Allan Avery – new WordPress Blog
-
Hi Allan –
Happy New Year! I’m glad to see you back :)
I Finally composed what I want on the “Home” page.
Well done!
But I’m afraid it is too long to show on a single screen. Can you tell?
There is a good amount of information here, but I do not think it is too long. Some paragraph breaks would help split it up and make it a bit easier on the eye. I also suggest that you left align the text on this page. This is standard. Currently it is center aligned.
Here is some help with the text alignment: https://en.support.wordpress.com/visual-editor/#alignment
I it is, would/could the visitor scroll down to see the rest?
Yes, the user can scroll to read every page on your site top to bottom.
I’m Stumped about how to go on the ABOUT or CONTACT or BLOG pages
About Page – this not required. Remember, the blog is unique to you and your ideas. Let’s remove it from the menu, how does that sound? The page will still be at My Sites > Pages > About and you can edit it there, revert to a draft, or completely delete.
Contact Page – This is already configured with a contact form. If someone wants to get in touch with you privately, versus leaving a comment, they’d fill out that form and you would get an email with the details.
Blog Page – When you publish posts they are going to automatically post on the Blog page. You can see your first post is there. You do not need to do anything else with this page either.
To access the Pages on your site – this can be to create a new page or edit an existing one – you will work on the left side of your screen and click My Sites > Pages
To publish a new post or edit an existing post you will work on the left of the screen and click My Sites > Posts
In your Customizer, you will find the options that personalize your site. You do not NEED to use any of these options. Remember they are options, not requirements.
If you click on one of those tabs to open it up and explore, you can get back to the Customizer view by clicking on the “<” which is towards the top and underneath the “X”.
-
Liz, Repeat of a msg I tried just now to submit, but it responded “Unsuccessful – Try again” When I went back the box was empty. Anyway, Allan Back again. I’ve been busy just re-writing the text I want to go under the headings on Home page, and to carry over onto the ABOUT page. So I’ll be back to you after I got it “perfect.” (You may wonder “He’s going to BLOG, when he has so much trouble getting his writing “Perfect”? :-) Meanwhile, I don’t know “where” to break the HOME page Text, to go on to ABOUT. I want to have “To Read New Posts, GO TO BLOG” shown above the home page text, and “To Continue, GO TO BLOG PAGE at the bottom of home page. Do we find out how where the page breaks when we go on to ABOUT? Meanwhile: Re the Text Margins- I think “Center” set helps slightly to off-set the LOONG, “off-putting.” With the varied L & R margins. Your right, it needs more breakup. So I’m adding a couple of paragraph breaks. Meanwhile one Q about when I go on to the left margin “Menus” for the ABOUT page: What’s a “Tag”? Liz, the way you give me help WORKS for me. (You understand my questions or “confusions, and you respond to them one at a time. By restating my Q, (or my confusion), and then a break, and the answer and advice. I don’t want to LOSE you. Since this is already long, I going to try to Submit it. Then I’d like to send you a separate one, that may help understand my “overall structure” confusion about the rest. That you don’t need to respond to till I’ve finished writing.
Bless You!! -
Liz, Repeat of a msg I tried just now to submit, but it responded “Unsuccessful – Try again” When I went back the box was empty. Anyway, Allan Back again. I’ve been busy just re-writing the text I want to go under the headings on Home page, and to carry over onto the ABOUT page. So I’ll be back to you after I got it “perfect.” (You may wonder “He’s going to BLOG, when he has so much trouble getting his writing “Perfect”? :-) Meanwhile, I don’t know “where” to break the HOME page Text, to go on to ABOUT. I want to have “To Read New Posts, GO TO BLOG” shown above the home page text, and “To Continue, GO TO BLOG PAGE at the bottom of home page. Do we find out how where the page breaks when we go on to ABOUT? Meanwhile: Re the Text Margins- I think “Center” set helps slightly to off-set the LOONG, “off-putting.” With the varied L & R margins. Your right, it needs more breakup. So I’m adding a couple of paragraph breaks. Meanwhile one Q about when I go on to the left margin “Menus” for the ABOUT page: What’s a “Tag”? Liz, the way you give me help WORKS for me. (You understand my questions or “confusions, and you respond to them one at a time. By restating my Q, (or my confusion), and then a break, and the answer and advice. I don’t want to LOSE you. Since this is already long, I going to try to Submit it. Then I’d like to send you a separate one, that may help understand my “overall structure” confusion about the rest. That you don’t need to respond to till I’ve finished writing.
Bless You!! -
Liz, Allan; the “Second One:” I only Follow ONE existing Blog, and it is also on Word Press. (It is “AwayPoint,” by Valerie Terico, a Psychologist here in the Seattle area.) I get an Email Notice of her of her new Posts, with a link to it on WordPress. That link goes to a page with a Heading (about her, w/a small pix of her in the top corner, a short piece of the actual Post, and a “Read More” link. Which takes you to the whole Post, usually multiple pages to scroll down through. The Post ends with invitation to “Comment.” (Usually when I read it there’s already a long string of Comments. If I add a Comment, to shows the added Comment.
I can also x a box to receive all further comments on that particular post.
Thus she treats each of her posts Separately, which makes sense because they are so incredible fully researched and written. Is that a Typical Blog “Structure.” It seems good to me, except that my Posts Won’t be so long, or maybe as “Original Post Topic Specific”, as hers. But if I make it clear in my “Introduction” that I’m open to visitors original Posts on any Related subject, I’d like that. Can I set up the same Structure as AwayPoint, with, or without, the feature tying Comments to a specific of Mine? Advice? My gratitude for your patience and help, Again! -
Hi Allan –
Great to hear from you!
Can you copy + paste the text that you want to go on the Home and About pages here in your next reply? Then I will add it to the pages for you.
These are 2 separate pages on the site that the visitors will click on individually. They do not need to connect in any way, unless you want to have similar information on each page. That is entirely up to you.
Tags are used to help organize the content on your site. Folks can find your posts by searching for tags from their Reader. If I search my Reader for ‘Stars’ for example and you ave a post tagged ‘Stars’ it will show up in those search results. Does that make sense?
More information on Tags can be found in this guide: https://en.support.wordpress.com/posts/tags/
You can mimic the set up you mention that AwayPoint is using. I’ll help you out. To start, we will need to add the Follow Blog Widget. This allows folks to follow your blog via email instead of a WordPress.com user account. Any time you publish a new post, they get an email to let them know.
A widget is basically a website tool. More information here: https://en.support.wordpress.com/widgets/
You’ll see that I have added that widget on the right sidebar of your site.
Next, the Read More Tag is something you can add to any post.
Last, the Likes and Comments. You are in total control of your comments as the site owner. Take a look over the different display options . Here is the general comments guide.
-
Liz, Thank you SO much. I will Remember you in my WILL. :-) I Would like to “structure” mine the same way as the “AwayPoint” one that I described. So, I see a choice I should probably make now. Either (1) put off “structuring” it LIKE the “AwayPoint” Blog; and first complete rewriting the Text that I want on HOME and carried over to ABOUT. And Then get back to you for your help to complete it. OR, (2) the other way around. The Rewriting could take a week, or more. Just yesterday had new rewrite ideas. I probably, (no, CLEARLY) should have done 90 percent of that before I signed up. But I didn’t have a clue. Will You still remember Me, if complete I that HOME and ABOUT writing first? :-) Which do you suggest? With your help I’ll go either way. Allan
-
Hi Allan –
My suggestion is to get the text on the Home and About pages. If you want to copy + paste that text in to your reply I can add it for you.
Folks will be able to like and comment on your posts.
It looks like your theme is going to work best by setting a post excerpt. Which is the same idea as the ‘more tag’ I previously mentioned. You’ll see now, if you go to https://our-place-in-the-cosmos.com/blog/ there is your original post with the ‘more’ link and then a sample post that I added as well. Both should show the ‘more’ link.
Clicking on ‘more’ will take you to the full post.
Let me know if you have trouble deleting that sample post. I just wanted you to see how the Blog page is going to look as you start adding more posts.
Your replies will continue to come straight through to me.
-
Liz, Just back for a HI! I’m still working in my “Introduction” on HOME page. About to start my 39th Re-write. Kidding; I’ve lost count. But no need to reply to this. Just wanted you to know I’m still at it.
Allan A.
-
-
Liz, I’ve FINALLY got the text that I want to go on Home page under the Headings there. It must be way too long to all go onto HOME, and I’d want it to carry over onto the top of the ABOUT page (below whatever standard ABOUT heading there is). Wherever it breaks from Home page. Notice what I described in the text about how Posts and Comments would work. That is, a separate “Comment” string for each of my Original Posts; and the way a Commenter could suggest a new Subject and Comment string. Will it work that way? I’d like the last piece of text on HOME, (that says here go on to the About page), to be at the bottom of HOME, with a Space separating it from the last text above it. The way I’ve been Opening this, from my “Favorites” file on MS IE browser screen, is: here-in-the-cosmos rather than the Customize here in the cosmos , which I also saved in favorites. It takes me to my “latest version,” that I work on by going down the red Edit. (Which I then “Update” after making changes.) Can you see that “opening” one, with the image and all? Should I be using the “Customize….” Screen to open, instead? On the first one, I see some things I’d like to change; “correct.” The first long section of my text is set to Left margin. And the type font is way too big. Then, scrolling down past that, the rest of the text is Centered (as I’d like it all to be), in a much smaller font. I’d like all the text to be in the same font as the bottom half is now, except slightly larger, in Bold. From that first screen that I open to, Edit takes me to the WP “Edit” screens (for any of them, HOME, ABOUT, CONTACT or BLOG). So those above changes maybe I can figure out from the left side columns of those edit screens. . But I never could figure out where the BOTTOM of HOME comes, in order to carry over to ABOUT. And, For the rest of what About, Contact, Bold should look like and have on them is there some fairly standard or typical format for that? How to do it? Or could you do for me, maybe in what your experience seems to be the easiest format to follow? Next, what are the steps I take on the Blog page, to do a new Post? And lastly how can I be sure I “saving,” and in my “Favorites,” the screen(s) that I should open to, both to do new Posts or Comments; and to make any future “setup” changes. Reflecting all these present changes, centered text, same font, etc. Same serious Thanks as always. You really have made it possible to say sane doing this. Allan
-
Liz my Hero :-)- What I forgot, in my 1,000 words yesterday. FIRST, No Hurry w/me. Feel free to answer smarter people first. Then, about the HOME and ABOUT pages, and the “carry over” between them: Even if HOME Could go on and on, with all I wrote for it; I Want to “break” it, at about “normal” bottom. (With the “Go on to ABOUT” there.) For sure, The sheer length of more than a normal page is too off putting. Even with that carry over from HOME, and the rest that I want to add on ABOUT, It is going to be looong. I still like the “Center” mode for the HOME text, but maybe I can compress the rest some. With Left Margin, then Right Margin for alternate “paragraphs.” And maybe narrowing those vertical margins? (The switch margins for “visual appeal,” again? Is that Crazy?
MOST curious how the BLOG page will look and work. Allan.
Allan
-
Next, what are the steps I take on the Blog page, to do a new Post?
To start a new post go to My Sites > Blog Posts > Add New
Any post that you publish is going to display on the Blog page of your site menu.Use this link to start a new post: https://wordpress.com/post/our-place-in-the-cosmos.com
And lastly how can I be sure I “saving,
Your posts are going to be automatically saved as you work. If you do not publish the post it will be saved as a draft. It will look like this (only using your own site and not mine): https://cloudup.com/cx_xAY2nr3A Do you see how it says, “Draft Saved”. That means your work is saved.
Your Blog page is already set up and active. You can see it here: https://our-place-in-the-cosmos.com/blog/ Or by clicking on the Blog link in your menu on our-place-in-the-cosmos.com When you add a new post it is going to publish on that page.
The comments are enabled for your posts. When visiting the Blog page on your site you can see that.
I have left a test comment on the Sample post. It is awaiting your moderation and you should receive a notification about it. Please delete it as this is only a sample post but I want you to gain some familiarity with the interface. I guess I have created some homework for you ;)
Start here: https://en.support.wordpress.com/manage-comments/ Please bookmark that link for your comment moderation.
Look at the left of your screen. It should look like this: https://cloudup.com/cUCJoYJMXPU with the red number 1 next to comments. Click on the comments tab.
Now, you should see this Activity Box: https://cloudup.com/cXHnJguNFUW When you hover with your mouse, that means, just leave your cursor over top but don’t click on, where there’s the little flag that says “pending” you will see the options pop up at the bottom. Please click on Trash to delete this comment.
A quick recap:
Your comments are working and enabled as requested.
Your Blog page is set up and will update automatically with each new Post that you publish.What questions do you have about these two things?
I’m not quite following the idea for the Home and About pages. Please take a look at them both and let me know what needs adjusted.
Home: https://our-place-in-the-cosmos.com/
About: https://our-place-in-the-cosmos.com/about/I do think that the text would read a bit easier on the eyes if it were left aligned but this is entirely up to you. I’ll offer suggestions as I see them.
-
Liz, Thanks!!! You clarified some main things for me. I did go from the Home page BLOG to your sample post. Then I did the wrong thing. :-( I Saw your “This is my sample Post”, and clicked on Trash there. Instead of the real sample you put at the bottom. Now, going there from BLOG doesn’t work to delete. Can you fix, and send me another “Sample? About the text Margins. I’d been thinking the Center setting would extend it’s uneven margins to Both sides of the page, taking up some of the blank space on the lower right side. Wrong? And text-how do I change the Fonts; to make them the same? I do want to keep the ABOUT page, for more text. What I’ll do now is finish my that writing, and get the remainder on the About page. Then, I think I’ll try my hand, on the other three pages with some “Style” maybe. Trying out the choices on the left side of the “working on It” screen. Oh yes, About “SAVING:” The way I have been “opening up” to work on “M Blog” is form: here-in-the-cosmos As saved in my MS IE” Favorites.
‘ It opens the current apparently saved “version.) Then I click on HOME (where I’ve revising my Extra text). I get a “work on” screen with green borders theme”.. When I’m done (until I go back and rewrite :-), there a green block upper right: UPDATE. I click on that and it apparently saves. Then I just close the screen. Is there something I’m missing or doing wrong? Should I be doing things more from the “My Sites”? THANK YOU yet again. Allan -
Liz, (I just re-read the 2 full pages of help you given me; I hope you never again have to have such a “dense” client. Bless you. I’m just going to start writing the personal text that I want on the ABOUT page. But I’ve already forgotten some of the basic basics. (1) What will a visitor type into their browser to get to this blog? hereinthecosmosblog.woredpress.com ?? (If not, could you please show it again.) And Is that the same way I open it, (to write a Post, or to revise something? If so, then I’ll “save” to my pc Favorites, in my own browser page( MS-I.E. ) And will that take me or they to the latest “updated” version? What I open now, I do see has the same top image on each page, and I guess that’s good. But I still can’ figure out how to get all that Text FONT changed to same for all. I guess what I want is the smaller font, (where it switches from the BIG one), in Bold. Is that smaller one a 12 or 14? Can you can make that change for me to, say, 14 bold so I can see how that works? Plus how to change it all myself if that’s too big? Hopefully I’ll give you a rest while I compose on ABOUT. Allan
-
Howdy Allan –
(1) What will a visitor type into their browser to get to this blog?
This is your blog address: our-place-in-the-cosmos.com The folks who want to see your site should use that.
And Is that the same way I open it
Yes, if you are just trying to look at the blog, you use that address above. To make a new post or edit the site you need to sign in to WordPress.com with your username and password. Then, once you are signed in ,you click on My Sites > our-place-in-the-cosmos.com > and the function you are wanting to work on, for example : Pages, Blog Posts, Customize.
But I still can’ figure out how to get all that Text FONT changed to same for all.
Which text are you wanting to change? I can help you with that, I just need to know which exact text needs changed.
Best wishes
-Liz -
Liz, when I open with ” here-in-the-cosmos.com ” that I see is the “dark city” background with my “yellow shirt” pic. Actually, I’d like to CHANGE that pic to the “Blue Shirt.” Then, all the text I added is in really Big font; all the way down to where it changes to a much smaller font. I want All that text to be the same font, just slightly larger than at the bottom half, and in Bold. And same what I put on the ABOUT page. Re the “Header” Images: HOME page: just the pic change. Each of the other three Pages, the “all the way across the top” Image: I’d like a different one on each; no text inside. For ABOUT, the Yellow Daisys for example. The other two maybe I can choose from the “library” of Images. In Customize” to do that? Then also, each of those three pages: In a smaller box- top left side under the top Image, where the text starts: Just me, in the Blue Shirt. I got that on one of them, maybe not still there. Besides just that much page decoration, maybe I’m ready to GO! :-) Is there anything else, you’ve already told me and I’ve forgotten? OH, and I do want the “setting” that any/all “followers” get an email notice of new posts. My username & password- not sure. Is it: user: email address? or ALLANMERRY ? Pass: florida123 ? Soon as I stop here, I’ll try it. Just imagine! Pretty soon you can go on to help other people. Sad for me to to say about myself: I couldn’t have done it without you! Allan
-
Liz, I managed to reset my username and password. NEXT FOOLING AROUND IN “CUSTOMIZE” I MANAGED TO COMPLETELY WRECK THE WHOME THING. I thot I’d been able to get the my text on HOME
in all the same and smaller font. Then went to ABOUT, and did something that EVERYTHING into one totally useless screen. Is there ANY way you can restore it? OMG!! Allan -
LIZ, It’s Fixed! How do you do that? Or did it fix itself when I went back to look later? Anyway, all my Text on HOME and About is how I want it now. In case I want to change anything in later, do I just use edit on the bottom of the opening screen, or must I use “Customize.?
Also, the ABOUT Page now HAS that small Square “blue shirt” pic in the upper left just below the TOP Image, that I want to keep there. I do want that on CONTACT and BLOG too, to show it’s still ME. But on ABOUT the TOP Image is that too, just on a white blank background. There, instead, I’d like something else, that I could choose, from all the “Images Choices,” and one for the TOP on CONTACT and BLOG too. How do I do that? From the left side columns on “plain” Edit? Or does that reguire “Customize- which where got in trouble I thing before last msg to you. If I can get Those “graphics” on the pages, I’m Good to GO? Unless more instructions? BRAVO LIZ K !!! Allan
-
Good Morning –
I made the following changes yesterday but did not have time to finish my reply.
I’d like to CHANGE that pic to the “Blue Shirt.
I’ve made this change by going to My Sites > Customize > Site Identity > Logo > Change Logo.
When you copy + paste from a document program like Microsoft Word the formatting can carry over. It’s best to just copy + paste your plain text over to your blog and then format it with our tools. Add the customization like bold, sizing, etc from our side of things. This will prevent any extra html formatting from carrying over.
To edit any page on your blog you will sign in to WordPress.com and click on My Sites > Pages or you can use this link to get to the same place: https://wordpress.com/pages/our-place-in-the-cosmos.com
Also, the ABOUT Page now HAS that small Square “blue shirt” pic in the upper left just below the TOP Image, that I want to keep there. I do want that on CONTACT and BLOG too, to show it’s still ME.
The image of you in the blue shirt is being used as a featured image on the About page. I have added it to the Contact and Blog pages also. All you do is use the above link to open up your list of pages, click on the one you want to edit, then on the left click on the Featured Image tab > Add New.
There, instead, I’d like something else, that I could choose, from all the “Images Choices,” and one for the TOP on CONTACT and BLOG too. How do I do that?
I’m not certain I completely understand so I want to clarify before I go changing things on the blog. Right now, each of the following sites is set up with the same banner image, and then your blue shirt image on top of that is the site logo. Which part do you want to change on which pages? These changes are going to happen within the customizer. Once I know exactly what we are working on I will share the step-by-step instructions with you.
See each of your Pages here.
https://our-place-in-the-cosmos.com/blog/
https://our-place-in-the-cosmos.com/about/It looks like you’ve deleted the posts. Doing this moves them to your Trash. So they aren’t permanently removed quite yet (luckily). I’ve restored them from the trash and you can see them on the Blog page again here: https://our-place-in-the-cosmos.com/blog/
If this happens by accident again, you’ll just need to go to My Sites > Posts > Trash > Restore Post.
I think I’ve covered everything. If not, let me know :)
-
Liz, (As always, I’m hopeless trying to write “what I want” so it is understandable, Trying to do better; please stay w/me.) SO, Re: All four of the PAGES: the TOP Images. What I want on HOME page, is the Image that’s there, but back to the Yellow Shirt. Then for EACH of the other three pages: For the IMAGE that goes all the way across that top: I want one of the Other available background Images (“flowers” or “Nature”) BUT also, if possible, NO pic of me in it. JUST the “scene” background all the way across. BUT with the Same two lines of larger text that goes Under the picture Scene, the same as it is an HOME. Then:
On ABOUT, CONTACT and BLOG, put my “Blue Shirt” pic in a small SQUARE frame, in the upper Right corner under the Image. I think it shows that way now on the ABOUT page. (When I leave here I’ll go look to see if it is.) That same blue shirt pic the same way on each of those three. So, For the full, side to side, background Images, (“Yelllow Daisys, which I tried to set once) or similar) I want a different one on each of the three. How do I choose and set them? Or, once again, could you do all that for me? ONE last thing: I’m getting a weird, center screen BOX that suddenly on the screen sometimes; stops everything. Different times, different pages. ” a script error – yellow triangle “warning” icon- has occurred on this page: Line 657 Char 3 Unable to get property’addEventListener. Continue running scripts on this page?” Then a Yes – No box. “Yes” -t comes right back “No” it goes away, and things seem to keep working. Why ME :-)) THANK YOU!!! Allan
- The topic ‘Allan Avery – new WordPress Blog’ is closed to new replies.
WordPress.com Forums 