Reston Useful Services Exchange (USE) — A Community TimeBank

Join . . . Exchange . . . Connect

Site Admin Help Tutorial

How to Maintain this WordPress.Com Site:

Site Purpose:

  • 1st, to promote greater engagement in USE activities by both current and new members; and
  • 2nd to attract additional resources in the form of Volunteers, new Board members, partner community organizations or local media.

Note that the site does not replace Time and Talents Member Software (hOurworld) which is still used to support USE Service Exchanges.

For a general view of Navigation on this website see SiteMap

What is WordPress.COM?wp_comWordPress.COM is a simplified, fully supported version of popular WordPress software.

How does a Site Admin perform basic tasks on this site?

  • For basic site security, use an ID (your name, for example) instead of just the default “admin”, and create a Password that is not obvious but easy to remember.
  • After logging into the site, open up the internal WordPress Dashboard, and also open as a second tab on your PC your external website, so you can check it to see any changes you make on the “back end” Dashboard.
  • Consult the “Stats” tab on your Dashboard to see a record of your work on the site, plus “hits” and other statistics on how people are using your site.
  • Periodically check the Dashboard fields of “Comments” or “Feedback” to see if any user questions or input regarding your site.

WordPress content can be uploaded in three basic ways:

wpcom_media_btn

  1. Images (including documents) go to “Media”.  You can add images from your PC, or from free image sources cued to you by WP.COM.

wpcom_blogpost_btn

2. “Post” articles vary chronologically, and anyone subscribing to your blog will automatically get by email any new posts.  All posts with their “featured image” are shown in reverse chronological order on your Home Page, under the Menu tabs – in scrolling down, just click “Older Posts” to get blog prior articles.  You can also get recent articles by clicking Recent Blog on the Menu tab.

wpcom_page_btn

3. “Page” content is more static. You may edit (or delete) any given Page or Post by clicking on the relevant Dashboard section, then typing within the body of the article. A draft is automatically saved for you.  When ready, remember to hit “Update” to save and publish your work for either a Page or Post on the site.

You may also create new Pages and Posts by clicking the Add button by the Pages or Posts section on your Dashboard.

Be mindful that your content needs to appear somewhere on the site “Menu.” You can reorder Menu items by “dragging and dropping” Menu titles and add Menu labels and content by clicking “Add Item”, then drawing upon the appropriate content to be shown on the Menu.

Try out this Test Site:  To test your new WordPress Admin skills, try doing some simple Posts and Pages on our test site you cannot break it! Learn by doing!

  • This tutorial supports your using the traditional or “Classic Editor”.
  • Stay tuned for Updates to WordPress Software:  WordPress deployed late in 2018 a major change – “Gutenberg” – in how users edit Pages and Posts by using pre-formatted “blocks.”  You may wish to experiment with this new editor in the future.  Here are some explanatory articles and demos of how the new “Gutenberg” editor works:

Key Help Resources:  Help_Ques_Mark_WP.COM

  • Click on the on the blue-circled question mark in the lower right-hand portion of your Dashboard to scan the extensive WordPress.COM knowledge directory, or ask a question on a Forum, or to contact an expert directly via Chat.
  • Ask any questions by Google Search! Since WordPress is so widespread on the Web, there are lots of good online resources.
  • There are a wide variety of helpful articles on how to do things in WordPress. One popular site is WPBeginner.Com
  • Lastly, here is free online book on WordPress: “Easy WP Guide – WordPress Manual,” by Anthony Hortin
  • Gary Vaughan may also be reached at glvconsulting@hotmail.com about any website admin or usage questions.
  • You may also ask your fellow Admins by submitting a Help Contact Form.

Other General WordPress Resources:

This last one is very popular but quite long (5 hrs. 40 min).  It appears to be the best, comprehensive video for a beginner.  Lynda.com is free for the first month.