Get excited.  
We are learning WordPress.  

For more help along the way, please consult lynda.com tutorials:  lynda.uni.edu (there are--at the time of this writing--33 Lynda tutorials having to do with WordPress).

For this assignment we are recommending: WordPress Essential Training.  However, there is nothing preventing you from visiting the other 32 Lynda tutorials!

1. Install WordPress (this will be done in class).  After the install, all your files will exist on UNI’s “Weblab” server, and you will then be able to work on your website from any computer with a web connection.  

Your website will be available at: weblab.uni.edu/username/wp

To log into your website (and work on your page), go to your WordPress website: weblab.uni.edu/username/wp/wp-login.php

2. Create a Personal WordPress Website.  http://weblab.uni.edu/username/wp

A. Set up a User Profile:  Go to Users/Your Profile as well as Settings/General.

B. WordPress Theme.  We will all be using the 2014 (Twentyfourteen) wordpress theme.  You can change it later, but for now we all need to be on the SAME theme.

C. Create at Least Three (3) Content Pages.  
We will learn the difference between WordPress “Posts” and “Pages” during class, but for reference, see the associated Lynda Tutorial to help you in the WordPress Essential Training series, Ch. 5, “Creating Posts/Understanding the Difference Between Posts and Pages” and Ch. 6, “Creating Pages.”  

A quick reminder: to change the order go to Settings/Reading and select “Static Page.”

To change the order of your page, go to your Page Attributes section on the right hand side, and choose the “Order” number (1, 2, 3, etc) you want your page to be in the navigation bar.

OR….you can change the page order if you go to Appearance/Menus.

Your pages should be ordered in the navigation bar so they make sense.  For example, you should not have your contact page as the first page of your website.  

Your website should include some combination of the following:  

1. a Home Page (required)

2. a Bio Page (your bio could be on your home page,   SEE THIS EXAMPLE  so you may want to substitute a portfolio or a CV for your third page ) (required)

3. a Contact Page (required)  Plugin on the Contact Page.  For help, visit Morton’s explanation on inserting contact forms (login to Lynda before clicking on the link)--he likes Contact Form 7.  The WordPress Directory has tons of Contact Form Plugin).

4. a Portfolio Page (See WordPress’s Portfolio Plugins: http://wordpress.org/plugins/nimble-portfolio/)

5. a CV Page

6. a Blog Page

D. Convert ALL your pages to Static pages and get rid of any blog elements.  
The default for WordPress is a blog, so there are all sorts of blog-related plugins (Archive, Leave Comment, Recent Posts, Categories, Meta) that should NOT be  on any other page besides the blog page (if you even choose to have a blog page).  This means you’ll have to remove any blog-related Widgets (Appearance/Widgets:  visit Lynda’s WordPress Essential Training series, Ch. 11, part 5)  

This also means that you have to convert ALL your  pages into Static pages

Writing your Bio: 
You will want to put some deep thought into your writing approach. What to say?  How to say it?  What sort of voice will you use?   How will you balance personal/chatty with businesslike/professional?  Some advice from Smashing Magazine:  “Be friendly and personal, but also clear and precise; don’t ramble. Once you write all the text for your website, read it again and see if you can cut it in half.” EXAMPLE 1   EXAMPLE 2    EXAMPLE 3     EXAMPLE 4     EXAMPLE 5 (3rd person!).

Also, Ask yourself what you want to get out of your personal website. Do you want to be hired? Attract more blog readers? Maybe you just want people to know who you are.  Please note that memorable writing comes from interesting details and a somewhat novel  approach.  You want visitors to get to know you:  Share your background, where you came from, how many years you’ve been doing what you want to do. The more interesting details you give, the better your users can form a bond and build trust with you.  Although, sometimes being sparse can be appealing.  Don’t be afraid to show off your awards and recognition here. You want people to know you’re good at what you do.

Consider writing A Tagline  on your Homepage:
HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES of taglines:  EXAMPLE 1  EXAMPLE 2  EXAMPLE 3   EXAMPLE 4    EXAMPLE 5

• What are you? A student? A writer? A horse enthusiast?  (if you present yourself as a cliche, you will not stand out, so think about ways to make yourself STAND OUT).
• What do you do?
• Where are you from? Country? City?
• Are you a looking for an internship? Are you looking for work?  What kind of work?  
• Do you have an interesting way of welcoming people to your site?

D. Creatively-designed header built in Photoshop, Optimized for the Web, and cleared by the Creative Commons.  Include your NAME as part of the header (we’ll learn about typography later, so do your best for now) and use some of the selection tools/collage skills you learned so you can draw people into your site in a compelling way.  If you need to attribute someone for use of their image, the attribution should appear on the image itself in small text at the bottom left or right hand side of the image.  If you’re not camera-shy, you may want to show a picture of yourself.  Appearance/Header/Select Image/Choose File.

Nice Example 1.

Nice Example 2.

Nice Example 3.

Make sure you set your header as a “featured” image.  See the Lynda tutorial that explains this further, here: Using Featured Image.

We’ll talk about this in class but Wordpress adds some extra image code that you may not want (a double image):  

<a href="http://uni.edu/fabos/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/fortepan_4942_DL-copy.jpg"><img src="http://uni.edu/fabos/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/fortepan_4942_DL-copy.jpg" alt="fortepan_4942_DL copy" width="2174" height="1433" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118" /></a>

Viewng the code in WordPress’ Text editor, the highlighted code is what you want.  Just keep the highlighted code iand delete the rest.  

E.  Insert Social Networking Plugins.  Go to Dashboard//Plugins.  Install the Plugins that make most sense to you:  Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, etc.  See WordPress Essential Training, Ch. 7.

1. ONLINE

A publicly available HTML page located at: weblab.uni.edu/username/wp

.

2. BLACKBOARD

A Microsoft Word document containing your name and  a link to your HTML page.  

3. DROPBOX

Any assets related to your project (e.g., Photoshop/psd files), as well as the same Microsoft Word document you uploaded to Blackboard.

NAME

REQUIREMENT

MAX POINTS

POINTS

COMMENTS

Install Wordpress

and set up user profile

5

3 pages, ordered in the navigation bar so they make sense.

3

Get rid of any blog-related widgets, unless it’s on a blog page.

2

Writing bio

5

Original image for the header

4

Installed Contact form

2

Social Networking Plugins.

2

Any other attempt at creativity, growth with Wordpress: for example, if you included a portfolio page, did you try installing a plugin?  Write taglines?

2