Below are a series of resources for developing your online presence. Some of these resources are links to external tutorials and materials, and others were developed specifically for this site.
Using WordPress
- Basics on using WordPress page and post editing interface (from WordPress)
- Tutorial on how to create pages and posts (from Coventry University)
- Tutorial on how to use the blocks editor (aka edit with Gutenberg) (from Coventry University)
- Tutorial on how to use the customizer and how to change your theme (from Coventry University)
- Tutorial on how to add and install plugins (from Reclaim Hosting)
- Tutorial on how to add and install themes (from Reclaim Hosting)
- Find a variety of tutorials and tipsheets on the Domains support page
- Brief walkthrough video of creating an about page (no sound)
- Brief walkthrough video of creating pages and structuring the menu (no sound)
- Brief walkthrough of the customizer (part 1) (part 2) (no sound)
Recommended WordPress Plugins
All recommendations are for the free versions of plugins. No upgrading/payment is required.
Tutorial on how to add and install plugins (from Reclaim Hosting)
- Contact Form – Contact Form 7 (plugin page ; tutorial)
- Managing Image Sizes – Smush (plugin page ; tutorial)
- Website Backup – Updraft Plus (plugin page ; tutorial)
- Multilingual Site – Google Language Translator (plugin ; tutorial)
- Redirecting pages – Redirection (plugin ; documentation)
- Instagram Feed Embed – Smash Balloon (plugin ; tutorial)
- Twitter Feed Embed – Custom Twitter Feeds (plugin)
- Google Analytics – Lara’s Google Analytics (plugin)
- Embed a PDF (not the best for accessibility, but in case you need to do it) – Wonder PDF Embed (plugin ; tutorial)
- Put a Password on your Site (not necessary if you just want to password protect individual page(s) – Password Protected (plugin)
Recommended WordPress Themes
Tutorial on how to add and install themes (from Reclaim Hosting)
- Twenty Fifteen – Simple theme with a left menu (available on the Commons)
Resources about MSU Commons
- Introducing MSU Commons
- Introduction to Sites
- Getting Started with MSU Commons
- MSU Commons Instructor Toolkit
Getting A Domain Name
- Tutorial for purchasing a domain name through Namecheap and linking your Domains WordPress site
- Tutorial for purchasing a domain name through Reclaim Hosting and linking your Domains WordPress site
- Adding a new domain to cpanel (from Reclaim Hosting help site)
Finding Images
- The Noun Project – images and icons, available as free downloads for non-commercial reuse
- Creative Commons Image Search – search across platforms for images based on creative commons license
- Wikimedia Commons – freely reusable images
- Pexels – royalty free images, available for non-commerical and commercial use for free
- Unsplash – free to use images for non-commercial and commercial use (see Unsplash license for details)
Managing Sites in MSU Domains
- Setting up a subdomain (e.g. projects.kristenmapes.com)
- Backing up your site to Google Drive
Writing a Bio page
- Post on “Writing a search optimized web biography“, from The Fedua Research Impact Blog, University of Newcastle, Australia, Feb 28, 2016
- Post on “The importance of a professional profile image“, from The Fedua Research Impact Blog, University of Newcastle, Australia, Feb 29, 2016