WordPress Plugins for Content Management

Posted by on October 19, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

Plugins are little snippets of code that add functionality to your site. WordPress has a very generous community of supporters that create these plugins and there are several that help WordPress function as a content management system. I am going to list the ones I found most useful.

Widget Logic – This plugin puts sidebar items on selected pages using WordPress conditional tags. I used this to add contact information, graphics in the sidebar, and links, all the while controlling which page the information appeared on.

My Page Order – Allows you to order the pages in your navigation bar using a drag and drop method – much easier than using the WordPress numbering system.

Page Links To – Great plugin that adds a page to your navigation bar and points to an external page. Before I added this plugin, I hard coded my navigation into the header file. Using this plugin, I can have users add pages to the website without giving them access to the header file. This plugin is also good if you want to have a page under more than one navigation heading. For example, I did a school site and wanted “Forms and Manuals” under several headings and was able to add it easily with this plugin.

WP Print – Plugin that adds a Print link to the bottom of each page. When selected, it shows a preview of the page to be printed.

WP Sticky – Keeps a sticky post at the top of your blog

Site Map Generator by Dagon – Site map generator that adds a site map of all my pages. I was able to add the code to a page and have a site map for my web site.

Next Gen Gallery – Added a slide show to the front page of my site. It is easy for users to add photos and keep the slide show updated. Next Gen also works with wp Paypal shopping cart plugin to add paypal buttons to your gallery – look  at the tutorials at Tips and Tricks to see how to integrate the plugin. You can  turn your WordPress site into a store!

Google Custom Search – I added this to my header file and it does a great job searching my site.

Askimet – No more SPAM!

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WordPress as a Content Management System

Posted by on October 11, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

WordPress is not just for blogs. I had a huge website and 9 subwebs that were created in a combination of Dreamweaver and Frontpage. I was looking for a way to update the sites so they were easier to maintain and it would be easier to add interactive features – wordpress was my answer.  Why did I choose Worpress?

  • It was easy to install.
  • The  interface made it easy for anyone to post news or information.
  •  There are an abundance of plugins to extend the functionality.
  • Check out the free themes.
  • Abundant support at WordPress.org
  •  Best of all –  it is free and open source.

I host with Bluehost but there are many good hosting services available.  wordpress_install

Click on the link for WordPress in cpanel and you will be redirected to Simple scripts. Click the install button and you are ready to go.

One of the great things about WordPress is the amount of themes available. WordPress installs with 2  default  themes but it is simple to upload and change themes. The harder part is choosing one of the thousand available.  WordPress has the option to show your blog on the first page of your site or to have a static page as the first page.  I chose a magazine style theme that has information on the front page and links to information on other pages. One of my favorite themes is the Revolution Theme by Brian Gardner. The original theme is no longer available but he does have lot of other great themes. His themes are “Premium Themes” meaning they are not free but they come with wonderful support and I thought they were worth every cent. Take a look at the themes and the  theme showcase to see what is available.

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