that it is very popular and adaptable. You can host a blog, which traditionally is made-up of text-based “posts” which are published chronologically (from newest to oldest), you can host a traditional looking website that is divided into different “pages,” or you can combine both. In general blogs are mostly used to provide detailed news and background about a company or organization’s products or activities. Personal blogs offer commentary on a wide range of topics including sports, entertainment, arts, technology and quite often contain personal posts which reflect on the writer’s life and experience. One of the key technologies at work with blogs are “RSS feeds.” RSS means “really simple syndication.” All posts can be easily disseminated to RSS feed readers and can be received and read in computer browsers and portable devices like smart-phones. If I like your blog I can subscribe to your feeds and keep up-to-date with all your posts (this is essentially how Twitter, MySpace or Facebook status updates work too).
Is a blog a website? Is it for text and writing only?
A blog is most definitely a website. The main difference between new and old sites is that most new sites, whether you call them blogs or websites, rely on database technology to keep track of all the content. You may have heard of CSS and PHP. This is the code that describes how the layout and text will work, and identifies the pages and posts within the database. In the old days, the content and form was often written in the code called HTML. For beginners it doesn’t much matter whether you grasp these concepts. And with WordPress you don’t need to code, though it’s easy to learn how to make small changes to your CSS to change the way your site works and looks. Play around with the plugins and widgets which change the content and function of your sidebars. My favorites include the “add text” and “add RSS Feed” widgets. ” when I add text I often make it “HTML” so I can add pictures or links to my sidebar.
The interesting thing about WordPress is a you can implement a wide variety of looks (based on templates) and embed all kinds of content, including photos, audio, and video. Got a YouTube movie? Drop it right in. Want to host a photoblog? You can do that too. When WordPress is used to host traditional style websites it is often referred to as a CMS or Content Management System.
How can I start my own WordPress site?
The easiest way to get started is to go to WordPress.com and register yourself. Your domain will be “yourname.wordpress.com.” Invite a friend and they can become a contributor or co-publisher. Keep the blog private or provide password access for specific pages. When you login and look at the “dashboard” you will want to edit or create a “post” or “page.” The first thing most users do is modify or delete the first page post which says “Hello World.”
If you want your own domain register a domain name and get yourself a host like Bluehost or Godaddy. You will probably pay $10 a year or more for your name and about $100 per year to host your site(s). If you go for your own hosting solution remember to use a host that allows for easy automatic installs of WordPress through their Control Panel.
Dos and Don’ts
Do
Consider WordPress.org and your own hosting for the most flexible/professional approach.
Learn a bit about photo or video editing so you can add some interesting content to your site.
Tweak your CSS code to customize how your page displays. Tutorials abound.
Don’t
Use WordPress if another CM (Content Management System) will work better. Software like “Backpack” might suit a group project and there are options like “Ning” for creating social networking sites. “Moodle” is useful for teachers and those looking to build “online classes.”
Advanced Blogging
You will learn about CSS and start hacking your site or build one from scratch. You will incorporate various plugins for things like statistics, permalinks and audio or video. Some plugins I use (self-hosted WordPress only): FLV Embed (clean stylish video player), Apture (pop-up links to preview audio, video, text etc – keep people on your site) and “Stray Random Quotes.” You may want a plugin for statistics, sharing or images/galleries.
For More Information
If you didn’t already open the blog I would encourage you to check it out. On my blog I write about travel, technology, books and “art, culture and life in Toronto.” You can visit my site by clicking on iam.strongandfree.ca. Note this hyperlink is a domain-forwarder and actually takes you to http://mikesimpson.wordpress.com/. Here my blog exists in hybrid-land. I own the domain strongandfree.ca and sometime after setting up my blog on WordPress I decided I needed an easier, more memorable address. At some point I will migrate this blog fully into the “strongandfree.ca” site. If you are curious about my graphic design work or music you can visit strongandfree.ca and mikooshka.com
Thanks for reading!
Mike
Here’s a tutorial I found on Vimeo (from NY Dept. of Education). The first few minutes provide a good overview of using WordPress. Of particular interest are a couple sections found at 2:32 (Adding Posts and Pages) and 7:08 (Adding Media). The video below this text has been embedded by simply inserting some code I copied and pasted from the Vimeo video player.