ShareTweet

Once you have figured out exactly what type of content you want to put into your blog or site, and you’ve also figured out how to organize that content, it’s time to actually start posting information to your blog! I’m going to give you step-by-step details on how to post as well as extras that you don’t want to forget when posting.

1.) Posts Panel: Go to your WordPress Dashboard and look for the Posts Panel in the left hand column toward the top of the page. You may just see a tab that says Posts with a little arrow to the right of it. Click on the Arrow to expand your options. You’ll see a tab titled “Posts” that will allow you to see a list of all your posts and allow you to do quick edits on those posts all at once if desired. You’ll also see a tab titled, “Categories,” “Post Tags,” and “Automatic Upgrade” which will allow you to edit the information relating to each of those categories. What you want to click, however, is the “New Post” tab.

2.) Basic Form Fields and Options: Once you are on the Add New Post Dashboard, you’ll see an empty field at the top of the page for you to insert your post title. Just below that, you’ll see the “Permalink” to the post you are creating. That is the permanent url address to your post. You can edit that permalink if desired, but we will not focus on that right now.

This is what you’ll see below. Click on the image to enlarge.

3.) Formatting Options: The next thing you’ll see is the actual box to insert your content. You’ll see an empty field to insert text, and you’ll also see options in a little bar across the top as well as even more icons above that. If you do not know much about HTML code, you’ll probably want to make sure that the “Visual” button is clicked from those two options in the top right corner of the Posts Editing box. (See the picture above for an example.) Let’s go through the other options available in your posts bar now. To apply these options to your text, simply highlight the text you’d like to format, and click on the appropriate icon.

• Basic Text and Paragraph Options: These are located on the first row, and you should recognize the most common ones. Here is a brief description of each button starting from left to right. Bold Text, Italicize Text, Add a Line through the Text, Add a Bulleted List, add a Numbered List, Set off your Text in a Blockquote, and Align your Paragraph to the Left, Center, or Right.
• Extra Buttons on the Top Row: Directly beside the paragraph alignment buttons, you’ll see some more options. Again, from left to right, you can Add a Link, Remove a Link, Add the More Tag (this will create an automatic excerpt to be shown if someone is looking through a list of posts rather than displaying the entire post), Check your Spelling, Show in Full Screen Mode, Show more Options below the first line of buttons, and you may have some more options depending upon your theme or other plugins installed.
• Second Row Options: If you click on the button on the top row that looks a little like a computer keyboard and says “Show Kitchen Sink,” when you hover over it, you’ll see a second row of more options for your text. These include your Format tab where you can choose your paragraph and heading styles for your text, Underline, the ability to Justify your text, Choose your Font Color, Paste something you’ve copied into the text, Paste from Word (Make sure to use this button if you have copied something from Word, or better yet, put it into a Text Editor first. NEVER paste directly into the content field from a Word document!). You’ll also see a little eraser that allows you to clear any formatting that you’ve already done, a film strip icon that allows you to paste embedded media in (great for Google Ads or YouTube video embeds), you’ll find a button to let you add special characters, change your text indent, undo or redo changes, and finally a Help button. Again, you may have even more options then these available depending upon your themes or plugins.

4.) Adding Media: You also have the option to add pictures, videos, audio or other type of media to your blog post. Simply click on the appropriate icon beside the “Upload/Insert” option above the Options Menu Bar. You can choose to get your file from an internet address, your personal computer, or one of the images you’ve already uploaded to your blog. Special Tip: If you uploaded a picture and accidentally deleted it, or you want to use the same picture from a previous post, make sure to click on the “Media Library” option and it will show you a list of all media you’ve already uploaded to the blog. This will keep you from adding the same image or media multiple times.

5.) Previewing Your Post: Once you have added and formatted your text, you’ll want to make sure to first preview your post or page in the browser before publishing it. You’ll see the Publishing Panel in the upper right hand side of the Dashboard. You can simply Save your Draft, Preview your Post, Edit the date that you want your Post to be published on (Great for writing a lot of posts at once and setting them to be published in the future), and of course Publish your post when ready. First select the Preview button and ensure that the post looks just the way you want it to. A new window will pop up with that post preview, so once you are done previewing it, you can simply close out of that window, and you’ll be taken back to your Posts Editing section.

6.) Adding Categories and Tags: When you are satisfied with the content and formatting of your post, you’ll then want to make sure that it is posted into the correct Category and with the correct tags. You can find your Categories listed just below the Publishing Panel on the right hand side of the screen, and you should just make sure to check any and all categories that apply to your post. Below, you can add tags that apply, or create new tags.

In the image to the right (click to enlarge) you’ll see there are a lot of categories that I have listed. If you have not yet created any categories, you can simply click on the “Add New Category” at the bottom of this section to create a new category option. Make sure you remove the check box by the Uncatgorized section. This is always checked by default in case you forget to put your posts into a Category.

Hint: It’s always a good idea to click the main “Posts” button in the left hand side to view all of your posts and see if some are missing categories or tags. You can Filter your post list by Category or Date, then choose check the boxes by the posts that you need to add to a specific category or do other quick edits to. After that, choose the Bulk Edit Option, and you can quickly edit information for multiple posts all at one time.

7.) Featured Image and Theme Options: Below the Post Tags Options, you’ll see another field that says Featured Image. You can choose an image that you’d like to appear as a thumbnail beside your post title if you show excerpts of your posts on your main blog page. Note: The best way to set your featured image is actually to click on the Upload/Insert media option mentioned above. This will give you the option of inserting an image into the post as well as making it a featured image, or doing just one or the other.

8.) Post Excerpts: Below the Main box to add your post content, you’ll see another field titled “Excerpt.” This gives you the ability to create your own special text that you’d like to appear when viewing a page of several posts. This option should be used if you do not want to simply use the “more tag” that was mentioned above which only shows whatever text you have listed above that tag. If you use the Featured Image option located below the Post Tags, you have to insert the image into the post as well. Note: The options below the post content field and in the right hand column can be rearranged as you desire. Simply drag and drop them in the order that you prefer. You can also minimize or expand these options, as well by clicking in the right hand corner them.

8.) Post Author and Comments: Below the Excerpt section, you’ll also see two separate fields for allowing visitor comments and track-backs titled “Discussion,” as well as the option to choose your Post Author if you have multiple authors for your blog. Again, if you forget to choose these options, you can always do a bulk edit, or quick edit choosing these for multiple posts under the main Posts tab.

9.) Extras: You’ll may see multiple fields in this section below the main content field depending on what theme you are using or what plugins you have. For example, I have the Platinum SEO Pack which allows me to give a special title, description, and key words to each post. I also have Twitter Tools which has more options for me as well as Smooth Slider Options at the bottom of the page. Make sure to scroll down to the bottom of your page to make sure you don’t miss any great posting options available to you.

10.) Preview & Publish: Make sure to preview your post one last time, then hit Publish and you are all finished! Once it’s published, you’ll see in the center at the top of the page the option to view your post. If you aren’t totally happy with the Published version, you can always click on the Edit button and work on it some more.

Those are just the basics of posting. Please let me know if you have a question or additional comments.

© 2011, Sarah. All rights reserved.

ShareTweet