WordPress Website – Using the WordPress Dashboard
I would like to congratulate you on building your WordPress website and commend you for the actions you have taken to get Your Home Biz up and running the easiest way.
In this article and video I am going to explain the WordPress Dashboard. After logging into your WordPress website you will be on what is known as the WordPress Dashboard. From the dashboard is where you can finish setting up your WordPress website and access all the features WordPress has to offer.
So let’s get started.
In the very top line you will see the name of your website in the area to the right. You will also see a box with an arrow that says new post. This is where you can go directly to other features in WordPress which I will explain in future articles. You will also see Howdy (whatever name you chose). Next you will see a log out area (this is where you can log out of your dashboard). Finally you will see two tabs under the first line and over to the left. Screen Options and arrow and Help. The Screen options area allows you to change the look of your dashboard and I recommend leaving it as is for now. The Help section is where you can go to get help with your WordPress dashboard.
Now sometimes you will see a yellow box under the top line saying you can update your website to the most recent version. If you see this box I recommend clicking on it and then clicking on the Auto Update section. This keeps your website up to date with WordPress.
Underneath the above information you will see your screen divided into two sections. The first over to the right is a column (under the dashboard box) that takes you to all of the features WordPress has. The larger second section labeled Dashboard is basically a section to keep you up to date with WordPress information.
Before I go into the explanations I would like to recommend to you to set your WordPress website up with the Networking feature. This will give you the ability to create subdomains from your WordPress dashboard. For those of you not knowing what a subdomain is I will explain. A subdomain is like creating a whole new website. Your main domain will be Your Domain Name.xxx and a subdomain would be xxxx.Your Domain Name.xxx. This gives you the ability to set many websites up under one domain name. You can visit WordPress at codex.WordPress.org/Create_A_Network for the complete details. I am also going to give you a part of the WordPress directions below.
Create a Network
“”As of WordPress 3.0, you have the ability to create a network of sites (Multisite). This article is instructions for creating a network. It is very similar to creating your own personal version of WordPress.com
NOTE: If you are currently running WordPress MU, you do not need to complete these steps. your network is already enabled. Once you upgrade to the 3.x branch, you will be prompted to update your.htaccess rules for MultiSite.
Alert! If you have upgraded to WordPress 3.1, the Super Admin menu has been replaced with the Network Admin section. Look on your admin HEADER on the far right: it will say “”Howdy, YOURNAME – Network Admin – Log Out””. The link is ‘Network Admin.'””
If you activate the network option you will get an additional box in the first line. This box next to the Log Out box will say either Site Admin or Network Admin. Because you have activated the network option you will now have the option to use the dashboard as the Network Admin (everything you do from here has effects on all your sites) or as the Site Admin (everything from here is for one particular site). When you are in the Network Admin dashboard it will say Site Admin next to the Log out box and when you are in the Site Admin Dashboard it will say Network Admin in the box next to the Log out box.
I will give a quick overview of the column under the dashboard box when you are using the Network Admin dashboard (I will go into greater detail of every option in future articles). If you have activated the networking feature you will a section title Sites. This is where you can view all the sites you have built in WordPress under the one domain name.
Next you will see a Users section. This is where you can setup different users for your WordPress website and control what access they have.
The next section is Themes. In this area you have the ability to change the design of your website and control a lot of what people see on your website. Once again I would like to state I will be doing more articles and videos explaining these in detail.
The next section is Plugins. This is where you can install different plugins to make your WordPress website have more features and perform other tasks for you.
The next section is settings and this is where you can set different settings specific to your needs and once again I will state that I will explain these in future articles and videos.
The final section is updates and this is where you can get updates for your WordPress website and updates for features you are using
Now I will explain the column on the left under the dashboard box when you are in the Site Admin dashboard. From this dashboard you will be able to work on one particular site.
The first box will be sites if you have activated the Network option and this is where you can see all the sites you have or create a new one. You will not see this line if you have not activated the Network option.
The next line will be Posts and this is where you can post information to your main page and continue adding new content.
Next is Media and this is where you can incorporate media features into your site.
The next line is Links and this is where you can see where your website is linked to.
Next is Pages and this is where you can add new pages to your website and edit any pages you have already created.
Next is Comments and this is where you can view and control any comments that have been posted on your WordPress Website.
The next line is Appearance and this is where you can control the design and features of your website.
Next is Plugins and this is where you can add, enable and disable the plugins you have chosen to use for your website.
The next line is Tools and this is where you have access to any tools that are used in your WordPress website.
The final line is Settings and this is where you have many options to make your website the way you want it to be.
This has been a longer article than I really expected but I really believe it is crucial for you to understand the dashboard and how I believe it is in your best interest to set your WordPress website up with the Network option.
I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you view my next article.
