Workshop 2011 – B
Sunday 20 November – CMU 302 – 9 am – 4 pm
API (Samantha)
Backlink (Cherilyn)
DNS record (include constituent info – Ting)
1. Recap
Your sites are listed here. The links need to be “clickable”!
Make corrections if you have changed your mind about the site for the class.
2. Functionality and Design
In pairs, review one another’s brainstorming post about your site. [Note: Go Add MORE Tags!!!]
In the context of plugins, identify needed functionality.
3. Essential PlugIns (see first workshop)
Reminder: what is a plugin (and a widget) and how do I install one?
3. Moving on to Appearance
- What are themes?
- Anatomy of a theme [screencast]; difference between posts and pages.
- Free theme sites
- Kathy’s demo theme : http://themeforest.net/item/xhtmlcss-simply-template-4-skins/93155?WT.ac=free_file&WT.seg_1=free_file&WT.z_author=ParkerAndKent
Install (long-division!)
- Download themes to your computer (remember location)
- Connect with your host via FTP
- Navigate to the folder where WP is installed (discuss WP file structure)
- Find the wp-content/themes folder
- Upload themes to this folder
- Double-check “Appearance” in dashboard to confirm that the theme was uploaded
- Activate one of them!
Install the themes you have picked. Experiment. Look at one another’s sites with different skins.
4. Essential HTML
- Explore the HTML view of a post or page
Code basics
- The Anchor Tag
- The Image Tag (position an image)
- DIVs and Layout
- Tables
- HTML5 and semantic web
- Object model versus document model
5. Work On Your Sites – Content
- Sketch out the architecture of your content
- For each page, identify in as much detail as possible the content needed. Identify what content you have and what content you don’t yet have.
Note: at a minimum, each website for this course will need a working home page, an “about” page (may be called something else) and at least one other page.
6. Work On Your Sites – Design
- Working with your genre partner, revisit this week’s assignment.
- Look at the “things in common” list.
- Develop a sketch of the homepage that shows common elements.
- Discuss common elements for the type of site you are building and identify the content that you need to have on your home page. Does this match your work in the prior exercise or have you IDed some new content.
Managing Your Web Presence: Strategic Digital Platform Fundamentals 
* Forum activity : BuddyPress
* Share content – clean/simple
* Rotating access to content on home pagee
* Visitors to be able to watch video – kirkmastin.com
* Have video be easily shared – hope for viral
* Content organization – lifestyle blog, searchable
* Menus/categories – post categories act as menu items
* Academic portfolio – apply PhD program – technology studies – brand self – gallery (text) – integration
* Ability to contact me that is easy to set up
* Navigation system that includes dropdowns – hover to expand not click to expand
* Allow people to upload images (part of an event or for contests) to site : write a review of experience at event or with the service
* Integrate work that first existed as print [protected access to PDF]
* Schedule music lessons and maybe pay for lessons online – find me as seattle violin teacher
* Access to PDFs of printed work
* Make academic work accessible – embed video and slideshare presentations
* Easy access to appropriate social networks
* A/B access to content
* Easy access to Potpourri of work + blog for opinion + contact
* Thor : every element should have a purpose but be visible when it is no longer embarrassing
* Custom player for multiple types of media -> video, photos, Flash banners
* On long pages, internal navigation that allows you to easily move thru the content
* Ruba – find me fast –
Example that came up in discussion: http://kirkmastin.com/#/video-storytelling