Introduction:
One of the difficult things about getting started with WordPress (WP) is becoming familiar with the terms used to describe different operations. This “dictionary” will be expanded as I recognize additional words that may be confusing for the new user. “Old Hands” at WP are encouraged to add their list of confusing terms in the comments. Over time, those terms will be added to this list.
I have tried to list the terms in order of their importance in using WP. As long as the list is relatively short, you can just read all of them at one setting. If the list grows considerably, perhaps I will create a second-level list that you can use after you develop some primary skills in WP.
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Page Elements – Each page of your site is composed of some or all of the following elements.~
Header – The area across the top of each page generally includes the name of the site and the description of the site. The main menu is often the divider that separates the header from the rest of the page.
Body – This is the primary focus of the site. This is the area where your writing generally will display.
Sidebar – Sidebars are column(s) on one or both sides of the body where additional menus, links, lists, advertisements, etc are displayed.
Footer – A footer may be added across the bottom of the page to provide additional space for links, etc (like the sidebar).
Page – An article that remains static (does not change) but should be readily available to users. Most themes will place a menu of these pages across the top of your primary webpage (between the header & the body & sidebars). Examples of pages that you probably should have:
About – should give new users to your site an idea of what the site is all about and what they can expect to find there.
Contact – should list the ways that users can contact you. This has to be a balance between retaining your personal privacy and your being accessible to your users. At a minimum, you should have at least one way that users can contact you (phone number, email address, or postal address).
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) – You may create a page that explains some of the confusing things about your site.
Home – You do not “write” the home page like the others in this list. It is created automatically by WP. It consists of your latest “posts” (see next definition).
Post – I refer to each post as an “article” but WP uses the term “post” to describe the individual writings, so you should be familiar with that term. A post is generally no smaller than a couple of sentences and no longer than about 1000 words. Each posting is set in sequence and is available to your users. As newer articles are posted, the older ones generally disappear from the home page. You set the number that remain visible in your Dashboard under Settings/Reading. Posts have several “Status” settings:
Draft – Any post is considered a draft until it is published. A draft post can be read & edited by the Admin but is not visible to users.
Published – When you “publish” a post, it becomes available for users to view. You can “Schedule” a post to automatically be published at some time in the future. This could be a way that you create a series of articles at one time but space them out so that users must return at a later time to read the next post.
Private – There may be some posts that you wish to restrict access. A private post can only be viewed by persons with the correct password.
Comments – You may allow users to add their comments on your website. Comments are attached to the page or post where they are added. You may set options tol automatically approve new comments or hold them for your review before they are made public.
Archive - When posts are replaced on the home page by newer articles, the older posts are considered to be placed in the archives. That is not an entirely accurate description. All posts remain active on the site regardless of when they were posted. However, those which are not visible on the home page can be found by viewing the archive by the month in which they were posted. Users can also search for a particular post.
Access Level – WP allows users to be assigned different levels of access to the site. The two primary levels are Subscriber (normal users who just read articles and possibly add comments but little more) and Administrator (generally the owner of the site who has complete control over the site). In between these two levels users may be allowed to write articles but not edit; write and edit their own articles; or write and edit any page or post on the site.
Dashboard – The dashboard is the part of WP that is usually seen only by persons with Admin access.http://cdntoday.com/getblog/02_steps/ This is where you control the settings for your website & what the users will be able to see. From here, you will create/write/edit posts and pages, install themes & plugins, adjust a user’s access level, determine where widgets are placed and set numerous other configurations for the appearance and operation of the site.
Theme – A theme is a “skin” or overlay on the system which makes it look different. Once the system is operational, you can usually switch to a different theme and the site will look entirely different but all of the posts and underlying operation will remain the same.
Plug-in – Plugins are modules of code/software that after they are installed, add additional functions to your site. An example would be the “Share and Follow” plugin that places little Facebook and/or Twitter icons on each article and makes it easy for users to share your post with their friends on social networks.
Widgets – Widgets are code modules (usually associated with a plugin) that you place on a sidebar of your site to display some special information. It could be simple text, a list of popular posts or comments, links to other websites, or any of hundreds of other functions.
Subscription – Some users may wish to “subscribe” to your articles if you chose to syndicate them. Users may subscribe via an email link or using some common software program. The primary way to syndicate is called RSS – Real Simple Syndication. Current technologies are RSS2 & ATOM.
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There are a lot of other terms that are used in WordPress but they do not seem to be unusual to me (since I have been using the program for several years). If you run across any other confusing word or terms, just “Google” the term with the word “wordpress” and you will likely get the answer. Or, simply leave a comment here and we will attempt to explain.
Next in building your Blog… First Steps in Building Your Blog
Back to the beginning… Get a Blog Page
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