Upper Yarra U3A help files for website maintenance

This page is not accessible from the Upper Yarra U3A website. To access this page provide the following web link ( https://upperyarrau3a.org.au/help/ ). For quick access in the future bookmark this page in the browser.

On this web page I will add videos files and PDF instructions no how to maintain the Upper Yarra U3A website.

Login Link

U3A council presentation

You can view the presentation as a video or PDF

Use this Link to view a full size vide in a new tab

View Presentation fullscreen Download

Why WordPress?

The aim of WordPress from its first release was to be an easy to use and powerful blogging platform that allowed users to add content is a safe and easy manner. People soon realised it could be used to create quick and powerful websites and WordPress became very popular. At a time when a simple website could cost thousands of dollars this was a game changer. In 2005 my College advertised a two day short course to show people how to create their own WordPress website for $100. I never got enough students to run the course although I did get an application from Sydney and Hobart, a few people were aware of this golden opportunity. Most people must have thought this was a scam and preferred to pay large sums of money instead.

Today over 40% of all websites on the Internet use WordPress. You can read more about wordPress from the following links, a short history of WordPress and Wikipedia.

WordPress websites can be built directly on WordPress servers but most now are built on web servers run by other companies. Virtually all Web Hosts (companies that store and serve websites) offer WordPress as an option for their customers. The U3A uses WordPress as its server technology and uses Siteground as its hosting service.

Free WordPress website

You can build your own free WordPress website using this link Free WordPress Website. You can use it to share your interests with the world or as a way to hone your WordPress skills for the U3A website.

WordPress has many competitors as this Google search reveals Free Websites. Although skills acquired on other platforms may not help you with WordPress websites.

WordPress Help and Training

Because of its popularity there are a thousands of training videos and many websites devoted to helping users build and maintain their WordPress websites. However the U3A websites that are hosted by Siteround use a heavily modified template so most videos that dive deep into WordPress are irrelevant. However videos on using the Classic Editor and the new Block Editor can be very helpful.

The Victorian U3A have produced a number of training videos for website maintenance. Contact the local office for access to these.

I believe that most website maintenance should be done by people with an Author Account and that the website should be constructed to optimise this approach. This does not restrict the addition of content but it does mean that the website structure is not threatened and that the skill to add content is easier to learn.

I also believe that the Classic Editor is easier for beginners to use.

Classic or Block (Gutenberg) Editor

The Editor is the interface and the way that content is added to the Post or Page. The editor used in WordPress for years is the Classic Editor but WordPress have added a new editor interface called the Block Editor or Gutenberg Editor. The Classic editor might be phased out in the future and all new functionality added to Post and Page layout uses the new Block Editor.

Either editor can be selected as the default editor for the website and can be changed for each Post or Page. Choose the editor that best suits the task at hand.

I recommend the Classic Editor to make Posts. It is easier to learn and use and adding images, links, galleries, videos, etc is simple and direct. For the more ambitious they can explore and use the Block Editor

Classic Editor

Like a mini word processor toolbar
Very easy to use, good for beginners
Many expert users prefer it for text entry since it is more like a word processor toolbar
It can add text, lists, images, galleries, videos to the Post

Block or Gutenberg Editor

The Block Editor is the replacement for the older Classic Editor
It is a context sensitive editor, the tools change depending upon the block element selected
It supports the WordPress path for future development based on WordPress Blocks
Blocks are a better way to build website layouts which is not relevant for the U3A website
It is based on CSS blocks and is therefore fully W3C compliant
It is extremely powerful but has a steeper learning curve than the Classic Editor
It can add far more page elements (like PDFs) to a post or page than the classic editor
U3A headquarters has created special U3A Blocks which vcan add functionality to the website

WordPress User Roles

WordPress supports a number of user roles for adding and editing content on the website.

Here’s a quick summary of each role, with detailed descriptions further down this page:

Administrator: The highest level of permission. Admins have the power to access almost everything.
Editor: Has access to all posts, pages, comments, categories, and tags, and can upload media.
Author: Can write, upload media, edit, and publish their own posts.
Contributor: Has no publishing or uploading capability but can write and edit their own posts until they are published.
Viewer: Viewers can read and comment on posts and pages on private sites.
Subscriber: People who subscribe to your site’s updates.

Each user role is capable of everything that a less powerful role is capable of. In other words, Editors can do everything Authors can do, Authors can do everything Contributors can do, and so on.

Our U3A uses the Administrator, Editor and Author roles. Only one or two Admins are needed for the occasional deep dive into the website which might only happen once or twice a year. Everything else is added to the website by Authors which accounts for the bulk of the content, essentially just about everything a visitor sees. Some users can be assigned the Editor role to help maintain the posts on the website.

WordPress Author

An author cannot damage the website, it is the safe way to add content to a website.

WordPress Authors add the bulk of content to the website. They keep the website alive and up-to-date. They have have the following abilities and restrictions:

Authors can create, edit and delete Posts
Authors can add text, images, hyperlinks, PDF files, videos, audio tracks, video links, etc
Authors can make a mess of their own Posts but they cannot mess up the website
Authors can create inappropriate content and Post it without approval
Authors can delete all some or all of their Posts at any time removing U3A history
Authors cannot edit or delete Posts created by other people
Authors cannot change the website appearance or edit or delete any pages
Authors cannot edit Web Pages, you are reading text this on a Page and not a Post.

You log as an Author which means you can create, edit and delete Posts made by yourself, you cannot change or delete Posts made by anyone else. About 99% of everything one sees added to the website as the year progresses is added as a Post. Posts include text, images, videos, etc. Generally full website editing access is only needed once a year (changing committee member names), everything else is added by Posts. All the recent information added to this website was done with an Author account.

Authors cannot damage the website and creating Posts is almost as easy as using Facebook. This means that many people could be become Authors keeping the website alive with posts from class leaders, activity leaders and other organisers.

Practice creating Posts safely

The only way to make a Post visible on the website is to PUBLISH it. As long as you choose to SAVE DRAFT the Post and PREVIEW the Post it is not visible on the website.

You can safely practice making posts without affecting the website.

The website is protected cannot be damaged
No-one can see your practice Posts
You can create, edit, save, open, delete, undelete posts
You can save post and reopen it at a later date for practice
You can format text, add images, PDFs, etc
You can preview the post as it appears in the website

Even if you Publish a Post and your practice page is visible for the world to see it is easy to remove, just select it and delete it by using the following steps. You can also “Hide” the post so it is not visible

Select All Posts in the Dashboard menu
Select All or Published in the horizontal sub-menu
Hover the mouse cursor over the Post and select Trash
Posts that are not published (visible) have Draft after the Post title, if you do not see the word Draft then it is visible
You can see who created the Post under the Authors column

Video Tutorials for people with Author permissions

These video tutorials cover the most common editing tasks; uploading posts, images, newsletters, etc. Anyone who has been added as an Author to this website will be able to complete these tasks.