How to Showcase Your Work With WordPress
How to Showcase Your Work With
WordPress
What is WordPress?
• WordPress is a free open source web publishing platform powered by PHP and MySQL
• It is a simple way for non-tech people to publish content to the internet
• Currently 71,605,864 websites are powered by WordPress world wide
• Originally designed as a blog but has grown into the worlds most popular web content management system
Content Management System (CMS)
• A content management system is an application designed to make it easy for non-technical users to manage a website and work in a collaborative environment
• Separates the design, functionality and the content of the site
What can WordPress do for you?
• Blog• Static Website• Dynamic Website• Ecommerce Website• Portfolio/Gallery
Website
Who is using WordPress?
I Love Typography
Manchester Young Professionals Network
ABI Innovation Hub
Ebay Ink
Ford Social
Katy Perry
Kobe Bryant
Anderson Cooper
Mike Rowe
PlayStation
WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org
wordpress.com • A cloud based blogging platform • It is hosted on WordPress servers• Not very customizable
wordpress.org • Powerful web publishing platform• Hosted on your server • Very customizable
Post vs. PagePosts• Single article
displayed in reverse chronological order
• Organized by categories
• Further organized by tags
• Custom Fields• Featured images• Comments
Pages• Top tier
information that does not change
• Parent – child relationships
• Custom page templates
• Featured image• comments
How do I organize my content
Categories and Tags
Category (Hierarchical Taxonomies)
• Away to organize your posts• Based of parent and child
relationships
Tags (Non Hierarchical Taxonomies)
• Are index words (Keywords)• Geo location tags• Tag information is passed along
to other sites
How to add functionality
Widgets and Plugins
Plugins are bits of code that add functionality to your site.
• Google Analytics, All in One SEO, NextGEN gallery etc.
Widgets are modules that add
functionality. • Commonly found in side bars
and footers• Contain menus, search, photos,
calendars and other information
5 Must Have Plugins
• All in one SEO• Sociable• Akismet (anti spam)• Contact Form 7• Google Analytics
How do I change the look of my website
Themes and Design
Themes are the look and feel of your website.
• Content• Layout• Typography• Background• Navigation• Color• Functionality
Where can I find Themes
• Wordpress.org (Free)• ThemeForest.net ($1-15
average)• Thesis ($87)• Headway ($67)
Where do I start?
Have a plan!
• Have your pages mapped out
• Have an idea of how you are going to organize your content
• Have the content written• Optimize your images
Installing WordPress
Find a reliable web host. • Hostmonster• Bluehost• Laughing Squid• Go Daddy
TwentyEleven WordPress Default Theme
• Free• Valid code• HTML5• CSS3• Customizable
TwentyEleven Dashboard
How to set up a gallery or portfolio
3 ways to set up a portfolio
• Brand an existing theme with portfolio or gallery plug-ins
• Use pre built portfolio theme
• Create your own theme and custom post types
Portfolio Plug-ins
5 Portfolio Plugins to try
• NexGEN Gallery• Awesome Flickr Gallery• Portfolio Slideshow• Portfolio Post Type• Simple Portfolio
NexGEN Gallery
• Easy install• Bulk Upload• Gallery pages• Slide show
options• Easy to manage• Professional
look and feel
Awesome Flickr Gallery
• Great beginner gallery
• Easy import to website
• Easy to manage
Portfolio Slide Show
• Great beginner slideshow plug-in
• Simple installation
• Easy to add images
• Easy to manage
Portfolio Post Type
• Simple installation• Custom post types• Separate portfolio
taxonomies• Easy to customize
with basic CSS and HTML
• Does not change themes very well.
Simple Portfolio
• Powerful and easy to use
• Simple installation• Separate
portfolio/project taxonomies
• Easy to customize with basic CSS and HTML
• Lots of options
Portfolio Themes
Portfolio Themes
• Teardrop (Themeforest.net - $35)• Display (Themeforest.com - $40)• Headway (headwaythemes.com -
$68)• Thesis (diythemes.com - $87)
Teardrop Theme
• Great Photography Theme
• Full page slide show
• Lots of options
Display Theme
• Great portfolio theme
• Homepage slideshow
• Simple installation• Easy to manage• Lots of options
Headway Theme
• Designer friendly• Drag and drop
visual interface• Simple to use• basic HTML is
helpful• Lots of options
Thesis Theme
• Good all-around theme
• Simple installation• Looks good right
out of the box• Easy to customize
with basic HTML• Lots of options
What’s next?
Resources
• WordPress.org• WordPress Meetups
http://meetup.bostonwp.org/• WordCamps
http://wordcampboston.com/• User groups and forums
Thank You!Gregory Duval@gregorviosGREGORVIOS Graphic Design Studiowww.gregorvios.comSlide Share