WordPress 3.3 Menus

Posted on December 28, 2011 by efcussins

After completing the update to WordPress 3.3, I noticed the pop out of the menu items, instead of the drop down. I thought it was a nice little feature change. Here I can view all the sub menu options while keeping the main options in view.

Now if I click on the Dashboard, the Dashboard opens up to reveal its sub menu items. When I hover my mouse over Post main menu,  the sub menus pop out to the side. Clicking on any sub menus from the pop out or on the collapsed Post main menu will result in the main Post menu opening up and the Dashboard sub menus collapsing in the main.

This process hold true for all the main and sub menu items down the left hand column. This way you can keep your left hand menu column as compact or spread out as you wish.


Categories: Beginner, Housekeeping, Uncategorized | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

WordPress 3.3 Add Media

Posted on December 27, 2011 by efcussins

With each upgrade of WordPress, it is made easier for bloggers to use. The WordPress 3.3 upgrade gives us bloggers more options to insert pictures, video and music in with the post. To start the icon link to upload and insert of the media is different. It has been changed to the words, “Upload/Insert” with a icon of a camera and music note to the right.

After clicking on the link another window overlays the create text box. At the top left is the words “Add Media”. Everything else is similar to previous versions of WordPress with one major difference. You now can drag and drop media into the box that is outline by dashes. You still have the ability to upload from a file by pressing the button labeled A.

 

 

If you do not like this upload screen you can click on the link at the bottom, labeled B. This will switch you back to the older method of upload content and inserting it into your blog post of page.

 


Categories: Beginner, Writing | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Updates Bewarned

Posted on December 27, 2011 by efcussins

This last update to WordPress 3.3 crashed one of my blogs so bad I could not access the Dashboard. It took going into the plugin files with Filezilla and deleting suspect plugins until the offender was removed.

My first clue to the reason for the crash of the blog being a plugin that was not compatible to new version of WordPress was the error message displayed while going to the blog. The error message listed error in a specific folder, file and line. In times past all I had to do was delete that specific plugin. This time I had to delete a couple more just to get the blog back up and going.

The chief conflict was caused by the contact plugin I was using. I had to change to a different contact plugin as a result.

It is best to read the reviews. Read the developers notes as to what plugins, themes work with a specific version of WordPress. Installing a plugin or theme just because it looks good is like playing Russian Roulette with your blog. This also goes for updating from one version of WordPress to the next.

Another way to protect your blog is by backing up the database and everything else. Because of the ease to doing backups, I recommend a complete back up should be done every six month to a years. Sooner the critical the content. Sometimes running a duplicate blog hosted on a different server.


Categories: Words of Wisdom | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

Menu Bar

Posted on October 27, 2011 by efcussins

The newer versions of WordPress added a Menu Bar runs along the top of your blog when you are logged into your site. If you are not logged in it will not appear.

This Menu Bar has only been available in the last few upgrades of WordPress. It gives you quick access to things like the Dashboard, Comments, Appearance, Updates, and other things depending upon what plugins you have. For those menu items where there is an accompanying drop down menu there is a little white downward arrow to the right of each menu item.

When you have updates or comments awaiting for you attention, there will be a white circle with a number inside it. The number inside that circle tells you how many are waiting. In the case of this Menu Bar there is 3 updates awaiting to be done manually.


Categories: Beginner, Set Up | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Updates Are Available

Posted on October 26, 2011 by efcussins

When there are updates available for your WordPress blog you will get notified in one of two places. Both notifications can be found in the left hand menu column. The first place is in the Dashboard sub menu. A black dot with a white number let you know there is an update waiting to be downloaded and installed to your WordPress. The second place is down the left hand menu at Plugins. To the right of the main Plugins will be a black dot with a white number of the awaiting plugin updates.

When you are in the Plugin section you will have a yellow highlighted notification  as to what plugin has an update available. In the highlighted line will be two group of text with links. The first will be View Details and second will read Update Automatically. To perform the awaiting update you can just click on the link for Update Automatically.

If you have more than one plugin you want to update you can click in the check box of the waiting plugin and perform the bulk action at the top of the list.


Categories: Beginner, Set Up | 1 Comment

Firewall Pugin

Posted on October 25, 2011 by efcussins

Computers have firewalls. Servers have firewalls. The purpose of a firewall is to prevent from unwanted code or attacks getting into your system. WordPress and its data base needs a firewall. It may not totally prevent any successful attacks, but it will discourage a large majority of attacks.

There is a plugin titled WordPress Firewall 2. WordPress Firewall 2 is a good start as to protecting your blog or WordPress website from attacks from hackers. You can get it by going into Add New Plugins, then typing in the search the words Firewall.

 

Configuration of Firewall 2 is pretty basic. For the average user you can leave the setting as they are set at activation. In the lower portion you will need to add the email address for notification of blocks. That is right this little plugin will email you with a notification anytime it block suspicious attempts to access the program or data base.

 

Another nice little feature of this plugin is the White List. Here you can add ip address that are allowed to access WordPress.


Categories: Intermediate, More Plugins | Tags: , | 9 Comments

Settings Discussion

Posted on September 10, 2011 by efcussins

Setting Discussion is a very important part of any blog. You can have a blog just puts information and your thoughts out on the internet. The discussion section is how you set up how your readers interact with you.

 


A - In this section the important option is “

 This section will require people who leave comments must also leave their email address. The rest of this section limits how long and how many comments can be left.

C - I would recommend that you make sure these two options are checked. This way you are open for comments and you can approve or disapprove any comments that people leave.

D - Here is two more options to discourage spammers from leaving comments on your site. It does mean you are going to have to approve or disapprove those comments.

E - Spammers like to put a lot of links into the comments section to get people to click on them. Here you can limit the number of links a commentor can put in a comment.

F - Now we are getting into more restrictive filtering of comments. If a comment contains any of what you put in this box it will automatically be held for your approval before the world can see it.

G - This is where you can filter out cruse words and phrases. When a comment has what you put in here that comment is automatically blacklist.

 H - The bottom section of the Discussion page gives you the power to allow commentator to personalize their comment. This is done with an avatar or little picture left next to their name. The you can give maturity rating and etc.

I - Last but most important of all make sure you click on the Save button before you leave the page. If you don’t you all the changes you have made will go away and you will have to start all over again.

 


Categories: Beginner, Set Up | 14 Comments

Settings Reading

Posted on September 7, 2011 by efcussins

The Reading in Setting configures what your readers will read first and how much.

 

A – Allows you determine what people see when they first come to your blog. Do you want people see your latest posts, or a specific page. Even what post page is an option

B - Here you have the option as to how many posts are on your home posting page. In addition you can configure how many posts you want put in feeds at one time.

C -Do you want your readers to see all your post or a summary on the home page. Now be aware this setting can be over written by the theme you are using.

Like all the other setting pages, after making any changes, click on the Save Changes button, to save any changes you make.


Categories: Beginner, Set Up | Tags: , | 1 Comment

Widgets – Recent Posts

Posted on September 5, 2011 by efcussins

The Recent Post widget  puts in the sidebar a list of recent posts. The upper text box allows you to title your list of Recent Posts. The box below it is where you can put the number of post you want to be displayed.

 

To make your changes active, click on the Save button.


Categories: Widgets | Tags: , , | 1 Comment