Pages and Categories
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Please don’t get angry with me. I have researched this question in the faqs, and on the forum, and cannot find an answer to my particular problem. I know we are supposed to try to get an answer, and not ask questions on the forum.
I am very new to WordPress. 4 days exactly. I’m not very computer savvy, so a lot of the “language” I don’t understand.
OK, here’s my question. Do I have to have categories, or are pages ok?
I have tried to put my pages into categories, but, can’t figure out how to do it. I think I read that categories are for posts only. ???? So, is my blog ok the way it is? Will it cause me problems later, because my pages are not “categorized”?
I have linked my name to my blog. Thanks for any help you can give me on this. I am trying to get this resolved, so I can start showing everyone my blog. I am very excited about having a blog, and, can’t believe I have been able to do this by myself, as far along as I have it done.
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Categories (and tags) are for posts, not pages – you’ve read that correctly. Now posts HAVE to be categorized, but you don’t have to display the categories in your sidebar if they are not useful to you.
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Thanks, and can you tell me again what the tags are? I know I read it somewhere, but, can’t remember. I am going to make notes for future referral, so, I don’t have to bother you all. And, the widgets, I’m not sure about them either. Are they the titles on the right side of the blog? And, is that the blogroll? I told you I wasn’t computer savvy.
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Best thing would be consulting the FAQs on these, using its search box.
Widgets are the various functions or items you can have in your sidebar. You add them in Design > Widgets.
“Blogroll” means links to other blogs in your sidebar – more generally, links to other sites. For adding the function, Design > Widgets > Add Links widget. For adding the links themselves, Write > Link.
Tags function exactly like categories. Categories are the general sub-groups of your posts, while tags are more specific key-words related to the content of a particular post. When you write posts, you categorize them (mandatory), and also tag them (optional), to assist readers’ navigating your blog content (if they’re interested in a particular subject). To display categories and tags in the sidebar, again Design > Widgets.
Now I’m not sure if you opted for pages because that’s what suits you or because you haven’t got a clear idea re posts, pages and their differences. For starters, see here:
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Best thing would be consulting the FAQs on these, using its search box.
Widgets are the various functions or items you can have in your sidebar. You add them in Design > Widgets.
“Blogroll” means links to other blogs in your sidebar – more generally, links to other sites. For adding the function, Design > Widgets > Add Links widget. For adding the links themselves, Write > Link.
Tags function exactly like categories. Categories are the general sub-groups of your posts, while tags are more specific key-words related to the content of a particular post. When you write posts, you categorize them (mandatory), and also tag them (optional), to assist readers’ navigating your blog content (if they’re interested in a particular subject). To display categories and tags in the sidebar, again Design > Widgets.
Now I’m not sure if you opted for pages because that’s what suits you or because you haven’t got a clear idea re posts, pages and their differences. For starters, see here:
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I thought a POST was an entry from someone that came to your site and commented, or asked a question.
On some forums I am on, a POST is a comment or question from a forum member. A THREAD is all of the posts combined into one space. Maybe this is what is confusing me. All terms everywhere are not the same.
The reason I have pages is exactly what you said – I don’t have a clear idea re posts, and pages. I thought the pages were where I was supposed to enter my information, that I wanted everyone to see for my blog. You know, the REASON they came to my blog. ????
Thank you for helping me. I really do appreciate it. I’ll check out the link you gave me above, and will copy and paste your explanations, and print them out for further reference. I was kinda afraid to come onto this forum, because so many of the answers are : see faqs. That’s fine, but, believe me, I have read them, and still didn’t have my answer, OR, didn’t understand the “language”. Thanks again.
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You’re welcome.
Forums are different: your blog is YOUR blog. POSTS are usually your main content, not pages, and visitors’ comments are called …comments.
(As for your other thread, please go and mark it resolved so that it won’t unnecessarily attract attention.)
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OK, let me see if I am finally getting this. I am thinking I want to leave my PAGES as PAGES. My reason for this is – the things I have listed on my pages, are the things I carry in my business ALL the time. Some of this content will NOT change.
If I change it to a post it will travel downwards on the page, and eventually disappear into the archives. Well, I don’t want people visiting my blog to say – look up a light bulb – to have to try to “find” the light bulbs, or even KNOWING there are light bulbs on my blog.
SO, if I leave them as pages, they will be on the front page of my blog ALL the time, correct? That way, my visitors will be able to see them right away. Am I thinking and understanding this correctly now?
I will try to find the other post, and try to figure out how to mark it resolved. Thanks for telling me that. Didn’t even know you could do that. Sorry, I’m really new to this forum, and it is so different from all the other ones I read all the time. And, thanks again for your help and answers.
I’m looking forward to seeing your comment on this reply, and, hoping I am starting to understand.
Oops – here’s one more question I thought of – Is there anyway I can remove the “automatically generated possibly related posts” from my blog? I really don’t want that on there. :)
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I am also new here and inexperienced. I too am having problems understanding the page vs. post and catagory issues. If there is any more info someone would like to share that would be great.
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Just thought of another one. I have been experimenting a little with all this new info.
On the PAGES, there is a place for a visitor to comment ~ will that comment go on my PAGE, or will it go to the recent comments area? I don’t really want any comments on MY PAGES, because that is kinda like my catalog.
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teachanytime ~ the link above, 6 posts up, is great. I went there and printed all that out. I still have to keep reading and “re-reading” to get it straight in my pea brain. (I’m probably a nightmare to these more experienced and computer smart people) But, I sure do appreciate any answers and knowledge from them.
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1. Yes, you understand correctly: pages are, let’s say, reference material (that’s why they are called “static” – cf. the “About” Page example of the FAQ).
2. You’ve got that right, too! It’s probably the most unsuccessful feature in a wp blog. Go to Design > Extras, uncheck the “Hide related links”, click Update.
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Gosh, thanks so much for your help panaghiotisadam – wish I knew a thimble full of your knowledge of computers. :)
I got two comments (don’t know how – I guess through related topic through wordpress?) Anyway, my last question above – the comments did go on my PAGE, I also looked in recent comments, and it takes you to the PAGE. Guess there’s no way that the comments won’t be on my page with my pictures, huh?
(But, at least they are at the bottom, UNDER my pictures.)
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Looks like one is a ping and the other is a comment. You can delete comments:
Dashboard -> Comments -> Actions
Choose “unapprove” or “delete”
If you don’t want comments on a page, or on a post:
Before you publish, scroll down below the editor, down below the Categories box to the box labeled Comments & Pings. Click the little arrow next to it and you’ll see a drop-down menu with check boxes “allow comments” and “allow pings.” Uncheck those boxes and you won’t get any comments or pings.
After you’ve published:
Dashboard -> Manage ->Pages (or Posts)
Click the title and edit as above. -
I think if you unapprove a comment, it remains on your blog, but only you can see it when you Manage Comments.
If you delete it, then it’s gone forever. -
Re. comments:
Comments are related to a particular page or post; if a visitor writes a comment, it goes under your material in that post or page.
If you don’t want comments on a page, you can deactivate them (go to Manage > Pages, click on name of page, scroll down to Advanced Options, uncheck “Allow Comments”, click Save.
You can also delete a comment (go to the “Comments” section of your dashboard).
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Ah – 1tess was here before me! Sorry, the page was left open and I didn’t see her posts when I wrote mine.
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panaghiotisadam,
I’ve got a couple of comments on a page that would be more informative if they were actually made on particular posts. Is it possible for me to edit/move them into the places they would make more sense?
Maybe I’m getting off-topic with this question? -
@1tess: You can go to Comments, click on the particular comment, copy it, then delete it. Then you go to your blog page and submit the copied stuff as a comment of your own, then to Comments again to edit back the name of the original commenter. (Of course it won’t have the original date anymore – but I can’t think of any other way.)
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