Becoming A WordPress Contributor

One option for someone who wants to contribute something to the blogging world without actually becoming a blogger is to become a contributor.  It’s a way to say something whenever you feel the urge without the responsibilities of keeping up a blog.

For example, you may notice in the sidebar there is a reference to a blog called Osher Writers.   In this blog posts are broken down into three categories at present.  They are:

1.  Our Writing

2.  Writing About Writing

3.  Published Writers And Writing

If you are an Osher member and would like to contribute something along these lines let me know.  I will send you an invitation to be a contributor.  Here is how it works.

Click on the link in the invitation and you will go here:

Notice where it says “sign up for just a username”.  This is the option you can use if you are not interested in starting your own blog.  Clicking on this statement will lead you here:

Fill in the blanks with a username, password and email of your choice and click on the  sign up button!  It’s very simple.  You will receive a confirmation email that will look something like this:

Click on the enclosed link and you are ready to log on!  Just go to http://urped.wordpress.com  (or click on it in the sidebar ).

Insert your new username and password and you are now inside the blog.  Here is the welcome page.


And then look under the Dashboard for the various blog functions.  See POST and Add New to begin making a contribution to the blogging universe!

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Osher Excitement / The President Visits The University Of Richmond

I don’t know about you fellow Osherites but today was a little different for me. I started out on my daily walk around the University of Richmond campus when I noticed a young man purposefully striding in my direction. This surprised your blogging buddy because he often walks three, four or even five miles without being noticed.

This sincere and dedicated young man informed me that I would have to “get out of here” immediately or the Secret Service guys would probably yell at me. Well I am such a creature of habit being 60 something years old and dedicated to the proposition that if you do something a certain way and it works you should probably stick with it. I walk by the Robins Center every day and am used to seeing big, athletic guys standing around the door, talking and trying to avoid their next workout.

So I was headed directly for the door. Once again. And it apparently was the entrance the  President of the United States  was planning to use in a few hours. Surprise!

Well, I certainly don’t want to be yelled at by anyone and especially the Secret Service! And I altered my planned path around the U. But it was exciting for a few moments! And this is why I recommend walking at the U to all my Osher friends. You never know what’s going to happen. And then you can go home and write about it in your blog!

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WordPress.com and WordPress.org

WordPress blogs fall into two main categories. WordPress.com is a good place to begin blogging. They offer some basic services for free. So, like many things, it’s a way to try something on a no-risk basis. Then, if you find you enjoy doing it, you can perhaps invest a few dollars in the process. There are add-on services that allow you to embed Youtube videos, for example, for a moderate fee per year.

WordPress.org offers you the opportunity to own your own domain and import plug-ins for free in most cases. So you have more options. You can do many different creative things and be more independent. But you will need a host to support your domain.

At some point in the future I will go into more detail regarding the various options with WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

 

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Adding A Tagline To Your Blog

One of the first things to do when starting a WordPress blog is fill in the tagline.

It is located under the General Settings tab. So go to the Dashboard in the top/left corner of the Administrative Panel. Then look down to Settings. Click on General and open the area you need.

The tagline is useful in terms of defining what your blog is going to be about. And it will be useful for SEO purposes. SEO stands for search engine optimization. Try to use words here that will help people locate your blog in their searches. For instance, I added The University of Richmond and The Osher Institute in the tagline of this blog. I hope that when people use those terms in their search engine queries it will lead them to this site.

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University Of Richmond Spider Football/ It’s Time!

It’s time to enjoy the fabulous sport of football once again.  And here in Richmond that must mean it’s time to visit the new stadium on the University of Richmond campus. Maybe you would like to take some photos while you enjoy the game and post them to your blog?  Or maybe you would just like to watch the game.  In any case keep an eye out for your blogging buddy.  He may be prowling around the track looking for that special shot while the game is going on. 

I noticed that the big old tree seen below is gone this year. And the area looks much nicer. Also, there are new stands right behind the goal post. I bet you can see some really good action from there!

 

 

 

 

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Welcome Osher Members To Our Blog

Hello Osher members! Have you thought about blogging today? I hope so! Or  I hope you will give it some thought in the near future.

There is a world out there that is hoping to hear from you. Or see what you have been doing lately. Did you take any photos while the recent hurricane was in town? Or, maybe it was a little safer to take them after Irene headed up the coast. There were some amazing scenes of destruction on the streets near where we live. But what was more amazing in my eyes with the rapidity with which the trees were removed from the streets and life returned to normal.

It’s easy to get a little cranky when you don’t have electricity for a week. But it sure makes one appreciate it more when it returns!

Hopefully we can dodge the remaining storms here in Richmond and enjoy some good weather while we think about our blogging mission.

Let me know what you think! And let’s get together soon and come up with a plan!

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Dedication Of The Carole Weinstein International Center

One of the fun things to do as a member of the U of R community is explore! Last year I attended the dedication of the Carole Weinstein International Center. It was a very enjoyable outing.

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