setting up a wordpress.com account and your eportfolio...

MONTGOMERY COLLEGE ePortfolio Instructions

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Setting up a WordPress.com Accountand Your ePortfolio Website

IntroductionThe following instructions are designed to help you get started with your ePortfolio using the open source WordPress platform.

While you are not required to use WordPress for your ePortfolio, following these instructions provided by Montgomery College will allow you to take advantage of MC resources, including technical support.

For more information visit: mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/eportfolio

OverviewSetting up your new ePortfolio is easy and can be accomplished in just a few steps:

1. Visit WordPress.com2. Decide on a domain name3. Choose a hosting plan4. Create and confirm your acount5. Choose your initial site structure6. Set your website theme7. Import sample ePortfolio content

On the following pages we will look at each of these steps in detail and provide additional information as well as helpful hints or suggestions on where you might need to pay particular attention.

Let’s Get Started!


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Step One:

Visit https://wordpress.com and Click the “Get Started” Button

Using your preferred web browser, enter https://wordpress.com into your URL address bar.

When the page loads, you should see the information shown below. Look for the highlighted “Get Started” button at the bottom of the page and click on it.

WordPress.com homepage.

Close up detail of “Get Started” button.


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Step Two:

Give Your Site an Address

For your ePortfolio to be accessible via the internet, you will need to provide a unique name by which it can be found.

Enter the name you have chosen or a few key words and WordPress.com will show you a list of available suggestions.

By default, your website address will contain “wordpress.com.” If you decide you would like to use a different extension (.blog, .com, .org, etc.) you will need to upgrade your WordPress hosting plan. Note: This is not required and there is a cost associated with upgrading your plan.

Tip - When choosing a domain name, consider your audience. If you will eventually be sharing with potential employers, make sure that your domain name is professional and respectful.


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Step Three:

Choose a Hosting Plan

For your ePortfolio we recommend you select the Free hosting plan.

The other plans do offer some additional features, (such as the previously mentioned domain name customization) however these features are not required for your ePortfolio.


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Step Four:

Create and Confirm Your Account

To gain access to your ePortfolio, you will need to complete the process of registering with WordPress.com.

Fill out the online form and click on the “Create My Account” button.

Once submitted, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with additional instructions on logging in to your WordPress.com account.

Tip - If you are using your Montgomery College email address, please use your MyMC username-based address instead of your full name email address:

• Use - [email protected]• Do Not Use - [email protected]

Using your full name address should work but we find that often the confirmation email is quarantined by the mail server when your full name email address is used.


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Step Five:

Choose Your Initial Site Structure

For your ePortfolio we suggest you select the “Start With a Website” option.

If you are planning on using the blog feature of WordPress, you may want to consider selecting one of the other options. Note—This option may be changed at any time should you wish to incorporte a blog at a later date.

More InformationWordPress offers two different content delivery options: pages and blog updates.

Pages are best used for presenting single topic information in a concise and dedicated format.

Blog updates are usually reserved for timely information or ongoing commentaries.

The Montgomery College ePortfolio is structured around the use of pages, though some courses may optionally utilize blogs as part of your course work.


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Step Six:

Select Your WordPress Theme

For your ePortfolio you will need to select the look and feel of your pages. This is done by selecting a theme. Montgomery College reccomends using the “Twenty Seventeen” theme and you will be shown how to enable this theme later in the instructions.

For now, select any of the availble themes offered.

More InformationWordPress has many themes to choose from and each theme can be

further customized to suit your individual style.

Themes may be changed at any time, though if you choose to heavily modify or customize your theme it may require a bit of work to make any new theme compatible.


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Step Seven:

Import Sample ePortfolio Content

Now that you have set up your acount and created your initial ePortfolio site, you will need to import the sample content.

Importing the sample content requires a few steps as outlined below:

• Download the sample content• Login to your WordPress dashboard• Navigate the settings control panel to access the import feature• Import the file• Change and Update your WordPress theme

Download the Sample Content

Open your browser and visit: http://mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/eportfolio/

Click on the icon below to initiate the download.

When the download has finished, locate the eportfolio-content.zip file in your “Downloads” folder and extract the enclosed eportfolio.wordpress.content.xml file to a location where you can easily find it.


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Login to your WordPress Dashboard

Open your browser and visit: https://wordpress.com/wp-login.php

Once logged in, click on the “My Site” link in the top menu to see your dashboard.

Navigate to the Settings Control Panel

Find the settings option on the lower portion of the left side menu and click to access the import feature.


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Import the Content File

Once in your settings area, click on the ‘Import’ tab and then the ‘Start Import’ button next to the WordPress logo

Upload/drag the downloaded file (eportfolio.wordpress.content.xml) into the designated area.

Once the file is uploaded, click the “Continue” button.


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Before the import begins, you may need to confirm that the imported content can be attributed to your profile. This is an insignificant step for this import, so please continue the import by clicking the ‘Start Import’ button.

The import may take several minutes. This is normal. You can perform other tasks while it’s importing. You’ll receive an email notification when it’s done.


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Change and Update Your WordPress Theme

When your content import has finished, select the “Themes” option from the left side menu. (Be careful not to click the ‘customize’ button.)

Find and select the ‘Twenty Seventeen’ theme. You can search for the theme in the top search bar


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Click on the “Activate this design” button

Now you are ready to customize the theme. Click the ‘Customize’ button found in the left menu of your dashboard or in the popup dialog box once you activate the new theme.

Once you click the ‘Customize’ button, you’ll be directed to a new screen with real-time editing features.

Customize the menuClick on the “Menus” tab and then click on ‘Menu Locations’


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Under the “Top Menu” option select “Main.”

Under the “Social Links Menu” option select “footer.”

When done, click ‘Save and Publish’.

The correct menu items should now show in your main navigation bar.

Next, click on the “Static Front Page” tab on the customizer menu.


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Click the ‘A Static Page’ radio button and then select ‘Homepage’ page from the dropdown menu.

NOTE: It’s important to select ‘Homepage’ and NOT ‘Home’.

When done, click ‘Save and Publish’.

Set Up Complete!Your ePortfolio should now be ready for you to use.

For information on adding content, media, pages, general editing and many other features, please see WordPress’s general editing tutorials and support site.

Need additional help? Check out these resources:1. WordPress support site (https://en.support.wordpress.com/)2. WordPress How-to Video Tutorials3. Build Your Website in Five Steps4. General editing (adding pages, media, and galleries)

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