WordPress can be an effective training and knowledge sharing tool with multiple users, from editors and contributors who are capable of editing content to end users or other administrators.

1. USING WORDPRESS AS A
TRAINING TOOL
Reno-Tahoe WordCamp 2009
Michelle Montoya
http://michellereno.com | @michellereno

2. WHAT IS WORDPRESS?
WordPress is an open source package

that can complete the same tasks as a
high budget commercial Content
Management System (CMS).
Easily handles search engine optimization, portal

development, content management, response
systems, permissions-based reading, and more.
Plugins help customize WordPress and communicate

with other websites, business applications, and news
services.

3. HOW TO CREATE A WORDPRESS WEBSITE
Seven ( 7) Simple Steps

Create domain name: http://www.domaintools.com/
1.
Register domain: http://register.com, http://NetworkSolutions.com,
2.
http://www.domjax.com/
Find hosting provider: http://www.thehostingguide.com/
3.
Install WordPress: Use Fantastico to automatically install
4.
Upload WordPress theme: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/
5.
Modify the theme: Edit images, fonts, etc.
6.
Add plugins: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/
7.

4. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POSTS & PAGES
Posts

Listed in reverse chronological order

on the blog home page or on the posts
page (if you have one)
Can be found in the Archives,

Categories, Recent Posts, and other
widgets and are also displayed in the
RSS feed of the blog
Pages

Fixed / static and a good option to

publish information that doesn’t
change much (like an “About” page)
Appear in the Pages widget and in

tabs across the top of some themes
and are not associated with a
date/time

5. USING WORDPRESS TO COMMUNICATE
Many options for sharing

information with others
Create posts and pages for

others to read
 Allow comments to
exchange ideas
Using the various user

profiles (roles and
capabilities), administrator
controls who can post, edit,
reply, or delete posts and
pages

6. ROLES AND CAPABILITIES
Create multiple users to share information

Administrator - Has access to all administration

features
Editor - Can publish posts, manage posts, and manage

other people's posts, etc.
Author - Can publish and manage their own posts

Contributor - Can write and manage own posts but can

not publish posts
Subscriber - Can read comments, can comment, can

receive news letters, etc.

7. SITEMAP FOR TRAINING WEBSITE
Home Page – Include select

number of blog posts, archives, search
bar, link to social media applications
(Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
About Page – Explain purpose of

training, mission / vision statement
Project Schedule / Calendar

Page – Show deadlines, important
dates, training details, etc.
Users / Trainers Page – Link to

individual blogs / websites

8. HOW TO USE PLUGINS
Plugins extend and expand WP functionality

Find additional plugins in WP’s plugin directory

Find, download, rate, and comment on all the plugins the

WordPress community has to offer
Over 4,200 plugins currently available to modify your

website to fit your
needs
http://wordpress.org/

extend/plugins/

9. PLUGIN: ROLE MANAGER
Role Manager plugin allows administrator to define

and manage multiple subscriber profiles and create
new roles and capabilities.
http://www.im-web-gefunden.de/wordpress-plugins/role-

manager/

10. PLUGINS: CALENDARS
Several plugins exist for adding a

calendar
Google has a plugin to integrate your Google calendar

http://code.google.com/p/wpng-calendar/downloads/list

Events-Calendar is a plugin that displays a big calendar

but lets you add a small calendar to the main sidebar
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/events-calendar/

Calendar for WordPress plugin lets you manage events

from your dashboard
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/calendar/

WP-Cal is a calendar plugin with “events” independent

from “posts”
http://www.fahlstad.se/wp-plugins/wp-cal/


11. PLUGIN: SCHOLARPRESS COURSEWARE
ScholarPress Courseware enables you to add and edit

a schedule, create a bibliography and assignments,
and manage general course information.
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/scholarpress-courseware/


12. PLUGIN: CIMY USER EXTRA FIELDS
Allows administrator to modify the

restricted and predefined fields that are
available in the registered users profile
Lets administrators add as many new

fields as are needed to the users' profile
Useful to gather information, including

biography, image, websites, and other
services (Flickr, YouTube, SlideShare, etc.)
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/cimy-

user-extra-fields/

13. A GOOD WEBSITE SHOULD…
Be easy for others to access information

Encourage participation among users

Be easy for administrator to manage


14. THE END… FINALLY!!
Thank you! Questions?
Connect with me online:
http://michellereno.com
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http://linkedin.com/in/michellereno