1. Rowan County Public Library

2. Register for and sign into a Wordpress account. Set up a blog. Add pictures and posts. Instill a basic understanding of Wordpress.

3. Navigate to Wordpress.com Click on log-in Below the log in info, click on Register

4. Enter your email address. Pick and enter a Username. Pick and enter a Password. Choose a Blog Address. Ex. bobsbakery.wordpress.com Scroll down and hit “Create Blog”

5. Choose a Title for your Blog. (Ex. Bob’s Bakery) Create a Tagline. (Ex. Baked Goods) Choose your Language. Scroll to the bottom and hit Next Step ->

6. You will be presented with several themes to choose from. I’ll choose Edin. Each Theme is highly customizable. After choosing your theme, click Next Step ->

7. Here we will see an example of our new blog. We’ll have to build it ourselves, however. Click on Customize It!

8. Here is what your blog should currently look like. We’re going to make a few changes to make it more suited to you. This can get a little complicated. Please do not hesitate to ask questions.

9. Open a New Tab. Navigate to Google.com Search for an image fitting the theme of your new blog. Mine will be tech, and I will search for a skyline header.

10. Return to your Wordpress tab. On the right side of the page, click on Header. You will be prompted to upload an image. Do so. Please ask if you need help.

11. Your image will upload. On the right side of the screen, you will see this. Ignore the text fields and click Select and Crop. You will be given the opportunity to crop your image. Please ask if you need help. When you have finished Cropping, click Crop Image.

12. After cropping your header it will appear at the top of your blog as shown here. You can always change your header at any time using this method.

13. Under Header, click on Widgets. Click on Sidebar. Click Add a Widget. Scroll down until you find Gravatar. Enter your username in title, add an email, and write something about yourself at the bottom. Next click Save on the blue sidebar.

14. Open up a new tab and go to Google.com Search for an image you would like to use as your avatar. Save the image. Return to Wordpress. Click on the X below the Save button.

15. You will return to your Dashboard. On the left, click on User. Now, under Username, click on the icon next to your username.

16. Click on Log in. Next, Click on Sign in With Wordpress. Allow Wordpress access to your Gravatar. Now click on Add one by clicking here!

17. Click on My Computers Hard Drive. Click on Browse Find your photo in File Explorer. Click Next. Crop your image and click Crop and Finish Finally, choose a rating for your image.

18. Return to Wordpress. In your Dashboard, click Appearance, and then click Customize. Open up your sidebar again and click Widgets, then Sidebar, then Add Widget. Scroll until you find the Archives widget. Add it and click Save on the sidebar.

19. Click Add Widget, again. Scroll until you find Follow Blog. Add the widget and click Save on the sidebar.

20. Now that we have the appearance of our blog taken care of, it’s time to learn how to sign in and out. In the upper right corner of your screen, hover over your username and click on Sign Out.

21. You will be returned to the Wordpress homepage. Click on Log In. Enter your email and password and click Log In. In the top left corner click on My Sites. You will see your blog listed. Click on it.

22. A new tab or window will open with your new blog displayed. In the center of the screen, below the title, you will see Get Started Here. Click it. Note: You can also publish blog posts by clicking new post in the top right corner, next to your username.

23. In the top space we will enter the title of our post. Let’s call it “Welcome to my blog” In the large text box below you will write your post. This works just like a word processor such as Microsoft Word. Write whatever you wish that pertains to the subject.

24. After titling and writing your blog post, on the right side of the screen you will see a form that says publish. Hit the blue Publish button. You will see a preview of your blog. Congratulations, you’ve just made your first blog post. You can also add images or videos to posts using the add media button in the post editor. From now on you will use the New Post button in the top right corner for writing new posts.

25. Navigate to your new blog. Ex. testblog8910.wordpr ess.com Here is your new blog. Feel free to continue exploring Wordpress and adding to your blog. Friends can take a look at your blog by going to the address we just used.

26. Thanks so much for attending our class! If you have any questions about what we’ve learned today or if you need any further assistance, we’re here to help. Thanks for visiting Rowan County Public Library. We hope you’ve enjoyed your time with us.