Step-by-step guide for using WordPress 2.6

Creating a blog at UMW Blogs
To create your own blog on UMW Blogs, go to the sign-up page and enter a username and e-mail address (you must use your UMW email). Once you have done this, you should receive two e-mails: the first will confirm your account and the second will include your login and password.

Creating more than one blog at UMW Blogs
Keep in mind that you can create as many blogs as you desire on UMW Blogs. However, you can only do so when you are logged on to UMW Blogs with your original login name and password. You do not need to create a new username and password each time you want a new blog.

Where is my blog? And how do I login?
First things first, where is your blog? Your individual blogs should be located at the address you specified when signing up for a UMW Blog. Your initial blog address is determined by the domain you chose when you created your blog, which, by default, is the same as your username unless you specified something else. For example, if the domain you specified is "myblog" your blog address will be the following:

http://myblog.umwblogs.org

If you didn't specify a domain, and your username was janedoe, then your blog address is probably as follows:

http://janedoe.umwblogs.org

To access the administrative back-end of your blog you should see a log in link on the main page. If you do not see this link, for whatever reason, enter the following at the end of your url address "/wp-admin" (no quotes)- the address should look something like this:

http://myblog.umwblogs.org/wp-admin

Once you've done this, you will see two fields asking for your login and password, as pictured below.



Login and you should be taken directly to your administrative back-end.

Changing your password
If you need to change your password, you can do this from the Users &rarr; Your Profile subtab.

The Dashboard
Once you click the “log in” button, you will be brought to the Dashboard. This is the default starting page of the administrative back-end. From here, you can click on several different tabs that will bring you to various pages wherein you can post new articles, edit your own posts or comments, update your user profile, and view your blog, etc. This tab allows you an overview of the recent postings and comment activity, as well as providing several links to recent news about WordPress (often containing useful info about updates, features, and more general information about this open source community).

Write Tab
This tab is probably the one you'll use the most. This is where blog posts are written and published. This is also where you can create individual static pages. This may be the most important tab of your blog because it is where you write posts and create pages, the very essence of any vital blog.

The Post, Page, and Link subtabs (which are the three subtabs of the Write tab) allow you, as you might expect, to write a post, create a static page (which is distinct from blog posts because pages remain outside of the blog's reverse chronology---read more about pages here), and create a link which can be then categorized and included on your sidebar. The Post and Page tabs have almost the same exact layout and provide you with similar (but not identical) options on the right-hand sidebar. The Links subtab has three fields: link name, link address and link description (the last of which is optional).

Manage Tab
This is where you can edit your posts, pages, and links; manage your uploads (keep in mind you can't upload from the Upload subtab- uploads can only be accomplished from the write post/page subtab); create and manage your categories and tags; import content from a variety of different blogging platforms; and export your blog content to an XML file than can be uploaded to another free hosted blog service or one that you host yourself.

Also, the most recent version of WordPress incorporates a Media Gallery which allows you to search media you have uploaded, such as images, music, videos, etc. Keep in mind, however, that your storage space on this system is quite limited (75mb), so you may want to use external services for media such as Flickr, YouTube, or Google Docs.

Design Tab
The Design tab is where you control the overall look and feel of your blog/website. If you go to the presentations tab you will see a number of images that highlight different themes you can use for your blog. Double click on any of the over 90 themes available for a preview of what your site will look like with this theme. If you like it, click "activate" in the upper right-hand corner, or close the preview by clicking the "X" in the left-hand corner and preview another. Once you've selected the new theme, click on "view your site" to see how you like the new digs.

The Design tab is also where you can enable widgets for your blog. WordPress widgets are content elements that can be added to the sidebar of your blog or website. For example there are widgets that include del.icio.us bookmarks, Flickr photos, etc. Read more here about available widgets for UMW Blogs and what they do.

Depending on the theme, you can also further customize the look and feel of your blog/website. Go here for an in-depth look at a few recommended themes that enable you to add a custom image header and other features. Read more about the Design tab here.

Comments Tab
The Comments tab is relatively straightforward. This is where you can manage, moderate, or delete any comments you receive on your blog. To establish the settings for comments or to turn off comments, you need to go to the Settings &rarr; Discussion subtab (this is where all of the settings for commenting are controlled). Also, the My Comments subtab allows you to track all the comments you have made throughout UMW Blogs, which could be useful for keeping up with distributed discussions.

Also, Spam Karma is a plugin UMW Blogs offers each and every user to control spam. If you realize that your site is getting spammed, be sure to activate Spam Karma using the Plugins tab. Once activated, you will need to configure Spam Karma. To do this, go to the Settings tab and look for the Spam Karma subtab.

Plugins Tab
Plugins extend the functionality of WordPress. There will be a number of plugins made available to all UMW Blog users. Depending on the added functionality you need, you may very well find a plugin that handles the task for you. For example, including a photo album, adding a contact form, podcasting, etc. Once you activate the appropriate plugin in this tab, chances are one of two things will happen: it will either have additional options to configure in the Settings tab, or it will show up as a widget in the Design &rarr; Widgets subtab.

For more information about the plugins currently available and what they do, read more here.

Users Tab
You can use this tab to add other users to your blog and control the level of permissions you wish to grant them. Once you add a user, an email will be automatically sent to them asking if they want to accept the invitation. Once an invited user accepts the invitation, they will show up as a user within your blog with the permissions you specified.

The Users &rarr; Your Profile subtab is where you edit your personal profile, such as changing your nickname, changing your password, adding your IM address, and various other personalized options. Read more about the details of this page here.

Settings Tab
The Settings tab allows you to change many of the overall options for your blog. For example, you can use the subtabs within the Settings page to change the blog title, change the time zone, or add a brief description. The various subtabs allow you to control the comments, reading, and writing options for your blog. This is also where you control the privacy settings or even delete your blog entirely.

Additionally, if you are adding plugin functionality, often times you control the settings for plugins within this tab (the plugin will frequently have an associated subtab on the Settings page). There are many, many options housed within this tab, and it may be useful to read through this space in more detail here.