1. WORDPRESS 102
SHANTA R. NATHWANI
WORDCAMP HAMILTON 2016
#WCHAMONT

2. #WCHamOnt
AGENDA
1. Find Me
2. Hosting
3. Backup
4. Contact Information
5. Themes
6. Plugins
7. More on hiring someone
*This is a follow up to my WordPress 101 Talk. You can view the video from WordPress.tv here.
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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1. FIND ME!
Tweet Me:
@ShantaDotCa
Email:
shanta@shanta.ca
My Web Site:
http://shanta.ca
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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4. ABOUT ME
• Instructor, Sheridan College
• Joint program with University of Toronto at
Mississauga: Institute of Culture,
Communication, Information and Technology
• Web Design and Capstone Project
• Co-Founder, Web Weapons
• Clients include NPOs, Real Estate, Software
Development, Financial and Political Sectors
• Bachelor of Commerce in Info Tech Mgmt.,
Ryerson University
• Serial WordCamper. Went to 7 in 2014 and
crowdsourced my tour last year for 7 more
and even did WordCamp Mumbai in March,
2016.
• Co-organizer, WordCamp Hamilton, 2015-6
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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5. #WCHamOnt
2. HOSTING
Shared hosting
• GoDaddy
• BlueHost*
Managed hosting
• WPEngine
• Siteground*
* - I’m an affiliate
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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3. BACKUP
• Most hosting companies will offer a backup system of some kind
• Jetpack has one
• WordPress.com doesn't need one
• One of the ones I recommend is Backup Buddy by iThemes because
of its options, it's easy to use and to migrate, especially those in
the room hoping to do their own development business
• Another good solution (and free for the most part) is Updraft Plus
which is becoming a favourite.
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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4. CONTACT INFORMATION
• Contact forms rather than publishing your email address
• Mailchimp signup form. Integrates with WordPress and can be done as a
widget
• Contact Form 7 is another option
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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5. THEMES
• The “Look and Feel” of your website
• Might include some functionality
• The “Front End” or what people see
From Graph Paper Press
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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5. THEME SELECTION
Start with the repository
• Can be accessed through your Dashboard > Appearances > Themes
• Directly at wordpress.org/themes
If not, go outside and use the authors in the repository as a start
Do not Google “free WordPress themes”!
• These could contain malicious code
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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5. THEME SELECTION (CON’T)
Where do I start?
• Ask yourself, “What is the purpose of the website?”. Many of the themes
are categorized by purpose (i.e., photography/portfolio, business, blog,
etc.)
• Ask yourself, “What do I want it to look like? Do I want a big header? Do I
want columns? Main content with sidebar?”. A good way to familiarize
yourself with these is to look in the repository.
Make sure that the them you choose is mobile-enabled/responsive!
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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6. PLUGINS
• Plugins extend the
usefulness of your website
• Some examples are Backup
Buddy and Jetpack
• The “Back End” or what
people don’t see
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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6. PLUGIN SELECTION
Just like the themes, best to check the repository
(http://wordpress.org/plugins)
Don’t overload your site. Choose your plugins carefully.
• First, by function. What do you need it to do?
• Is there a plugin that does multiple functions, such as memberships AND
payments? This is such a wide area, you need to research it. It will depend
on what functionality you need.
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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7. MORE ABOUT HIRING A PROFESSIONAL
Educate yourself
• Not only about the terminology, but also have an idea of what you want.
This saves everyone a good amount of time and effort.
• Expect to give a deposit of some sort, whether you’re working with a
student or a professional. Don’t expect any of this for free.
• This is not a cookie cutter process, nor is it an overnight one.
• Some of the best advice: Lucas Cherkewski: Spoke at WordCamp Toronto
2013 on this topic…at the age of 16! Just had him in my class the other day
and he’s amazing…at 18!
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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EXTRA RESOURCES
• WordPress.com: This is where you can learn almost everything I’ve just talked
about! There is also one for .ORG, but this will get you about 90% of the way
there. Skip the “Getting Started” part if you are using the .ORG
• WordPress.tv: Most of the talks given at WordCamps are recorded and
archived here. You can find my talks there!
• Chris Lema: has done a number of posts about comparisons for things like
membership, ecommerce and eLearning, as well as much more.
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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QUESTIONS?
Tweet Me:
@ShantaDotCa
Email:
shanta@shanta.ca
My Web Site:
http://shanta.ca
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa