Follow the steps below to set-up your WordPress website:
Step 1: Visit the URL: www.wordpress.com . In the left column, you should see an orange button with the words: “Get started here” – click this button. In the window “Blog Address”, please use the following formula: “nlssmedia(then your first name).wordpress.com. EXAMPLE: nlssmediajames.wordpress.com. If you’re name is currently taken use your first name plus the first letter of your last name.
Step 2: You will receive an email to validate your site. Once your wordpress site is activated, the first screen you should see is the “Dashboard”. We want to create a “welcome” page to inform visitors to your website about why this website has been created and what to expect inside the website. To create your “welcome” page, look in the left column under the heading “Pages” and click “Add New”. You should now see an “Add New Page”.
Step 3: In the “title” box, let’s call this page “Home”. In the main box, begin with “Welcome to my Media Arts Portfolio”, then put a brief introduction about yourself (first name only or initials), why you are making this website (for Mr. Gray’s Grade 11 Media Arts Class). Once you have finished writing your introduction click the blue button on the right “Publish”.
Step 4: By default, WordPress uses blog posts as your main home page, however this can be changed. If you have finished Step 3, scroll down on the Dashboard’s left column until you can see “Settings”, click the heading “Reading”. Once you’ve clicked, you will see your site’s “Reading Settings”, at the top the radio button should be currently selecting “Your latest posts”, instead click the radio button “A static page (select below)” – then from the drop down menu “– Select –“ choose “Home”. At the bottom of the page you will need to click the blue button “Save Changes”. This means that you have now told your website to use your “Home” page as the opening (or Home) page for your new website.
Step 5: One of the great things about WordPress is that it uses templates to organize how your webpages appear or structured. In the left column, select “Appearance” and then click “Themes”, you should now see the “Manage Themes” page. Depending upon how you want your website to look, or what purpose you would like to use your website for, some themes may work (or look) better than others. For now, let’s use the “Twenty Ten” template. Make sure that you click “Activate” on the “Twenty Ten” theme.
Step 6: Scroll to the top of the Dashboard and you should see your WordPress site name in light grey letters – at any time you can click here to see how your site currently looks. So let’s take a look at what we have so far. Now spend some time looking at the other elements of the WordPress Dashboard and see if you can find out how to change the header image and create a custom menu.
