Content

Blocks

When you think of toy blocks, you probably imagine wooden blocks or Legos. WordPress blocks are similar in that they are created for different purposes as you build. The blocks make it possible for you to build a site without knowing code. Blocks can be used on pages, posts, and in the widgets areas of your site.

Common blocks for ePortfolio use include:

• Text-based blocks such as paragraph, lists, and headers
• Images, galleries, pull quotes, and quotes
• Mixed media, such as files, media and text and headers
• Media embeds, such as Youtube for videos or SoundCloud for audio recordings
• Design choices, such as separators, spacers, buttons, and columns.

Pages and Posts: What’s the Difference?

You will add pages and posts to your site when you add content. The process is similar, but here are two key differences:

1. Posts always allow comments; in some themes, pages do not. Why might this matter? If you are sharing your content and others are expected to comment on it, you should create posts. To see if you can enable comments, edit your page and toggle to “page” in the settings. A “closed” discussion means that comments are not enabled; an “open” discussion means that you will allow comments on the page. If this is not an option, your theme does not support comments on pages. To prevent spam, your site is set up to hold comments in moderation until you approve them. If you have not shared your site, comments from visitors outside are likely spam or phishing. Trash those comments to prevent spam bots from inundating your site.
2. Categories can only be used for posts. If you are asked to categorize, you should create a post. Categories can be deleted or updated when you curate, so while you may have an “ENG 110 posts” category in year one, you may delete that category by year two and keep the skills you developed, such as “peer review” or “active reading.” Although you will initially use these categories for one course, you can apply them to any content. For example, you may use “video” as a category for your public speaking projects and a video presentation that you made for your team or a group project presentation that is a voiceover slide presentation. These examples may also be categorized as “communication” or “collaboration” because they demonstrate multiple skills as well as a engaging media format. Click here to learn more about categories.

About Page

Websites typically include an About page. The video tutorial below provides technical instruction and ideas for content. Unlike some of the academic tools you will encounter in college, such as the Brightspace learning management system, WordPress is a content management software that is used worldwide for many purposes. Building your ePortfolio will give you some basics in web-building software that you can highlight in your About page. If you customize, your site can be your own – not a cookie-cutter ePortfolio site. To highlight that you have some technical capability, consider adding a sentence that acknowledges that you built your site using WordPress to show the contrast of an ePortfolio site this uses a generic design and pre-determined content.

For more detail on audience consideration and professionalism, see Constructing your About page.