Adding a New Post – Classic Editor

Once you have logged in and familiarized yourself with the WordPress Dashboard, you are ready to make your first blog post.

1. Hove over Posts and click Add New.

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Screenshot showing where the “Add New” button is under “Posts.”

2. You will be prompted to add a Title. I suggest that you keep your title brief, poignant, and accessible to a broad audience.

3. Click into the white area. When you do, your Permalink will update to reflect the title of your page. You have a chance to change the Slug, or the last part of the URL, to something shorter. Use the keywords from your title to create a memorable URL. Just remember, you cannot use spaces or special characters.

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Screenshot of the Permalink showing where to edit the URL slug.

4. Writing your Post. The white space where you will do the bulk of your work should be a familiar interface. It’s a WYSIWYG interface similar to Microsoft Word or some other word processing software. (WYSIWYG is pronounced “wizzy-wig” and stands for What You See Is What You Get.) This means that you can bold, underline, and italicize your words or make hyperlinks through a clear, intuitive interface.

Here are some pointers as you design your page:

  • You can copy and paste from other text editors, but keep in mind that some of the formatting may disappear.
  • The majority of the tools in the toolbar should be familiar to you with the exception of the Blockquote function. The blockquote allows you to accentuate certain parts of your text through different formatting. It can be used for longer quotes or sentences that you would like to call attention to. Use it sparingly.
  • There are several tricks to embedding media that aren’t as intuitive. Follow the Embedding Media – Classic Editor tutorial if you have trouble.
  • When you add a hyperlink, be sure to click the gear icon to adjust the settings. If you are embedding a link that is internal to your website (i.e. the about page, home page, or another students’ page), you do not need to open a new tab. If you are linking to a site that is external to your website (i.e. a website that not controlled by the class), you will need to toggle the box to open the link in a new window. As a general rule, you do not want site visitors to navigate away entirely, so always direct the link to open in a new tab if you have an external link.
  • If you need to make subheadings, select the text type from the drop-down on the tool bar. The default is “paragraph,” but you will likely find an acceptable option in the “Header 2” to “Header 3” range. “Header 1” is reserved for just the title of your project.
  • Your post will automatically generate a large “Header 1” title based on the title of your post. You do not need to repeat it.
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Screenshot of where the “visual” mode is and where users can change the paragraph mode.

5. Publishing Your Post. You don’t have to publish your work right away. You can schedule a release date, save it as a draft, or adjust the privacy so that it is password protected or remains unpublished. Read more about your privacy rights here. Hit the Update or Publish button in the top right early and often. It is your only “save” function.

And have fun!