Library%20Blogs%20using%20WordPress

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Library Blogs using WordPress
Greg Sennema Electronic Services
Librarian Wilfrid Laurier University Session 1318
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Library Blogs using WordPress

• why use a blog
• choosing blog software
• what is WordPress
• installing WordPress
• using WordPress
• customizing WordPress themes
• customizing WordPress plugins
• WordPress resources

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Why use a Blog

• More than just a personal story platform
• Organizational stories, news, highlights
• Parse content maintenance to staff
• Parse content into web site, make current
• Picked up in blog search engines
• RSS is a core function of a blog

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Why use a Blog Examples
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Why use a Blog Examples
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Why use a Blog Examples
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Why use a Blog Examples
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Why use a Blog Examples
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Why use a Blog Examples
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Why use a Blog Examples
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Choosing Blog software

• Criteria for choosing blogging software?
• what are the required technical skills needed to
  install and edit
• what does it offer for site navigation pages,
  categories
• can posts be easily created and modified
• can pictures and multimedia be easily uploaded
• can posts and comments be displayed, turned
  on/off
• can posts be moderated before published
• can the blog generate RSS feeds
• can the appearance and layout be easily changed
• is there technical support
• is it locally or remotely hosted
• does it provide usage statistics

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Choosing Blog software

• We need to get up and running quickly, without
  technical skills
• WordPress (hosted)
• TypePad
• We want to tailor the blog, and someone
  technical can help set it up,
• but non-tech-savvy folks will be posting.
• Blogger
• TypePad
• WordPress (installed)
• Our organization is pretty technical all around,
  and we want the most
• flexibility in a blogging tool.
• WordPress (installed)
• TextPattern
• ExpressionEngine

Source Getting Started with Blogging
Software www.idealware.org/blogging_software
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Choosing Blog software
Hosted or Installed?
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Choosing Blog software (free, hosted)
Source Getting Started with Blogging
Software www.idealware.org/blogging_software
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Choosing Blog software (free, hosted)
Blogger.com WordPress.com

• owned by
• appearance easily customized
• navigation bar
• no categories

• large open source community
• choose from 54 themes ( to edit)
• no navigation bar
• categories

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Choosing Blog software (free, hosted)
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Choosing Blog software (free, hosted)
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Choosing Blog software (free, hosted)
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Choosing Blog software (free, installed)
Source Getting Started with Blogging
Software www.idealware.org/blogging_software
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Choosing Blog software (free, installed)
evolution WordPress.com

• supports multiple blogs
• appearance easily customized
• categories
• small (but growing) user group

• single blog per install
• appearance easily customized
• categories
• large user group

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What is WordPress

• WordPress started in 2003 and has grown to be
  the largest self-hosted
• blogging tool in the world, used on hundreds of
  thousands of sites and
• seen by tens of millions of people every day.
• Everything about WordPress was created by and for
  the community.
• WordPress is an Open Source project, which means
  there are hundreds
• of people all over the world working on it (more
  than most commercial
• platforms.) It also means you are free to use it
  for anything from your
• cats home page to a Fortune 500 web site without
  paying a license fee.
• Large user community and completely customizable
  (themes and plugins)

Source wordpress.org/about/
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Installing WordPress Requirements

• web server (virtually any!)
• PHP version 4.2 or greater
• MySQL version 4.0 or greater

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Installing WordPress Steps

• http//codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPre
  ss .
• WordPress Installed for Free
• Things to Know Before You Begin Installing
  WordPress
• The Famous 5-Minute Installation.
• Detailed Installation Instructions
• Common Installation Problems
• WordPress in Your Language
• Installing WordPress in Your Language
• How to Install Multiple Blogs
• How to Install WordPress Locally
• Getting Started with WordPress (much more
  installation info)

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Installing WordPress Steps
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Installing WordPress Steps
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Installing WordPress Steps
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Using WordPress

• Dashboard
• making posts
• writing pages
• administration

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Using WordPress
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Using WordPress
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Using WordPress
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Using WordPress
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Customizing WordPress Themes

• Hosted plug and play
• Installed acquire, plug, tweak, and play
• Requires understanding of CSS and PHP

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Customizing WordPress Themes
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Customizing WordPress Themes
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Customizing WordPress Themes
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Customizing WordPress Themes
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Customizing WordPress Themes
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Customizing WordPress Themes
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Customizing WordPress Themes
Source wordpress.org/about
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Customizing WordPress Themes
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Customizing WordPress Themes
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Customizing WordPress Themes
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Customizing WordPress Themes
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Customizing WordPress Themes
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Customizing WordPress Plugins

• Hosted plug and play
• Installed acquire, plug, tweak, and play

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Customizing WordPress Plugins
Source codex.wordpress.org/Plugins
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Customizing WordPress Plugins
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Customizing WordPress Plugins
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Customizing WordPress Plugins
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Customizing WordPress Plugins
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Customizing WordPress Plugins
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Customizing WordPress Plugins
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WordPress Resources
wordpress.org
October 2006
January 2006
August 2007
June 2006
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Library Blogs using WordPress
Questions or comments?
Greg Sennema Electronic Services
Librarian Wilfrid Laurier University Session 1318