Title: Wordpress quickstart
Course: FLO MicroCourse - Creating Online Gallery and Portfolio Spaces OER > Section: Day 3

If you completed the SPLOT quickstart above, Congratulations! You have already created your first Wordpress (WP) site.  This section will dive deeper into some alternative hosting options that will give you more customization and we will take a tour of the WP dashboard.

Difficulty level: Intermediate

Difficulty level: Intermediate

If you completed the SPLOT quickstart above, Congratulations! You have already created your first Wordpress (WP) site.  This section will dive deeper into some alternative hosting options that will give you more customization and we will take a tour of the WP dashboard.

tinymce-kalturamedia-embed||Behind the scenes of your Wordpress website, the Dashboard!||800||570

What is it?

Wordpress (WP) is one of the most likely platforms for building websites of any kind, whether for galleries or portfolios, for institutional or personal uses. It is a versatile and widely-used content management system (CMS) that is known for its flexibility and ease of use. Suffice it to say, that self hosted WP website is one of the best setups you can have as an artist or designer that wants to showcase their work online.

Show me the links!

Artists and designers portfolio websites are where the true power or Wordpress themes and responsive designs really shine. Here are a few of my faves.

- Katarina Thorsen https://katthorsen.com/
- https://wordpress.com/

How does it work?

WordPress operates on a simple yet powerful concept. It consists of a core system that manages content, themes that control the design, and plugins that add functionality. Users can create, edit, and manage content through a user-friendly interface, making it accessible for those without extensive technical knowledge.

Key Components:

1. Themes: Determine the design and layout of the site.
2. Plugins: Extend functionality, allowing users to add features like galleries, forms, and more.
3. Posts and Pages: Content is organized into posts (blog entries) and pages (static content).

Benefits of Using WordPress:

- User-Friendly: WordPress is known for its intuitive interface, making it accessible for beginners.
- Customization: Extensive theme and plugin options allow for the creation of unique and personalized websites.
- Community Support: A large and active community provides support, tutorials, and plugins.
- SEO-Friendly: WordPress is designed with search engine optimization in mind, helping with site visibility.

Challenges of Using WordPress:

- Maintenance: Regular updates and maintenance are required to ensure security and functionality.
- Learning Curve: While user-friendly, there can be a learning curve for those new to website management.
- Performance: Heavy use of plugins or poorly coded themes can affect site speed and performance.

How do you set Wordpress up?

There are four approaches to setting up a Wordpress site are covered below, the primary difference being where you are going to host it. The difficulty level ranges from beginner to expert, depending on your requirements, but overall I give this platform an intermediate rating because although the development process can be easily learned, you do have to spend some time 'under the hood' or in the dashboard as they call it to configure everything the way you like it.

The four hosting options listed below are;

1. OpenETC - (beginner)
2. Using Wordpress.com (beginner)
3. Your institution if it is available (intermediate)
4. Self-hosted through a web hosting service (advanced)

1. Hosting Wordpress at the OpenETC

https://opened.ca/wordpress/

As an educator working in B.C.,the easiest way to set up a Wordpress site is to use the OpenETC as your web host.  This is exactly the same as setting up a SPLOT image collector website, except you can use one of the many other themes or clone existing sites that they have a available.

2. Hosting Wordpress.com

https://wordpress.com/

3. Hosting Wordpress at your institution

Many Universities already use WordPress as a web publishing service for websites, e-portfolios and blogs for scholarly uses. I have compiled the following list below, but if you notice an institution missing, please let me know.

See the following document for a full list of BC Post Secondary services

4. Self Hosting Wordpress through a web service

This is where you are going to need to spend some money.

RECOMMENDED: https://www.reclaimhosting.com/

Reclaim Hosting provides institutions and educators an easy way to offer their students domains and web hosting they own and control.