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| Posts are considered the main content of a blog. [http://en.support.wordpress.com/posts Posts] are marked by date showing the most recent post at the top of the main blog page. By putting posts in reverse chronological order it will help readers find the most current information on the main page of the blog. The date of the post is also found in the URL for that post. Posts can be found in the RSS feed, widgets, archives, recent posts and categories. In the reading settings bloggers can control how many posts will be display on the home page. Posts will always be linked to the date in which it is published, unlike pages which are not displayed with a date, category, or tag.
| | A blog is organized and structured using categories and tags. Think of categories as a header and tags as a sub-header. Readers searching for information written on a broad topic will benefit more from categories. Those readers looking for a more specific topic will find tags to be more useful because they narrow down the information to a particular topic. Categories and tags will help readers navigate a blog's content easily to find the information they are looking for. |
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| == Stay True to the Focus == | | == Categories == |
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| Every blog needs to establish a focus. The more focused it is, the more unique it will be. As Carroll says, "The best bloggers focus on specific interests-the narrower the topic, the better-leveraging their own experience and experience in the area." As a post is being constructed a blogger should keep in mind the over all focus of the blog so that posts are categorized to stay within the theme of the blog. Bloggers need to stay true to the focus of the blog in their posts.
| | [http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2005/09/09/categories-versus-tags-whats-the-difference-and-which-one/ Categories] give readers a broad overview of what kind of content a blog holds so that they can decide if that blog holds the right information for them. When choosing a category for a post, bloggers need to consider the readers that will visit their blog and what needs they might have. Bloggers must find the balance of being specific with a category so that the kind of information it holds is clear without being too broad. Readers must be able to look at categories within a blog and know right away if they are in the right place, very much how the heading of an article pulls a reader in and gives them a general idea on what the article is about so that they can decide if reading on is worth their time. One thing bloggers must be cautious about when choosing a category is that they have more than one post that can fit under that category. Displaying a single post within a category will give the readers the impression that you don't know a lot about that subject. On the other hand a blogger doesn't want to make a category so strong and filled with too much information that it will need it's own blog site. |
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| == Constructing a New Post ==
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| '''How to Add a new Post'''
| | == Tags == |
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| After signing in to WordPress, bloggers should go to the [http://en.support.wordpress.com/dashboard Dashboard]. Once in the Dashboard bloggers will see tabs on the left side of the screen, by clicking on the Posts tab other options will be available, bloggers should then click on the Add New option. This will open up the editing screen where bloggers can chose the title of a post, write the content of the post and add links or photos to their post.
| | Tags are similar to [http://weblogs.about.com/od/partsofablog/qt/CategoriesOvrvw.htm/ "keywords"] and help readers find a specific topic within a category. Tags help readers identify specific information within a particular post. Posts can have many tags which allow them to be categorized with other posts to make it easier for readers to navigate a blog. A tag name must be specific, for example if a blog post is about how to make home made pizza you would put it under a cooking category but one of the tags would be pizza. Readers can find the tag links under each post, by clicking on the tag links readers will be taken to an archive where every post related to that tag can be found. |
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| '''Modules'''
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| The [http://en.support.wordpress.com/modules/ modules] a blogger will use most when constructing a post are the Title module, Editor module and the Publish module. Once a blogger chooses a title for their post and enters it in the Title module it will automatically create a URL for that post. In the Editor module bloggers will type in the content of their post. Bloggers can edit the content similar to how text can be edited in Microsoft Word. The icons found at the top of the Editor module can all be displayed by clicking the kitchen sink icon. These icons will help bloggers format their post. The chain link and unlink symbol will help bloggers create a hyperlink, or unlink a hyperlink. The Publish module is where bloggers will save their draft and publish it when they are ready. It is also where bloggers can later edit and update that post.
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| '''Add Media'''
| | == Descriptive Categories == |
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| The [http://en.support.wordpress.com/add-media/ Add Media] button right above the Editor module is where bloggers can upload photos or files to place in their post. Once a photo appears in the post bloggers can click on it and in the top right corner of the photo a delete option or an edit option will be displayed. The edit option will allow bloggers to format how or where the photo appears in their text. Once bloggers have their post formatted the way they want, they are then ready to move on to the Publish module.
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| | | Categories should [http://wiredimpact.com/blog/making-blog-categories-more-useful/ describe] to readers what content they hold without a huge explanation of them. With each category a blogger creates they must keep in mind the over all focus of their blog and what their readers are looking for. Make it obvious what kind of posts a category holds. Bloggers have the difficult task of finding the happy medium between a category being too broad or too specific in their description. If the category is too specific it leaves the reader with less choices, if it is too broad its too hard for a reader to find what they are looking for and they will move on. When bloggers are brainstorming about how to describe their categories they should keep in mind how it will appear in a search engine. A blogs category along with it's tags will help readers easily find the blog they are looking for in search engines. |
| == Publishing a Post ==
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| '''Publish'''
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| The Publishing module is where bloggers will save a draft, preview a post, and [http://en.support.wordpress.com/posts/new-post-screen/#publish Publish] it when they are ready. When bloggers are finished constructing their post and saving the draft they will click the Publish button located in the bottom right corner of the Publish module.
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| '''Edit a Published Post'''
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| Bloggers can always go back and [http://en.support.wordpress.com/editors/ edit] that post later by clicking the edit link at the bottom of the post on the homepage, or by clicking on the Post tab in their dashboard then clicking on All Posts. This will bring the blogger to the screen where all of their published posts are displayed. Bloggers can click on the edit link next to the post they wish to edit. Once bloggers click on the edit button it will bring them back to the edit screen for that post which will now say Edit post at the top instead of Add New. Bloggers will edit the post the same way they constructed their post. When bloggers are finished making changes they will click on the Update button which is located in the bottom right corner where the Publish button use to be in their Publish module. | |
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| == References == | | == References == |
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| 1. "Support: [http://en.support.wordpress.com/posts/ Writing & Editing- Posts]." WordPress Web. 3 April, 2013 | | 1. Carroll, Brian. (2010). Writing for Digital Media. New York: Routledge. Retrieved 4 April 2013. |
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| 2. "Support: [http://en.support.wordpress.com/dashboard/ Dashboard]." WordPress Web. 3 April, 2013
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| 3. "Support: [http://en.support.wordpress.com/modules/ Modules]." WordPress Web. 3 April, 2013
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| 4. "Support:[http://en.support.wordpress.com/add-media/ Add Media]." WordPress Web. 3 April, 2013
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| 5. "Support: [http://en.support.wordpress.com/posts/ Publish]." WordPress Web. 3 April, 2013
| | 2. [http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2005/09/09/categories-versus-tags-whats-the-difference-and-which-one/ Categories versus Tags] Lorelle On WordPress Web. Retrieved 9 April 2013. |
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| 6. "Support:[http://en.support.wordpress.com/editors/ Edit]." WordPress Web. 3 April, 2013
| | 3. [http://wiredimpact.com/blog/making-blog-categories-more-useful/ Making Blog Categories More Useful] Wired Impact Web. Retrieved 9 April 2013. |
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| 7. Carroll, Brian. (2010). Writing for Digital Media. New York: Routledge. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
| | 4. [http://weblogs.about.com/od/partsofablog/qt/CategoriesOvrvw.htm/ An Overview of Blog categories] About.com Web. Retrieved 9 April 2013. |