Novel Experience & Expression

Over the weekend, please create your blog; then, post your link in a comment below.

In your first entry, please briefly introduce yourself (as we’ve not during class time): flexible expectations for this, but please include
major/grade and “technical experience level” (with tech./social media); rationale for taking course, (seeking what from this experience?); your “working definition” for “experience”; and any interesting information you’d like to share, perhaps an “experience narrative” (after Friday’s class)…

 
Note: See prior post for suggestions / elaboration on “blogging” in weekly entries.

 
            Register @ Wordpress

            WP Support site

 
 
Technical Instructions for Blog Setup:

Blog Setup:

• Wordpress Register
• Complete registration, using UF email account. Note: username will become URL (address) by default. e.g. http://janedoe.wordpress.com.
  
• However, you can rename domain on next page:
  e.g. Username: GHink. Domain: “experience.wordpress.com” And then (re-)title blog — Blog Title: “Experience Expression”
  
• (Then click “signup”).
  
• Next, choose Theme. Many to browse/select; choose a theme you like! (one expressive of your personality, aesthetically pleasing, relevant widgets, etc) Browse or search; preview or activate — you can always choose new themes without any permanent changes to your blog. I suggest two- (or three-) column layout.
  

 
So, once you’ve created your account/blog:

– your username is your URL (e.g. ghink.wordpress.com)

– login in order to post/edit: Wordpress.com

 
The “Dashboard” is the page to create content and edit appearance. This page presents full control of your blog — including appearance, entries/pages/content, and all administrative functions. Look around — the navigation is fairly intuitive.

 
Next, you’ll probably want to change a few Settings (Dashboard, left sidebar):

• “General Settings“: Blog Title (if you’ve not already)

• “Users” — “Your Profile”: Name, avatar, etc
• * “Appearance” — “Themes“: (if you’ve not already)
• * “Appearance” — “Widgets“:
  – All optional, yet strongly suggest:
  “Search,” “Pages,” “Categories,” “Tag Cloud,” “Links” (add classmates to your Blogroll).
  Note: “Meta” is a key widget, in order to login directly on your page; (much faster than WP.com).

 
Now you’re ready to add content.

• “Pages” (Dashboard, left sidebar :
  First, edit the “About” page (required); at minimum, suggest Name, Course, Semester (like my current About page). Use privacy logic; do not post your email address, to avoid receiving spam.

  Any additional pages are up to you. I will be able to distinguish your “official” class entries (weekly, for credit) by the tags and categories that you add to Posts.

• “Posts“
  First, edit the initial / default entry.
  Here, briefly describe your blog; additionally, I would like everyone specifically to introduce themselves in their first entry (as we did not do so during class time).

  – Once you edit the text-field, add Tags and the Category (right sidebar). Then click “Update” (for new entries, “Publish” button).

  span style=”font-family:times,georgia,garamond;”>In the future, click “Add New” under “Posts” (left sidebar) — this is how you’ll add weekly entries and your response assignments.

  Note on Tags and Categories: these are important for readers (me, primarily), especially as the semester progresses (and you accumulate 20 entries). This is how I’ll distinguish your “class entries” (for credit) from any personal entries that you might post (optional).

  More on “Posts” at Wordpress Support

• “Links” (left sidebar):
  – “Edit” (delete default links)
  – “Add New” (at minimum, the course blog; plus any others you’d like to add, such as your classmates’ blogs and relevant web sites).

 
For further technical help, you can find answers/instructions to most issues in the
Wordpress Support section as well as the
Support Forum

(both of which you can search with keywords).

 
 
Suggestion: “play around” with the interface controls, and you’ll likely intuit the functions fairly quickly (more quickly, I’d add). Specifically, when creating an entry, you’ll see two rows of formatting commands at the top of the text field, when in “Visual” view — these cover most functions, (basic and otherwise!). The “visual” view is the actual design/formatting (”what you see is what you get”) — this is how your “post” will look.
More about this later and/or by request, (and as always, email me with Qs/problems).

 
 
 

Tags: blogging, experience