WordPress as a CMS
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WordPress, launched in 2003, evolved from a blogging platform to a widely-used content management system (CMS) by 2010, now powering over 16% of all websites. It is utilized by various organizations, including prominent news outlets and educational institutions, for both blogging and static content management. The document also discusses the implementation of custom content types, user permissions, and necessary plugins to enhance functionality and workflow in WordPress.
WordPress as a CMS
- 3. WHAT IS WORDPRESS • Began in 2003 as a blogging platform • Began to be used heavily as a CMS in 2010 (version 3.0) • WordPress 3.5 has been downloaded more than 11 million times • WordPress is used on over 16% of all websites throughout the Web • WordPress is used on over 50% of websites that use a CMS
- 4. WHO USES WORDPRESS? • Many small business and hobby sites • CNN, the New York Times and many other major news outlets • GM, UPS and Sony • TechCrunch, Mashable, TheNextWeb and most major tech blogs
- 5. WHO USES WORDPRESS IN HIGHER ED? • UMW was 1 of the first to use WordPress as a blogging platform, and 1 of the first to use WordPress as its website CMS • Other institutions currently using WordPress as a CMS include: • University of Florida (http://ufl.edu/) • Boise State University (http://www.boisestate.edu/) • Southern Arkansas University (http://web.saumag.edu/) • University of Arkansas at Little Rock (http://ualr.edu/) • Lafayette College (http://www.lafayette.edu/) – the first known to go full- WordPress • University of Central Arkansas (http://uca.edu/) • Maryville University (http://www.maryville.edu/) • …and many, many more (http://wordpress.org/showcase/tag/education/)
- 7. MAIN CONTENT TYPES Two main content types: • Posts – used for blogging, news, etc. • Time-sensitive • Once posted, they don’t need to remain at the forefront • Pages – used for static content • More permanent • Remains in the same location • Can be organized hierarchically
- 8. TANGENTIAL CONTENT TYPES Many items that aren’t necessarily considered “content” are actually special “content types” • Media (images, documents, etc.) – Can set a caption (excerpt), description (content), title, etc. • Menu Items – Can also set a description (not used in the UMW theme) • Revisions – Tied to specific posts and pages; previous versions of the parent item
- 9. CUSTOM CONTENT TYPES We use a few different custom content types at UMW, as well • Forms and Entries - all forms and their entries are “content” • Advisories – important announcements to be broadcast across individual site • Opportunities – on some sites, job/internship opportunities are set up • Documents – on the Documents site, all documents are pieces of content • …and many more throughout
- 10. HOW ARE CUSTOM TYPES IMPLEMENTED? • Automatically through plugins • GravityForms adds multiple custom types • Events Calendar Pro adds an Event content type • Manually through code • Edit your theme to register new post type • Create a new plugin/mu-plugin to register new post type • Through admin interface with plugins like Types or PODS • No coding required, just fill out a few forms
- 11. HOW ARE CUSTOM TYPES USED? • Infinite possibilities • Display of single content piece • Display archive/list of content pieces • Associate related content pieces • Include one content type inside of other content types
- 13. USER PERMISSIONS Out-of-the-box roles are blog-based Need custom roles to add granular page-level permissions Plugins don’t always use logical permissions for management • Many plugins simply use “manage_options” as test capability, regardless of functionality
- 14. PARADOX OF CHOICE Full admins get a lot of options Might need custom functionality to remove some menu items NO WORKFLOW WordPress has no workflow built in Once content is published, all changes are live immediately No automated change notifications Media/asset management is poor
- 16. PLUGINS TO IMPROVE INTERFACE • EditFlow – Implements some workflow capabilities • CMS Tree Page View – Allows drag-and-drop re-order of pages • RoleScoper – allows granular permission management • WhiteLabel CMS – rearranges admin area, customizes login screen • Types and WPToolset – implements custom content types, custom taxonomies, custom fields and template manipulation • Document repository – manage all documents in single library, across multisite, with persistent links to latest version • JetPack – adds multiple new features, including spelling/grammar check, image carousels, ability to post via email, custom CSS, etc. These are not the only plugins that do this, just some examples
- 17. CORE INTERFACE IMPROVEMENTS WordPress is constantly being updated WorkFlow is one of the top priorities for an upcoming version Core has already implemented some great improvements in the last few years: • Multisite merged into core • Custom content types and taxonomies • New media library • Custom navigation menus • Improved oEmbed support • Full-screen (“distraction-free”) editor
- 18. OTHER RECOMMENDED PLUGINS • GravityForms – allows easy creation and management of forms, including integration with Akismet, PayPal, MailChimp and more • TablePress – allows easy creation and management of data tables, including JavaScript features to allow table sorting on front-end • TubePress Pro – implements ability to include dynamic video galleries from multiple sources (Vimeo, YouTube, etc.) • BackupBuddy – allows backup, export and import of full WordPress sites • Regenerate Thumbnails – recreates all WordPress image sizes after settings changes • W3 Total Cache – implements multiple layers of caching and performance optimization • Page Links To – allows easy redirects • …and more at http://j.mp/17XzSw0
- 19. QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? Twitter: @cgrymala Website(s): http://umw.edu/ (Multi-Network Setup) http://ten-321.com/ http://svn.ten-321.com/ (SVN Repo) Email: cgrymala@umw.edu curtiss@ten-321.com SpeakerRate: http://spkr8.com/s/10608 http://about.me/cgrymala