wcto2014
TRANSCRIPT
WORDCAMP TORONTO 2014
WORDPRESS 101
WORDPRESS DEVELOPERWORDCAMP ORGANIZER
Freelance DeveloperContent Strategy
AL DAVIS?
WHO IS
WORDPRESS INSTRUCTOR
•George Brown College, Toronto•Workshops in Toronto and Montreal•Corporate Training
•WordCamp Toronto- 2011, 2012•WordCamp Developers- 2012•Meetup Organizer
WPTEACH.COM
•Owner•Tutorials and news•WordCamp Speaker
3
4
5
1
2
Common Misconceptions from new users
Themes and plugins
.com or .org?
Content
What is WordPress?
AGENDA
WHAT WE ARE DOING
THE HISTORY
WHAT IS WORDPRESS?
• Wikipedia defines WordPress:
• WordPress is a free and open source blogging tool and content management system (CMS) based on PHP and MySQL. It has many features including a plugin architecture and a template system.
• How WordPress defines WordPress:
• WordPress is a web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say Wordpress is both free and priceless at the same time.
WHERE TO START?
Every Semester, the first question I was asked by my students was...
Should I use wordpress.com or wordpress.org?
WORDPRESS.COM
WHAT IS ...?
Wordpress.com is a commercial website where you can host a free WordPress site.
It runs on a feature of WordPress called ‘Multi-Site’.
Did I mention it was free?
WORDPRESS.COM
WHAT IS ...?
WORDPRESS.ORG
WHAT IS ...?
Wordpress.org is the website where you can download the core WordPress software to use on your hosting space.
You can also get themes and plugins there as well
Did I mention it was all free as well?
WORDPRESS.ORG
WHAT IS ...?
WORDPRESS.COM
WHY CHOOSE
Pros
• Up and running in minutes- simply sign up
• No need for any technical knowledge
• No need to worry about backups- taken care of for you
• You get new features first
• Security and peace of mind knowing the company behind WordPress is looking after your site
WORDPRESS.COM
WHY CHOOSE
Cons
• Limited functionality compared to the .org version
• Site has ads on it unless an upgrade is purchased
• Can’t add plugins
• No FTP access
WORDPRESS.ORG
WHY CHOOSE
Pros
• Full Functionality
• Use any theme or plugin
• Ad Free
• Fully customizable- full access to all code
• Ability to monetize your site
• Ecommerce capabilities
WORDPRESS.ORG
WHY CHOOSE
Cons
• Need to have a technical background,or know someone, for certain tasks
• You are responsible for backing up and maintaining your site
• You break it? You fix it
• Additional cost for hosting
HOW TO CHOOSE
WordPress.com WordPress.org
I want to sell online and need ecommerce capabilities
I want nothing to do with maintaining my site
I think FTP is something I order at Starbucks and want to keep it that way
I have a lot of videos and images I want to use on my site
I don’t have a development budget and dont want to DIY
I want to start a membership site
I want to see if I like WordPress
I’m all about the freedom- at least when it comes to plugins and themes
ON WEB HOSTING
INSERT TANGENT
NEW USERS
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
A couple of quick things cleared up
• WordPress does not need to be installed on your computer
• Wordpress does in fact do ecommerce
• WordPress is secure
NEW USERS
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
Now that we have that all cleared up.....let’s move on shall we?
BASE TYPES OF CONTENT
CREATING CONTENT
WordPress offers two primary types of content
• Pages
• Posts
WHATS A PAGE?
CREATING CONTENT
A page is typically used for static content
• About Us, Contact, Services, Location
• Often used as a Home page
• Content that won’t change often (if at all)
• Pages that you wouldn’t typically let people comment on
WHATS A POST?
CREATING CONTENT
A post is timely information
• News, Announcements, Blog posts
• Content that changes and gets added to often
• Content that you want people commenting on
• Typically shown in reverse chronological order ( newest first)
CATEGORIES AND TAGS
CREATING CONTENT
One of the things that distinguishes Posts from Pages is the use of Categories and tags
• Applied to posts only, not to pages
• Think of categories as your table of contents for your posts
• Think of tags as the index words at the back of the book
EXAMPLES
CATEGORIES
Newspapers have been using categories for years in print
• News
• Entertainment
• Sports
• Classified
EXAMPLES
CATEGORIES
Lets take our example online....a Real Estate site
• Cities
• Types of properties
• Local Real Estate News
• Helpful tips for Home Buyers
• Community Events
WISEMAN SAYS
HOW MANY CATEGORIES?
You must strike a good balance between offering as few options as possible, while giving your reader enough choice to satisfy them
YOU’RE IT
TAG
Tags are descriptors for your content
• Recipe Site example- recipe for lemon meringue pie
• Tags could be
• Eggs
• Custard
• Lemon
• How much pie can Al eat in one sitting?
MAKE MY SITE PRETTY
THEMES
• What is a theme?
• Where to find good free themes
• Free themes vs premium
• Where to find good free themes
• Al’s Oath to you
• Where to look for premium themes
MAKE IT DO COOL STUFF
PLUGINS
• Extend the functionality of your website
• All widgets are plugins, but not all plugins are widgets
• All Plugins live at wordpress.org/plugins
• Downside- no such thing as a plugin review team
ANYTHING GOES
QUESTIONS
Questions?
THE BOOK
ANNOUNCEMENT
My Book “The Ultimate Guide to WordPress For Beginners” will be available in both printed and electronic formats ( Kindle and Nook ). Publication is set for mid to late February 2015.
Those who but the book will get a free pdf with whats new features and functionality are included with each upgrade regardless of whether you have bought printed or electronic ( as long as you register you’re copy.
