Exploring the WordPress Potentials, Part II!

Exploring the WordPress Potentials, Part II!

Assignment #10 (details are below)

Welcome Back!

***Quick note, next week is spring break and the week after that we meet in person again, please mark your calendars as it is very important that you are in attendance on in person class sessions.***

(recorded videos from our class session below at the very bottom of this page – scroll down)

Let’s get a bit more specific with WordPress and begin to apply intentional context to our website design. Last week we started setting up our new websites by simply discussing the potentials of the visual design creation and experimentation process.

The recap – we talked about how to set up new pages, and how to add those pages to the main navigation menu. We discussed the navigation menus locations and what their functions were. We looked at the footer space and adding widgets in the footer areas. We also took a peek into “plug-ins” and installing plug-ins (especially the Classic Editor for the similar blogging experience we see on the ct101 site for writing our posts) and the differences between pages, posts & categories.

This is quite a bit of information and I highly suggest that you re-watch the class video tutorials from last week for the practice of retaining the new skills that were shared and displayed. I do this very often myself as I find it super helpful for being able to replicate a new skill or technique.

This all takes regular practice and a bit of openness to experimentation in general. How did you do with your experimenting last week? What did you work on? You can leave a comment below on this post and share the link to your new site :))) – WordPress is a very intuitive piece of software, and it wants your creativity! Lets continue forward. I will be sharing a new series of demonstrations and will add the recorded videos from our class session below at the very bottom of this page.

Assignment #10 – Details – Lets begin populating our new websites by publishing a new blog post there this week. Thats right, You will be publishing a new post there and also “cross-posting” that information here on CT101 as well. There is an efficient way to cross-post content across wordpress websites. I will show you how.

Lets say you just published a great new blog post on your new website and you also want to share it with your classmates / community here on the CT101 website. (You can! Its easy)

Step 1 – is to publish the new blog post on your website. Remember, every blog post has its own unique URL that can be later shared on other places and space on the Internet.

An example of cross sharing your post on may be done in a new post on CT101 that reads:

————

Your Blog Post Title (all blog posts need a great title!) 

(insert an image – GIF – Meme – Quote – or some kind of related media)

“Dear Fellow Readers – I just published a new blog post here on my website: http://yourwebsitename.com, (make sure to hyperlink the post url) please come and check it out and feel free to engage in some fun dialog. Thanks so much”

————

This is a very minimal example above but perhaps just a title and a link is not that interesting? We need a bit of compelling energy to draw the reader from CT101 over to your site. So make this interesting and creative!

**This Week’s Blogging Assignment Prompt for Assignment 10**

Publish a NEW blog Post on YOUR new website, the post can be about anything that you wish that has direct context to your new website’s stated intentions (what your site is being used to promote and share.) After publishing the post, create a new blog post here on CT101 that shares a synopsis of your new post from your website that will entice and grab our attention, be sure to include the direct URL as a hyperlink to the new blog post.

PS – WordPress is really vast and there are many many tutorials out there for “WordPress beginners” – Perhaps YouTube is a helpful source for finding some new resources outside of class? Of Course! Here is one, but feel free to share links to others that you have explored (add the link to the comments section below.)

 

The Video Tutorials for this weeks’ assignment are posted below (from 4/11/22 & 4/14/22)

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/98tlj5CPJG2085qdTSmveWK6UWecLlNNxYIowixzouQAy5ISQAdLKZ2YXSp7FQM1.fJFc5N9cvUGFdIi5 

Passcode: N1oz9^=P

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/xmQnlxz1YnWoLuWdvpIpop7N6u3TcK6uQhlc9DTPya-kzROCwcqeXgQ9aTjOvv8I.aztZY2gTMl3AZAaQ 

Passcode: =6nM&tm8

“Assignment #6 – The Mid-Semester Assessment Post”

 Mid-Semester Recap Post

Assignment #1: Things that make me happy on the Internet!!

Assignment #2: The potential of Memes and GIFs storytelling in real life.

Assignment #3: Are memes art?

Assignment #4: Digital Storytelling Project Flexibility

Assignment #5: Digital Art & Creative Immediacy

How am I doing in CT101?

To be honest, I am really enjoying the course, learning so much new stuff which helped me to improve my communication skills. However, I am not doing great in terms of posting the blog posts each week as well as posting comments on others’ posts.

How many points have I earned so far and what grade do I believe I am maintaining? 

So, this is going to be my 6th blog post for this course, although I should have worked on my 9th post by now. I have been sick for the last few weeks; therefore, I was unable to post on a regular basis. Although I am falling behind in terms of posting, I believe, so far whatever I posted I took them very seriously, I learned so many things throughout the process. Whenever I post something, I tried to follow the professor’s instructions as much as possible. So, I believe I was able to maintain the quality of blog posts and did pretty well. Since I have to score at least 85 to get an A, I will try harder to achieve that.

What have I learned and retained the most?

So far, I have learned and retained a great deal of information, but the most would have to be our previous two assignments regarding  ds106 assignment bank and mmm. Page. The ds106 assignment offers so many options for developing our skills in audio, video, photoshop, visual, writing, etc. Through mmm.page I learned how to incorporate different types of media into one and utilize my previously learned skills in terms of building a page by inserting GIFs, hyperlinks, videos, and much more.

What new skills have I developed, cultivated, and displayed regularly in my weekly posts?

Till now, there are so many new skills have I developed, cultivated, and displayed regularly in my weekly posts. I actually learned how to edit pictures using photoshop websites from this course for the first time. I am not active on my social media accounts, and I mostly take pictures for my personal memories, so I don’t bother much about editing. Thanks to CT101, my photoshop skill got better also I learned to make Memes and GIFs. I used to think making Memes and GIFs is a very complicated process, however, when the professor introduced us to websites like GIPHY and Imgur, I find them very interesting and easy to work with.

How do I assess my performance through self-reflection in this class?

I try to assess my performance through self-reflection by checking comments and feedback on my posts on a regular basis so that if my professor or fellow classmates have suggested to improve in terms of formatting or adding a further explanation on something with more detail. Another way I assess my performance is by viewing the recording and peers’ posts on the same topic before starting the assignment and taking notes of important things that the professor asked for so that I don’t miss something important. I work on improving my posts so that they get better each week. I have witnessed myself gradually becoming more comfortable with sharing thoughts in my posts each week, which is a sign of my improvement.

What do I know now that I did not know before taking this class?

Frankly speaking, most of the things that I  learned in CT 101 such as hyperlinking, embedding videos, creating GIFs and Memes, and utilizing different websites like Giphy, ImgurDS106, and mmm.page , etc., and most significantly WordPress, I had no idea about all these at all. Now, that I have learned how to use them, I feel more confident in terms of expressing myself on the internet. They really helped me to grow my overall communication skills and I am thankful for that.

Do I see my weekly blogging work expanding creatively? 

Yes, I do see my weekly blogging work expanding creatively. Since each week we are learning something new and have new materials (different websites/ online tools) to work with, therefore, my blog posts are also expanding because I work with something different every week.  They do not look repetitive at all and I constantly focus on doing better on the upcoming posts by looking at my peers’ posts. Since there’s no rush of due dates, I give myself enough time to have a better understanding of the posts, making notes of important stuff so that I can maintain the quality of content.

Are there any assignments that you are missing?  Are you commenting regularly on your classmates’ posts? Are you responding back to comments given to you by the professor & your classmates? Are you participating during class time? 

Yes, I do participate in class and answer the questions the professor asked during class time. I also take notes while the professor explains the assignment and works on drafts. I also try to comment regularly on peers’ posts and try to respond back to the comments of my posts as much as possible. Unfortunately, I am missing Assignments# 7 &8, as I mentioned earlier, I had been sick for a couple of weeks. I thought if I push myself, I would be unable to maintain the quality of the assignments. Also, I am taking 21 credits this semester and every week I have to study for multiple assignments and quizzes. However, I have planned to work on CT101 during the spring break. I am determined that I do not want to make any more delays in terms of posting each week.

 

Assignment #9- Customizing my Website using WordPress

The first thing that I worked on was the theme but I decided to leave on the default setting Twenty Twenty. Twenty Twenty is the new WordPress default theme. It is designed with the flexibility of the block editor at its core. If you want to use it for an organization or a business, you can combine columns, groups, and media to create dynamic layouts that show off your services or products.

The second thing that I worked on was the site identity. I was able to add a logo, site title, site icon. A site icon, also known as a favicon, is a unique icon for your website. It is shown on your WordPress.com dashboard, in your site visitors’ browser tab, and as a bookmark and home screen app icon when saved to a browser or phone.

The third thing that I worked on was the background image. Your background image is capable of representing your whole website in terms of sending a message, telling about your business, products or services and much more. So, a visitor can precisely know all about your site by looking at the big picture.

  Step 1: Customize my Theme.

. add twenty twenty theme

 Step 2 : customize my site identity.

. add a logo

.add a tagline

.add a site icon

 Step 3: customize my background image.

. add a background

Step 4: Add Widgets.

.add a widgets image.

With the power of wordpress I was able to customize my website to my liking and wordpress allow site admins to tweak a theme’s settings, color scheme or widgets, and see a preview of those changes in real time and also wordpress make it easy to customize the theme, logo, tagline, site icon, and background. The theme customization page allows you to modify your site’s title and tagline and see how it will look on your actual site immediately.

Assignment #9: WordPress Customizing

This week I got started on customizing my WordPress website. Starting off with my home page. But before doing anything else, I made sure to switch over to the Twenty-Twenty theme or template, as I knew it’d be better for me as a beginner.

After activating the theme, I quickly got started on customizing the sample page. I looked and clicked around to figure out where everything was and the things I was able to change. First, changing some background colors a bit. I want a sort of clean-cut design on my website, something that isn’t difficult to look at. So, I decided to change the original fuchsia pink color to a more pastel/light pink.

Then, I began working on my title or header. As much as I tried to think of a cool name, I decided to stick to something basic for now and as I gather inspiration along the way, I can go back in and change it.

I also added in my own text and introduction to my website. Adding in some facts about me and what type of things I’ll talk about in my blog posts. I also added in one of my favorite quotes by Alan Watts and his book The Wisdom of Insecurity.

“The mystery of life is not a question to be asked or a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”

As some of the final details, I decided to add shortcuts to my Twitter and Instagram. Added my contact email and a photo of myself as part as the introduction for the viewers.

I have a lot more work to do regarding my website and customizing each page, but WordPress has made it super easy to do and I’m excited to push forward. You can visit my work in progress here or by clicking the image above. Please let me know your thoughts or any tips you think would help me!

Assignment #8

The overall experience of registering my own domain wasn’t that hard. I was a little confused at first but then after I watched the video tutorial I understood what to do. First I had to go under the course schedule and figure out what my assignment was. 

Then I went on the website and checked if my domain name was available, which it was so I was able to use it.

Then I filled out all of my information like my name, school email, and things like that.

Then I went on Reclaim Hosting and did what I had to do there:

I then verified my account through my email.

Then I installed the open source version of WordPress.org so I could begin building my website for my domain name.

Then I did part 2 of the assignment and gave a summary of what it is that I just did.

Assignment #8: Domain Name Registration, Hosting Set Up & WordPress Installation!

In this week’s blog post I will explain the process of creating a Domain Name, registration, Hosting, and Setting up the WordPress Installation. First I had the chance to choose a domain name that has to be able to use due to it being already registered. I had a series of names I wanted to put but for my website, I chose Zsports2022.com which was available. I want my website to focus on sports and also gaming with personal experience. For me, it’s basically moving ideas of creating blogs and following the current trends of both the pastime activities. I  went on and followed the tutorial thanks to Prof.Ryan  I was able to use the promotional code to create the domain name and website to be official.

It’s OFFICIAL! the hosting is registered and the code really helped thanks thanks to Prof.Ryan once again.

 

Using WordPress was really interesting and able to have access to WordPress is really helpful because it will only benefit me to create a website that has tremendous content. I have installed WordPress the domain was connected and I had the chance to make it easy for myself to be able to use Email and PW as the same as the reclaim hosting.

This is the first preview of my website!!! Satisfaction of seeing “Hello World!”

The Admin point of my website really looks fascinating, I couldn’t imagine it being the same as our CT101 class website. I am appreciative of being able to use the features we use to blog on our class website and take it to the next level of my own website and design. THE START OF A NEW EXPERIENCE!!!

I was able to edit the website and go into a little bit of designing and adding a logo and some text onto the webpage.

THE LOGO is added and WordPress is set. I am using the Twenty Twenty theme and my customization is in the process.

Here is the video tutorial demo that is great to follow for the Twenty Twenty them…

ENJOY…..

 

Assignment #8 – My Domain Name Registration

The domain name I settled on was  FiveSenseArt.com. I think this is the best domain name for me because I like to draw and Art is a highly diverse range of human activities engaged in creating visual, auditory, or performed artifacts artworks that express the author’s imaginative or technical skill, and are intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power and Art can help us understand our history, our culture, our lives, and the experience of others in a manner that cannot be achieved through other means and Often the first to come to mind are opportunities for self exploration and self expression, the chance to broaden horizons, build mental focus, physical dexterity, reduce stress, and increase personal enjoyment, also the fact that I like to draw and get feedback from others and see others artwork and give them feedback about their work. 

 

Using wordpress was really fun because wordpress made it easier for me to edit my web page and also if you don’t know what wordpress do basically wordpress is a content management system that allows you to host and build websites. WordPress contains plugin architecture and a template system, so you can customize any website to fit your business, blog, portfolio, or online store. It’s extremely flexible, meaning you have complete control over the design and functionality of your website. Long story short, WordPress enables you to create a truly unique website beyond the scope of drag and drop website builders. 

 

  • Set up your domain name and hosting provider.
  • Install WordPress.
  • Choose your theme.
  • Add posts and pages to your website.
  • Customize your website.
  • Install plugins.
The process was a bit confusing at first but after paying  attention and reading the step process that was labeled by Professor Ryan Seslow. Everything was easy and fun. After that I had a great time creating the website and customizing it.
by Ryan Seslow.

Assignment #9 Week 10 using WordPress.

 Assignment #9 Week 10 using WordPress.

Today I used WordPress to make my website of RealEstateAtGreatRates with my domain, where I spoked about places where you can find the cheapest houses around the country, I try to provide the average house price in the United States and the lowest Prices as well, my two sources were The Ascent  and Appermenttherapy, the theme that I used is twenty twenty-two.

I did removed some of the default aspects of the theme, however these aspects where minor details to make the website look even better, I added some pictures to give a sense of topic that is discuss on the website, I did not looked into YouTube videos since I wanted to explore WordPress by myself.

I wanted to make it a little journey for to explore, since I’ve never used WordPress Before, I did not made a second page since my point was to give a simple and general Idea of where you could find cheap real Estate and the shortest amount of time, however I did gave some advices at the end of my Website in order to find your prefer housing, my website can be found in this Hyperlink RealEstateAtGreatRates.com. If there is any idea or feedback for me to add please comment it on it I will appreciate an Outside opinion where I can based on as well.

Assignment #7

COMING UP WITH WEBSITE NAMES

Hmm Spongebob GIF - Hmm Spongebob Meme - Discover & Share GIFs

Beautifuldeception.com 

Beautifuldeception.net 

Myself.com 

Me.net 

Innerself.net 

I think they are good because they relate to me however I might come up with something else in the future  

Notsure GIFs | Tenor

My website will have things that I find interesting. I have an idea of how I want the website to look but im not sure yet because things may change.My favorite website are youtube and Hulu, I can’t really think of other websites I use more than that. I don’t really use the web for much

YouTube Isn't the Music Villain Anymore - The New York Times

Hulu: Stream TV Series & Films - Apps on Google Play

ASSIGNMENT #8- Time to put my DUKES UP and REGISTER A DOMAIN NAME

Today is the DAY I register a domain name after so much worrying I have settled on the domain name juancar1os.net. I think this is best domain for me because it’s a variation of my name. Also juancarlos.net was taken but at least the one I settled on is similar to my ct101 username. Also by having my name as the domain site it will be more accessible for people to find me. I chose to end it in .net because .com is so common for every website.

I started by checking to see the availability of my domain which it was. I filled out the whole steps putting the code and making an account and activating it (don’t know why the quality is so weird).

After downloading wordpress I added my account and chose the twenty twenty one theme and made it a little normal by choosing a blue color and dark mode. After doing that I created a slogan, logo and an icon. They all contain my domain name JUANCAR1OS. I chose the slogan “Hey Keep Up” because of the things I will be posting and want people to interact and keep up to date with everything.

This is the icon of my site. ⬆️

This is the logo of my site. ⬆️

(THANKS TO THE HELP OF WORDPRESS)

After watching the video which was quite helpful I had a new domain name and site that looked like this. I also created an email for the website to make it look official. It is JUANCAR1OS.BUSINESS.INFO@GMAIL.COM. Maybe one day I will use this email to answer any questions or concerns.

If you want to see the site press here -> JUANCAR1OS.NET.

It is not really finished but it looks normal for being made just a few minutes ago. It looks like this with time I hope I can improve it with the help of this class.

Thanks. BYE!

Domain Name Registration

 

I never thought I had to register for a domain. I feel happy to even think about it and create a URL on my own. Registering for domain names takes me less time than thinking about what domain name I suppose to use. After thinking about using my Facebook photography page

name to register for the domain. However, the name is already registered. Then I decided to use my nickname. I think back to my country and here in the united states, most people call me by my nickname.

I’m looking forward to becoming a website owner since it will extend my online experience.

Reclaim Hosting made registering my domain a pleasure. I had a promo code on my york email. I just put the code to claim my domain. Good thing is that we don’t have to spend money on this Reclaim Hosting.

after checkout, I just need to install WordPress. All this process seem so easy after I watch professor zoom’s video recording.
Here is the link of my website.

Assignment #8 – Building My Website

Woman reminiscing about a journey.
From making gifs and memes to creating websites.

Registering my domain, installing WordPress and working with it was much easier than I thought. It was also enjoyable! I was paranoid I would make a mistake somewhere along the way. So, I followed Prof. Seslow’s Zoom video to a T.

The first step in the process was checking to see if my domain name was available.

Screenshot of webpage
It was!

From here, it was a straightforward process of following along with the video. Everything went smoothly. After entering my information, I started to wait for the confirmation email, which went to the Junk folder.

Man walking holding up an envelope
Good thing Prof. brought that up, or I would’ve been panicking.

I confirmed my email and then went to the following page to begin installing WordPress.

Screenshot of a webpage
Success!

I decided to change a few things, such as the website’s name and slogan, during the WordPress setup phase. After a few clicks, I was presented with my brand new website.

And my reaction was:

Man not liking something.
I really didn’t.

So much so that I didn’t take a screenshot of it. The webpage was the very generic ‘Hello World’ one.

It was time to put on headphones, bust out the inspirational music from YouTube and get to work.

Killjoy Lets Get To Work GIF by dignitas - Find & Share on GIPHY

I was comfortable doing so because WordPress is familiar to me. I added a few pages, including ones with my bio and contact information. I also threw in a nice Adele gif. The theme I selected is a simple one. But it reminds me of how a newspaper looks. I plan to add a nice banner behind my name in the future. Feel free to stop by!

Screenshot of website.
The final product. For now.

 

Assignment #5

what are you inspired to do? What are you inspired to make or create?

I was inspired to create something that also reflects the inner me. I had this idea in my head for a long time now, I even tried to create something similar to it way before I joined this class. I always wanted to make something that means something different to someone else so that’s what I kind of had in mind 

 

  1. In a new blog post, share your experiences working with mmm.page. What are you compelled to create? What did you create? Be sure to share the published link to your page(s) – its a good idea to take screenshots and hyperlink directly to the screenshots. (we already know how to do this)

I built upon something I already had been working on in the past but this time I tried to connect other things around it while trying to just go with the flow rather than overthinking things. I can’t really put what I created into words you would just have to see for yourself. Though my goal was to make that have a different meaning to someone I’m not sure if I was able to do it or not.

URL: https://mmm.page/madeinyourlikeness

Assignment #8: Domain Name Registration

Most of the other domains that I was planning on using were taken already.

Stressed GIF by Next Level Chef - Find & Share on GIPHY

Thankfully, AQuickLaugh.com was not taken yet, So I was able to have the domain.

The process was pretty easy to do, I didn’t have any issues installing WordPress. However, I started trying to see how to use WordPress and it’s a bit confusing I was having trouble adding GIFS and text to it, I was able to add a GIF at least. Hopefully, as time goes on I become more comfortable using it.

I’m excited and a bit overwhelmed to start working on the website because I’m scared that I may be putting too little or too much on the website or that I am unable to do what I want with the website. I have so many different ideas that I want to implement but I’m worried it might not look as good as I imagine it.

Season 3 Episode 21 GIF by Martin - Find & Share on GIPHY

Assignment 7: Whats My (domain) Name

When coming up with potential domain name ideas I considered aesthetics. I wanted something personal but, at the same time, I wanted it to be intriguing to my desired audience. 

          • PresidentRoutine.com

          • CareEscape.com

          • FateemaA.com

          • 333.com

For my website, I want my audience to experience a day in the life with me. I enjoy watching mini day in the life vlogs on Tik Tok, I guess you can say it is a guilty pleasure. I have yet to create one of my own, but  I love the idea of taking the time to do so. If you ever watch videos like these you see how aesthically pleasing they can be and it also motivates you to be productive. I think as I am in my early 20’s, I am transitioning from young-adult to I am about to be 22 and I have my sh*t together young-adult. From 18-20 I was still beginning to learn the hardships of being fully independent however,  now I am solid with my current employment, on track with my finances, with my fitness, seld-care, and my social-life. Watching day in the life videos of others who appear to be “put together” inspires me and motivates me to stay on track, so I would hope my website can  help others who desire a more organized and productive lifestyle achieve this goal. 

            

Some of my favorite websites/apps are Tik Tok and Youtbe. I like that Tik Tok on Tik Tok we can watch short and quick entertaining videos. The app grew quickly and  now the content can reach anyone’s likings.  I also like Youtube as I am subscribed to people who create aesthetic content. I personally like videos where people are not talking a lot, more of them putting together clips that we can peacefully watch. 

I worry however, how difficult this process might be. It is say to sit and watch videos or go on a website but truthfully, I am intimated creating one myself. I am also very specific the way I like things but at the same time ver indecisive, so I hope I am able to to meet my expectations as well as please my desired audience.