Before contacting us for Assistance, please check through this FAQ to see if your question has already been answered.
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General | Getting Started | Content | Themes | Plugins | Social
General
- What advantaged does RHUL WordPress offer over me / my department running our own independent instance of WordPress?
This instance of WordPress is a centralized. This allows a centrally managed and supported service with access to many I.T. Professionals and experienced WordPress Administrators that is unachievable using a stand-alone instance of WordPress.
- Can a single WordPress instance have multiple people contributing to it in a collaborative way?
Yes! There is no limit to the number of users that can access a single WordPress site instance. Each user can be set up with different permission levels, giving them different abilities within the site.
- Can a single user have access to multiple WordPress instances?
Yes! When a user is granted access to multiple instances, a dropdown menu will appear at the top of the screen which will give a user access to all sites they have permissions for.
- Does running a MultiUser version of WordPress introduce any compatibility issues with Content / Plugins / Themes?
While there is no restriction in the sort of content that is supported by WordPress MU / Networks, unfortunately not all plugins and themes have been designed with WordPress Networks / MU in mind.
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Getting Started
- I’m new to WordPress. Are there any guides to help me on my way?
Yes! Please visit the WordPress.com Support page for video guides on how to use WordPress, our own Documentation section to see our in-house userguide to WordPress.
Additionally, please visit the Office WordPress – Getting Started resource on wordpress.org
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Content
- Should I use Tags, Categories, or both?
You should always use Categories and Tags, however both serve different purposes.
Categories. allow you to create groups of posts that all have the same core theme behind them. This is extremely useful for people who are reading your site and wish to locate other posts of the same topic. Try to only have one or two Categories
Tags are important for linking related posts together and improving SEO. While some Themes will not visibly display tags to the reader, the tags exist in the underlying code. These act like key words that also create links to related content, thus improving your SEO. Use as many Tags as you like.
- How do I Post to a Page?
All posts will appear on the main posts page, but you can also display specific posts on category pages with our custom menus feature. If you want, you can change the default page for posts to appear by changing Settings → Reading in the Dashboard. This will likely require changing your Front page as well.
- Can I import content from another WordPress site?
Yes! If you have not already done so, log into your existing WordPress site and go to Tools > Export (you may require the Export plugin to continue from here). Export your entire site contents using this tool.
Once you have exported the site, log into your new WordPress site (hosted by Royal Holloway). Go to Tools > Import and point the import tool to the file you have just downloaded using the Export tool from your previous WordPress site.
The Import tool should go through your site content and download all pictures and media that exist, giving you seemless migration from your old platform to the new one.
If you require any help, please contact a WordPress Administrator through the Assistance page.
When people leave comments, some users who are not registered on the site have a graphical icon for their Avatar while myself / others have an icon that looks like a Power button.
These icons are powered by a system called Gravatar. These are Globally Recognized Avatars. A Gravatar is an image that follows you from site to site appearing beside your name when you do things like comment or post on a blog.
A fully working Gravatar is displayed to the right of this paragraph. Hover your mouse over it to see a completed Gravatar Hovercard.
Gravatars use your email address to identify you. When your account was created on WordPress, your Royal Holloway email address was used. If there is no Gravatar associated with this email address, you will be assigned a default Gravatar logo until an account is created.
Adding a Gravatar to your account is very simple:
Existing Gravatar Users
Log into your Gravatar account and then add your Royal Holloway Email address
New to Gravatar
To set up your Gravatar, please go to the Gravatar Signup page to register.
We would suggest initially signing up with your Home / Personal email address and then adding your Royal Holloway email address as a secondary address. This way your Gravatar will be tied into both your addresses.
Note: At no point is your email address sent anywhere. Your address is automatically Hashed and your Gravatar requested using a Hash.
- How do I embed a YouTube / Vimeo video to a post / page?
Embedding a YouTube or Vimeo video is straight forward. Simply find the video you wish to post in your browser, copy the address (Either short or long) from your address bad and paste it into a new line in WordPress. The WordPress engine does the rest automatically. Your video will appear in your post / page exactly where you pasted the link.
You can also embed videos using the WordPress Shortcode option. Please see the two resources below on the options available for the Shortcodes.
Additional Resources from WordPress.com
- I have just tried using YouTube embed code (either iFrame or Classic code) and the code just vanishes.
This is normal behavior. Please use the method above to post a YouTube link.
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Themes
- What themes are available?
To view available themes, please log into your WordPress Administration page, then go to ‘Appearance > Themes’ in the main menu (left of the screen).
- I need to make some changes to a stock theme, or to a theme that is included already
You need to create what is known as ‘child theme’. A child theme calls the original theme, but allows you to make bespoke changes to the theme without affecting anyone else’s use of it. Additionally when the core theme gets updated, your child theme is automatically updated but all your changes are preserved. For more information on creating and using Child Themes, please visit https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/resources/wordpress-child-theme-tutorial
- I don’t like any of those themes. Can you recommend me some others?
There are a number of free themes available at http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/ . Please identify a theme you would like to try and inform us with a link using the Assistance page
There are a number of Premium themes (costing on average between $20 and $40) available at http://themeforest.net/category/wordpress
Please note; not every theme supports WordPress Multiuser. We cannot be held responsible for incompatibility between free / purchased themes and our WordPress installation
- Can I purchase a premium theme for my WordPress site?
Yes! Please purchase the theme then use the Assistance page to request installation of it.
Typically the use of premium themes for WordPress Multiuser requires the purchase of an Extended License, typically costing well over $1000. To get around this, we will install a privately purchased theme under a regular license (providing we can see the receipt of the purchase) and make the theme available exclusively to the purchaser.
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Plugins
- Please can I have a plugin added to my site?
Potentially, yes! While most plugins work flawlessly with WordPress Multiuser, some don’t. We require a brief period of in-house testing before we are able to make a new plugin live.
Please submit the name / link of the plugin using the Assistance page and we will test its compatibility with WordPress
- How do I use the SEO Plugin?
Please see The Definitive Guide To Higher Rankings For WordPress Sites for information on how to utilize the SEO plugin.
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Social
- Can I have shortcuts to my Social Networks in my site?
Yes! For this you require the ‘WP Social Icons Lite’ plugin to be activated.
Once activated, go to Appearance > Widgets and add the WP Social Icons widget to a sidebar, then configure as appropriate.
- Can I add buttons to share my posts / pages using social networks?
(e.g: ‘Like’ ‘Share on Twitter’ etc)
Yes! For this you require the ‘Jetpack’ plugin to be activated.
Once activated and configured, go to Settings > Sharing and configure as appropriate for your site.
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Can’t find the answer to your question? Please request Assistance.