Showing posts with label weblogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weblogging. Show all posts

Friday, May 3, 2013

WordPress Semantics

WordPress was created by the developers as weblogging or blogging software. A blog, as defined in the Codex Glossary, is an online journal, diary, or serial, published by a person or group of people. Many blogs are personal in nature, reflecting the opinions and interests of the owner. But, blogs are now important tools in the world of business, politics, and entertainment.

Blogs are a form of a Content Management System (CMS) which Wikipedia calls "a system used to organize and facilitate collaborative content creation." Both blogs and Content Management Systems can perform the role of a website (site for short). A website can be thought of as a collection of articles and information about a specific subject, service, or product, which may not be a personal reflection of the owner.

The term Word in WordPress refers to the words used to compose posts. Posts are the principal element (or content) of a blog. The posts are the writings, compositions, discussions, discourses, musings, pictures, graphics, and, yes, the rantings of the blog's owner and guest authors. Posts, in most cases, are the reason a blog exists; without posts, there is no blog!

After a post is made public, a blog's readers will respond, via comments, to that post, and in turn, authors will reply. Comments enable the communication process, that give-and-take, between author and reader. Comments are the life-blood of most blogs.

An important part of the posting process is the act of assigning those posts to categories. Each post in WordPress is filed under one or more categories. Thoughtful categorization allows posts of similar content to be grouped, thereby aiding viewers in the navigation and use of a site. In addition to categories, terms or keywords called tags can be assigned to each post.

In turn, post categories are one of the elements of what's called post meta data. Post meta data refers to the information associated with each post and includes the author's name and the date posted as well as the post categories. Post meta data also refers to Custom Fields where you assign specific words, or keys, that can describe posts. But, you can't mention post meta data without discussing the term meta.

Generally, meta means "information about"; in WordPress, meta usually refers to administrative-type information. So, besides post meta data, Meta is the HTML tag used to describe and define a web page to the outside world, like meta tag keywords for search engines. Also, many WordPress-based sites offer a Meta section, usually found in the sidebar, with links to login or register at that site. And, don't forget Meta Rules: The rules defining the general protocol to follow in using this Codex, or Meta, as in the MediaWiki namespace that refers to administrative functions within Codex. That's a lot of Meta!

Finally, WordPress also offers a content management tool called a Page. Pages often present static information, such as "About Me", or "Contact Us", Pages. Typically "timeless" in nature, Pages should not be confused with the time-oriented objects called posts. Interestingly, a Page is allowed to be commented upon, but a Page cannot be categorized.
Terminology Related to Design

The flexibility of WordPress is apparent when discussing terminology related to the design of a WordPress blog. At the core of WordPress, developers created a programming structure named The Loop to handle the processing of posts. The Loop is the critical PHP program code used to display posts. Anyone wanting to enhance and customize WordPress will need to understand the mechanics of The Loop.

Along with The Loop, WordPress developers have created Template Tags which are a group of PHP functions that can be invoked by designers to perform an action or display specific information. It is the Template Tags that form the basis of the Template Files. Template Files contain the programming pieces, such as Template Tags, that control the structure and flow of a WordPress site. These files draw information from your WordPress MySQL database and generate the HTML code which is sent to the web browser. A Template Hierarchy, in essence the order of processing, dictates how Templates control almost all aspects of the output, including Headers, Sidebars, Archives, and Posts by Category.

Templates and Template Tags are two of the pieces used in the composition of a WordPress Theme. A Theme is the overall design of a site and encompasses color, graphics, and text. A Theme is sometimes called the skin. With the recent advances in WordPress, Theme Development has become a hot topic. WordPress-site owners have available a long list of Themes to choose from in deciding what to present to their sites' viewers. In fact, with the use of a Theme Switcher Revisited Plugin, WordPress designers can allow their visitors to select their own Theme.

Plugins are custom functions created to extend the core functionality of WordPress. The WordPress developers have maximized flexibility and minimized code bloat by allowing outside developers the opportunity to create their own useful add-on features. As evidenced by the Codex Plugins by Category and the Plugin Official Repository; there's a Plugin to enhance virtually every aspect of WordPress.

Terminology for the Administrator
Another set of terms to examine are those involving the Administration of a WordPress site. A comprehensive set of Administration Panels enables users to easily administer and monitor their blog. A WordPress administrator has a number of powers which include requiring a visitor to register in order to participate in the blog, who can create new posts, whether comments can be left, and if files can be uploaded to the blog. An Administrator also defines Links and the associated Link Categories which are an important part of a blog's connection to the outside world.

Some of the main administrative responsibilities of a WordPress blog involve adding, deleting, and managing Registered Users. Administering users means controlling Roles and Capabilities, or permissions. Roles control what functions a registered user can perform as those functions can range from just being able to login at a blog to performing the role administrator.

Another chief concern for the blog administrator is Comment Moderation. Comments, also called discussions, are responses to posts left for the post author by the visitor and represent an important part of "the give and take" of a blog. But Comments must be patrolled for Spam and other malicious intentions. The WordPress Administration Comments SubPanel simplifies that process with easy-to-use screens which add, change, and delete Comments.

The Terminology of Help
The final set of jargon relates to helping you with WordPress. There are many help resources available to WordPress users; Getting More Help, Finding WordPress Help, Troubleshooting, and WordPress FAQ (frequently asked questions) are good starting points. Also Getting Started with WordPress will jump-start readers into the world of WordPress and the excellent WordPress Lessons provide in-depth tutorials on many of the aspects of using WordPress. Among the most important resources is the WordPress Support Forum where knowledgeable volunteers answer your questions and help solve any problems related to WordPress. And, of course, this Codex which is filled with hundreds of articles designed to make your WordPress experience a success!

History of the WordPress Name
Besides the technical terminology of WordPress, it's also interesting to know the history of the name, WordPress. The name "WordPress" was originally coined by Christine Selleck (see related post) in response to developer Matthew Mullenweg's desire to associate his new software project with printing presses. In this sense, press refers to the world of reporters, journalists, columnists, and photographers. An aptly chosen name, because WordPress serves as the printing press that enables its users to publish their words. It's a good name, don't you think so?

Thursday, March 28, 2013

How to make a blog website



First we need to download WordPress from WordPress.com You can upload through a FTP, or log into your host dashboard and install WordPress using the already provided WordPress download. Since we do not want to ReDesign our existing website and only add a blog page we will simply install WordPress in the subroot directory on your server. If you wish to go fully dynamic install in the root directory.

Once installed you will then login to your dashboard. Example of Login is (url wp-admin) The wp-admin must always appear in order to log in. Now since we are not Re-Designing the site and just adding a blog page it would look like this to log in. (url/blog/wp-admin)
Now that you have a blog and have logged in WordPress site, it’s time for your site to start taking shape. I have listed these in order. This must be done this way or you will never get your site to appear properly.
  • Add Pages first, decide what you will name them and click on the page tab on the fly out menu to your left.
  • Add Menu, to get to the menu you will need to locate the appearance tab on the left. The first thing you need to is name the menu. Header Menu,Footer Menu and Sidebar Menu. Now look to the lower left and you will see you pages. Select all pages and hit apply. If you want sub page drop downs simply drag the new page menu over a notch to the right under the appropriate name.
  • Change Permalinks is important, you will find this under the Settings tab. Click on permalinks. Most people name them %postname% this renames your pages from numbers to the name of the page you included in the menu.
  • Install Jetpack.is a great feature to add to a web design. Once connected by clicking on the menu tab called Jetpack you will see many useful choices. My favorite is the Stats. This feature is free and allows you to see what visitor came to your site when, and best of all what key words they used to find you.
  • Add plug-ins and once installed you will add widgets to your site. An easy way to think of this is that each plug in is a widget. My favorite is Ultimate SEO. So for sake of keeping with this web design article type in Ultimate SEO. Once you see it in the list click on install. Once installed Click on Activate.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Introduction to WordPress Terminology

WordPress was conceived by the developers as weblogging or blogging programs. A blog, as defined in the Codex Glossary, is an online periodical, diary, or successive, released by a person or assembly of persons. numerous blogs are personal in nature, mirroring the attitudes and concerns of the proprietor. But, blogs are now important devices in the world of report, business, politics, and amusement.

Blogs are a form of a Content Management System (CMS) which Wikipedia calls "a system utilised to organize and facilitate collaborative content creation." Both blogs and Content Management Systems can present the function of a website (site for short). A website can be considered of as a collection of articles and information about a exact subject, service, or product, which may not be a individual reflection of the owner. More lately, as the role of WordPress has expanded, WordPress developers have started using the more general term site, in location of blog.

Terminology associated to Content
The period Word in WordPress mentions to the phrases utilised to compose posts. mails are the principal component (or content) of a blog. The posts are the writings, compositions, considerations, discourses, musings, and, yes, the rantings of the blog's owner and visitor authors. mails, in most cases, are the cause a blog exists; without mails, there is no blog!

To facilitate the mail writing method, WordPress provides a full featured authoring tool with modules that can be moved, via drag-and-drop, to fit the needs of all authors. The Dashboard QuickPress module makes it easy to rapidly compose and release a mail. There's no excuse for not composing.

Integral to a blog are the images, images, sounds, and videos, else know as newspapers. newspapers enhances, and gives life to a blog's content. WordPress presents an easy to use procedure of injecting newspapers exactly into mails, and a method to upload newspapers that can be subsequent attached to mails, and a Media supervisor to organise those various Media.

An significant part of the posting method is the act of assigning those mails to categories. Each mail in WordPress is filed under one or more classes. classes can be hierarchical in environment, where one class actions as a parent to some child, or offspring, classes. Thoughtful categorization permits posts of alike content to be grouped, thereby aiding viewers in the navigation, and use of a site. In supplement to classes, periods or keywords called tags can be allotted to each mail. Tags act as another navigation device, but are not hierarchical in environment. Both classes and tags are part of a system called taxonomies. If classes and tags are not sufficient, users can also conceive made-to-order taxonomies that allow more exact identification of mails or sheets or made-to-order post kinds.

In turn, mail classes and tags are two of the components of what's called post meta facts and figures. mail meta data refers to the data affiliated with each mail and includes the author's name and the designated day posted as well as the mail categories. mail meta facts and figures also mentions to Custom areas where you assign specific phrases, or keys, that can recount mails. But, you can't mention post meta data without considering the period meta.

usually, meta means "information about"; in WordPress, meta usually refers to administrative-type data. So, in addition to post meta facts and figures, Meta is the HTML tag used to describe and characterise a world wide world wide web sheet to the out-of-doors world, like meta tag keywords for seek engines. furthermore, numerous WordPress-based sites offer a Meta section, generally discovered in the sidebar, with links to login or list at that location. And, don't forget Meta Rules: The rules characterising the general protocol to follow in utilising this Codex, or Meta, as in the MediaWiki namespace that refers to administrative purposes within Codex. That's a allotment of Meta!

After a mail is made public, a blog's readers will respond, by remarks, to that mail, and in turn, authors will answer. Comments endow the connection method, that give-and-take, between scribe and book reader. remarks are the life-blood of most blogs.

Finally, WordPress furthermore boasts two other content administration tools called sheets and made-to-order mail types. sheets often present static information, such as "About Me", or "Contact Us", Pages. Typically "timeless" in nature, Pages should not be bewildered with the time-oriented objects called posts. Interestingly, a sheet is permitted to be commented upon, but a sheet will not be categorized. A made-to-order mail kind mentions to a kind of organised data that is distinct from a mail or a sheet. Custom post kinds permit users to effortlessly conceive and manage such things as portfolios, tasks, video libraries, podcasts, extracts, chats, and anything a user or developer can envisage.
 
Terminology associated to Design
The flexibility of WordPress is clear-cut when discussing terminology associated to the design of a WordPress blog. At the centre of WordPress, developers conceived a programming structure entitled The Loop to handle the processing of mails. The Loop is the critical PHP program code used to brandish posts. Anyone liking to enhance and customize WordPress will need to understand the mechanics of The Loop.

Along with The Loop, WordPress developers have created Template Tags which are a assembly of PHP purposes that can be invoked by designers to present an activity or display exact information. It is the Template Tags that form the cornerstone of the Template documents. Templates (files) comprise the programming parts, such as Template Tags, that command the structure and flow of a WordPress location. These documents draw information from your WordPress MySQL database and develop the HTML code which is dispatched to the web browser. A Template Hierarchy, in essence the order of processing, dictates how Templates control nearly all facets of the output, encompassing Headers, Sidebars, and Archives. Archives are a dynamically developed list of mails, and are typically grouped by designated day, class, tag, or author.

Templates and Template Tags are two of the parts utilised in the composition of a WordPress topic. A topic is the overall design of a site and embraces color, graphics, and text. A Theme is occasionally called the skin. With the recent improvement in WordPress, Theme Development is a warm topic. WordPress-site proprietors have accessible a long list of topics to choose from in concluding what to present to their sites' viewers. In detail, with the use of a topic Switcher Revisited Plugin, WordPress designers can permit their tourists to select their own Theme.

As the capabilities of WordPress have advanced, developers have added devices that permit users to easily organise a site's gaze and functionality:
  • Widgets provide an very simple way to add little programs, such as the current climate, to a sidebar.
  • Meal lists make it easy to characterise the navigation buttons that are normally present near the peak of a site's pages.
  • The backdrop tool allows the client to change the background image and hue of a location.
  • The Header device gives the client command of the images brandished at the top of a site's various sheets.
  • Formats allow the client to control the display of a exact mail (i.e. display this post as an apart or as a quote or as a gallery). The WordPress Twenty Twelve topic is an excellent example of a topic that benefits these devices.

And speaking of the WordPress Twenty Twelve topic, developers and users are boosted to discover that theme in minutia. The WordPress Twenty Twelve topic, evolved by the WordPress community, demonstrates the use of devices such as meal lists and Widgets, presents examples of recommended topic cipher methods, and emphasizes the use of the Child topic notion to shield a theme from getting overwritten during a WordPress update.

Plugins are made-to-order purposes created to extend the centre functionality of WordPress. The WordPress developers have maximized flexibility and minimized code bloat by permitting out-of-doors developers the opening to conceive their own useful add-on characteristics. As evidenced by the Plugin book or directions, there's a Plugin to enhance virtually every aspect of WordPress. A Plugin administration tool makes it exceedingly easy to find and install Plugins.

Terminology for the manager
Another set of periods to analyze are those involving the Administration of a WordPress site. A comprehensive set of management Panels endows users to effortlessly administer and supervise their blog. A WordPress administrator has a number of powers which encompass requiring a tourist to list in alignment to take part in the blog, who can conceive new mails, whether remarks can be left, and if documents can be uploaded to the blog. An manager furthermore characterises connections and the associated connection Categories which are an significant part of a blog's connection to the out-of-doors world.

Some of the major administrative responsibilities of a WordPress blog engage supplementing, deleting, and managing listed Users. Administering users means commanding functions and Capabilities, or permissions. functions control what functions a listed client can present as those functions can range from just being able to login at a blog to accomplishing the role manager.

Another chief anxiety for the blog administrator is commentary Moderation. commentarys, also called considerations, are answers to mails left for the mail scribe by the tourist and represent an important part of "the give and take" of a blog. But remarks should be patrolled for Spam and other malicious aims. The WordPress management remarks SubPanel simplifies that method with easy-to-use partitions which add, change, and delete remarks.

And not to be disregarded is the obligation for an manager to hold their WordPress present to insure that the newest features, bugs, and security repairs are in effect. To accomodate administrators, WordPress has a simple improvement Tool to download and establish the lastest type of WordPress. There's no apologise to not improvement!
 
The Terminology of Help
The final set of jargon connects to assisting you with WordPress. First and foremost is the suspending Help tab that is brandished under each of the Administration SubPanels. That framework help describes the function and use of the current SubPanel and provides connections to other help topics. And, there are other help assets available to WordPress users; Getting More Help, Finding WordPress Help, Troubleshooting, and WordPress FAQ (frequently inquired inquiries) are good starting points. furthermore Getting begun with WordPress will jump-start readers into the world of WordPress and the very good WordPress courses provide in-depth tutorials on numerous of the facets of utilising WordPress. Among the most significant resources is the WordPress Support Forum where knowing volunteers response your questions and help solve any problems associated to WordPress. And, of course, this Codex which is topped up with hundreds of items designed to make your WordPress experience a achievement!

History of the WordPress Name
in addition to the technical terminology of WordPress, it's also intriguing to understand the annals of the title, WordPress. The name "WordPress" was initially coined by Christine Selleck (see associated post) in response to developer Matthew Mullenweg's yearn to aide his new programs task with printing presses. In this sense, press refers to the world of reporters, reporters, columnists, and photographers. An aptly chosen title, because WordPress serves as the publishing press that endows its users to release their words.