This page gives you guidance on how to use the site, and how your posts can be most legible.
Using this Website
- Begin by editing your Sites at Penn State profile:
- After logging into this website in the top left corner, find your PSU ID in the top right corner. Roll over it and select “Edit my Profile”.
- Complete the Name field.
- Upload a fairly recognizable photo/headshot of yourself.
Where to Post What
- Your reflection notes should go in the Comment section of either (a) the Blog Post by the presenters, available one week in advance or (b) a particular Event that is DUE if the blog post is not available.
- Your writing assignments should be new Blog Posts.
- Your theory presentation should include:
- a new Blog Post regarding the reading, including the questions you have for the audience, posted one week before your presentation day.
- by the day before your presentation, include in the blog post a link to your presentation for either playing or download.
- the blog post should also have a “featured image” as indicated below.
Creating New Blog Posts
- I selected the TwentyFourteen WordPress theme, and specs of the components of this theme—including appropriate image sizes—can be found on WordPress’ TwentyFourteen Theme Page here.
- Images: Given the visual nature of our profession, you must aim to include relevant visual content with your writing. This should always include a “Featured Image,” which works best in this theme if it is at least 1038 pixels wide. All other images within your post can be whatever size you deem fits with (and within) your message.
- You must have permission to use your images. I find that going to flickr.com, entering a search term, then selecting the “Creative Commons only” option under “License” provides you with a host of possibilities for download and (frequently non commercial) use.
- All images must have a photo credit, and should have an architect credit.
- For the featured image photo credit, please do so at the bottom of your post & if you can, include a link to the original photo source (as done below). I also make this text light gray and italics before applying the links so that it recedes from your main text.
- For all other photo credits, please use the “Caption” box available to you when you select or upload your Media. The theme will take care of the formatting.
- Give your post an appropriate Title related to the post’s content. Do not include your name or the date or the name of the assignment.
- Make use of the Paragraph Styles in your writing. When doing so, realize that you do not need an extra blank line between paragraphs. You can find additional advice on readability here:
- For your bibliographies and any lists, please use the Ordered or Unordered List style (found in the text editor toolbar). Also feel free to use the Quote paragraph style which is the subsequent icon to the right.
- For any Links, please use the link button in the toolbar rather than pasting URLs into your text. URL text reduces the legibility of your work. This linking applies to any bibliographic information that would normally include the URL. We are already working in HTML format, so we don’t need the links written out for us.
- After the first 5 lines or so, insert a Read More break so that the homepage can include more posts. You can find this item in the toolbar as well.
- Select an appropriate Category, and create relevant Tags for your post. If you included a featured image (which you should), include the tag Featured for your post to appear in the top grid of featured posts.
- Please use full sentences, appropriate grammar, and spellcheck.
photo of WU Vienna Teaching Center by HerrWick. Architecture by BUSarchitektur.