The HeavyChef Project

You were introduced to WordPress in my previous post (Getting to know WordPress - The Basics) as a content management system and bloggin’ tool deluxe. This week I will introduce you to some of the features and show you how to add and manage your content.You will notice that the screenshots in this tutorial are slightly different to those you might be used to. This is thanks to a major update by the guys over at WordPress. The system is currently in version 2.5 and boasts a few handy updates and a visual refresh.
Not to worry though, since most of the changes are additions, rather than changes, to existing functionality.

1. Logging in - Adding a new post to your blog or website is extremely easy. You have to start off by logging into your systems back-end using the www.yoursite/wp-admin url. After typing in your username and password you will be presented with the Dashboard. Here you can find a few bits of useful info regarding your blog. Information displayed on the dashboard may vary from one site to another depending on setup.
2. Adding a post - Next step towards writing your first blog post will be to click on the “Write” button located at the top left corner of your dashboard. Once the write page has loaded, you will see the “Write Post” heading. Things are pretty easy from here on in, and you can basically give your blog post a title and then blog away in the post section of the screen! Once you have written your post you can tag it (this is optional) and assign it to a category. Categories are a way of “filing” your blog posts and should be thought out carefully before you start blogging. Setting up a few default categories that address your different topics you want to blog about is a good idea. This way your blog’s content will stay well organized and users will find your blog easy to navigate.
3. Adding a page - Adding pages are exactly the same as adding posts. Instead of clicking on the “Posts” link under “Write” you click on the “Page link”. Your blog should probably have an “About” page and possibly a “Contact” page. If you decide to add a gallery to your blog this should also go on its own page.
4. Adding media - Adding posts and pages are basically the 2 main functions that you would need to start your blogging. Note that when adding posts and pages, WordPress also has a nifty way of adding pictures and video to your posts. You can even add multiple pictures and tie them into a mini gallery. All you have to do is experiment with the “Media Bar” and remember that you can always delete the images or video’s if they don’t work right. Your theme setup also dictates how these images will display (so contact the chefs at Heavy Chef if you run in to some unexpected behaviour).

That’s all from my side on WordPress 101 for now. I will continue next week with some more insight into this lovely piece of software!