TheWPAdminDashboardGainultimatecontroloveryourblog.

NavigatingtoyourWPAdminDashboard• Signintowww.WordPress.com.• ReplacetheredcharactersofthefollowingURLwithyourblog’sname:https://NAME_BLOG.wordpress.com/wp-admintonavigatetoyourWPAdminDashboard.

SomeofyoumayprefertoworkintheCWPAdminDashboard,whereyouhavemorecontroloveryourblog’sfeatures.

• OR,clickthethreedotsnexttoyournameinyourMySitesdashboard,thenchoose“EditIcon”tonavigateto theWPAdminDashboard.

ClickontheDashboardlink ontheleft-handsideofthepage.• ScreenOptions- UsetheScreenOptionstab(upperright-handcorner)tochoosewhichDashboardboxestoshow.

• DragandDrop- Torearrangetheboxes,draganddropbyclickingonthetitlebaroftheselectedboxandreleasingwhenyouseeagraydotted-linerectangleappearinthelocationyouwanttoplacethebox.• BoxControls- Clickthetitlebaroftheboxtoexpandorcollapseit.

Sometheboxesthatmayappearonyourdashboardscreenare:

• AtaGlance- DisplaysasummaryofthecontentonyoursiteandidentifieswhichthemeandversionofWordPressyouareusing.

• Activity– Showstheupcomingscheduledposts,recentlypublished posts,andthemostrecentcommentsonyourpostsandallowsyoutomoderatethem.

• YourStuff–Displayslinkstoyour recentactivityonWordPress.com.Themodulewilldisplaylinkstocommentsyou’veleftonotherWordPress.comblogsaswellaslinkstopostsonanyofyourblogswhereyou’ve recentlymadechanges.

• What’sHot– DisplaysnewsfromWordPress.com, topblogs, toppostsandlatestposts.

• QuickDraft- Allowsyou tocreateanewpostandsaveitasadraft.Alsodisplayslinkstothe5mostrecentdraftpostsyou'vestarted.

• Stats– Showsyouagraphofyourblog’s trafficaswellaslinkstosomepopularareasofyourblog.ThegraphworksjustlikethegraphsontheSiteStatsscreens,soyoucanclickapointtoseemoreinformationabout thatday’straffic.

Theleft-handnavigationmenuprovideslinkstoalloftheWordPressadministrationscreens,withsubmenuitemsdisplayedwhenyouhoveroveralink.YoucanminimizethismenutoanarrowiconstripbyclickingontheCollapseMenuarrowatthebottom.

Whileinyourdashboard,hooverovertheSettingslinknearthebottomontheleft-andsideofthepageandclicktheGenerallink.Youcanchangeyoursite’stitle,taglineandmorefromhere.

Ifyoulikeyourblogtitle,leaveit,but,ifyouwanttochangeit,thisisyourlastchanceforthisclass.Remember,forconsistency’ssake,youshouldsettleonatitleandonlychangeitifthereisareallygoodreason.

• HooveroverthePagesintheleft-handnavigationmenuandclickAllPages.• TheAllPageslinkwilltakeyoutoapagewhereallyourpagesarelisted.

Accessingyourpages

YouupdatedyourAboutpagewhenyousetupyouraccount.YoushouldalsoaddaContactpage sothatpeoplecanreachyouonoroffline.

HooveroverthePageslinkontheleft-handsideofyourDashboardpageandclickAddNew.ClicktheEntertitleherebarandtype“Contact”or“ContactMe”orsometitlethatindicatesacontactpage.

Clickinsidethetexteditorandenteryourcontactinformation.Thiswouldbeagreatplacetoincludeyourbusiness’saddress,website,phonenumber,emailaddressandothercontactinformation.Explorethetexteditorbyhoveringoverthebuttonsintheoptionsbarandreadingthetooltipsandkeyboardshortcutsthatpopup.

CreatingaNewBlogPageintheWPAdminDashboard

Youshouldalsogiveyourreadersawaytocontactyouviaacontactform.Withyourcursorinthetexteditorbelowthecontactinformation youjustentered,clicktheAddContactFormbuttonabovethetexteditor.

WordPress willgiveyouapreviewofwhatthecontactformwilllooklike.Youcanchangethefield typesandlabelsbyhoveringoverafieldandclickingtheeditlink.

ClicktheblueAddthisformtomypostbuttonwhenyouareready.WordPress hasbuiltyourownpersonalizedcontactformandyoucannowseethehtmlcodeinthetexteditor.

Whenyouaresatisfiedwithyourcontactinformation, clickthebluePublishbutton inthePublishmenu.Youcanalsocheckthestatus,changethevisibilityandeditpublishing timesfromthePublishdialogboxwhencreatingpostsandpages.YoucanalsoaddapolltoapageorblogpostbyclickingtheAddPollbutton.ExploretheWPAdminDashboard,dialogboxesandtools.ThereissomuchyoucandointheWPAdminDashboard thatyoucannotdointhebasicMySitesone.

• HooverovertheAppearancelinkonyourDashboardandclicktheWidgetslink.Youcaneditthewidgetsthatappearinyourblogandaddwidgetstoyourblog fromthismenu.

Forexample,thisishowyouwouldaddaFlickrWidgetintheWPAdminDashboard:

• ClicktheFlickrbuttonintheAvailableWidgetslistthenclicktheAddWidgetbutton.TofindyourFlickrRSSfeed,gotoyourphotostreamandclickthe"Edit"tabatthetop.ScrolldowntothebottomofthepageuntilyouseetheRSSiconortheLatestlink.Rightclickoneitherandcopythelinkaddress.PasteitintotheFlickrRSSURLbox.

• ClicktheblueSavebuttonaftercustomizing thewidget.

• YourFlickrfeedwillnowshowuponyourblog.

AddingWidgets

ExploringadditionalThemes• FromyourWPAdminDashboard,clickorhoverovertheAppearancelinkintheDashboardmenuandselectthemes.Thereareabout190freethemesyoucanchoose.SelecttheFreetabontheright-handsideofthepage.Makesureyourthemefitsyourband,product,message,businessororganization.• Youcanviewatheme’sdetailsbyclickingonit.Youcanalsopreviewthetheme.• ApplythethemetoyourblogbyclickingtheblueActivatebutton.• Besuretochooseafreetheme.Thepriceofathemecanbefoundinagreencircleinthethemethumbnail’slowerright-handcorner.Thosethemeswithoutpriceslistedarefree.

CompletingyourPersonalProfileAsaWordPressuser,youhaveareader’sprofile.Donotconfusethiswithyourblog.Youcancustomizeyourpersonalprofile.• FromyourWPAdminDashboard,clickorhoverovertheUserslinkinthemenutoopenupthedropdownmenu.ClickMyProfile.Fromhere,youcanedityourpublicprofile.

• FirstuploadaGravatar,whichstandsforGloballyRecognizedAvatar,byclickingtheChangeyourGravatar link.

• YourWordPress.comaccountisalsoyourGravatar account- justenteryourWordPress.comusernameandpasswordtologinifyouarenotalreadyloggedin.

• Youcanchoosetouploadaphotofromyourcomputer,takeapictureofyourselfusingthecameraonyourcomputer,linktoaphotoofyourselfonline,oruseaGravatar fromapreviousaccount.

• YourGravatar canbeanythingyou’dlike— aphotoofyourself,yourwebsite’s logo,apictureyoulove,whatever.Keepinmindthatit’snotaverybigimage,sosomethingthathasalotofdetailisgoingtobereallyhardtosee.Onceyou’veuploadedyourGravatar,you’llbeabletoseeitbygoingtoUsersandthenMyProfile.YoucanalwayschangeyourGravatar fromthereifyougetanewhaircut,getboredwithyourGravatar,orfindanotherphototorepresentyou.

• YourGravatar willappearnexttocommentsyoumakeonotherWordPressblogs.

CreatingblogpostintheWPAdminDashboard• ClickorhoveroverthePostslinkandselectAddNew.• WPAdminDashboardgivesyouseveralmoreoptionsthantheBasicDashboardwhenyouarecreatingablogpost.Forexample,youcanaddapollfromhere.

• Onceyouhavewrittenyourblog,youcansaveitasadraft,previewitorpublishitfromthePublishdialogboxontheright-handsideofthepage.

LoggingoutofWordPress

• AnytimeyouwanttologoutofWordPress,findandclickyourGravatarintheupperright-handcornerofthepage.(Itwillbeagenericimageifyouhaven’tuploadedaGravatar yet.)

• ClickthewhiteSignOutbuttonbelowyourGravatar tologoutofWordPress.

Sourceswww.wordpress.com

LouiseJett