Introduction to Wordpress

JOMC 463 NewsdeskSeptember 15, 2010

Tony Zeoli

Wordpress is…

• A popular content management system otherwise known as a CMS.

• A fork of B2 Café Log, early blogging system• HTML/CSS (Layout and Style)• PHP (scripting)• MySql (database)• Matt Mullenweg, Mike Little• Open Source– Free to modify under GPL (General Public License)

What makes Wordpress work

• LAMP– Linux Operating System

• Just another operating system, like Windows or MacOS.

– Apache Web Server• Resolves requests for web pages in folders on a machine connected

to the Internet. Delivers to your browser.

– MySql Database• Stores all the content and settings (except for physical assets like

photo and video—but saves the URL’s pointing to those media assets.

– PHP Scripting Language – Call information from the database and places it into pages, posts, headers, sidebars and footers.

What does Wordpress look like?

• Wordpress is simply a folder full of files that do stuff.

• All files are dependant on each other to effectively run.

• Code, Front End and Back End.

Working in Wordpress

WP-Content

• The WP-Content folder is the most important folder in Wordpress.

WP-Content

• Stores your “themes,” uploads and plugins.

WP-Config

• The WP-Config files is the most important file in Wordpress.

WP-Content• If I upload files in Wordpress, where do they go?• WP-Content stores your “themes,” uploads and plugins.

WP-Content

• wp-content > uploads > year > month

Themes

• uploads > themes

Plugins

• uploads > plugins

You already know Content Mangement

• If you use:– Facebook– Twitter– Blogger– Wordpress.com– Blackboard– Basecamp– Any other online site where you log in and add

content, then save it, and it display on a web page somewhere.

Facebook Notes

• Adding content to Wordpress is just like adding a Facebook note.

Posting to Twitter is CMS driven

• Each post to Twitter is saved in a database by:– User– Date Stamp– Time Stamp– Keywords– Tags– Links

How does stuff get into Wordpress?

• For Editors, Authors, Contributors– Publish Posts & Pages in Wordpress Admin.– Upload file assets using the Wordpress Media Library in

Wordpress Admin.• For Wordpress Developers– SSH: secure shell access < most secure.– SFTP: secure file transfer protocol < generally secure.– FTP: file transfer protocol < least secure.

• On ReeseNews, only developers can upload to our servers via SSH or SFTP. All staff will add content using the admin system.

Wordpress Admin > Add New Post

What’s a Theme?

• Wordpress is the engine.• The car body is the theme.

Themes

• Free Themes– Download from Wordpress Codex

• Premium Themes ($$$)– Download from Theme developers

• Custom Themes– Build your own

• Theme Frameworks & Child Themes– Minimal Themes containing all relevant elements, just

override with “child theme” – a new CSS style sheet.

Examples

• Free • Paid

What do I need to know?

• For Editors– Managing content

• Categories, Tags• SEO• Writing Style/Spell Check• Assignment Desk / Digital Workflow• Formatting Content

• For Content Producers– Producing Content

• Posting Articles• Uploading media assets• Formatting Content• Non-traditional posting via mobile