Shanta R. Nathwani gave a presentation on WordPress 102 at WordCamp Hamilton 2016. She discussed finding contact information, hosting options, backups, themes, plugins, hiring professionals, and extra resources. The presentation covered the basics of customizing and managing a WordPress site beyond the initial setup.

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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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