Process Post #2 Figuring out the Complexity of WordPress

As Campbell (2009) states, “In building that personal cyberinfrastructure, students not only would acquire crucial technical skills for their digital lives but also would engage in work that provides richly teachable moments ranging from multimodal writing to information science, knowledge management, bibliographic instruction, and social networking”.

I had only a few prior experiences building a website, except very minor coding back in my Tumblr days to customize my theme. But even then, I struggled to figure out how to manage and customize my domain that matches my desired aesthetic. Creating a WordPress website felt like being thrown into the ocean without any land or people for miles. I was stressed and panicking about creating something entirely from scratch with full responsibility and creative decisions. Further, learning to navigate WordPress as a system and all the different functions was a headache because I felt utterly lost and overwhelmed.I thought my saving grace was using a website template, so I picked a simple template to keep things clean and easy.

However, I struggled to figure out how to make different headers, such as about, Pub101 and then have my posts under those headers. I shuffled through multiple articles on how to set up WordPress and was even more confused when the video showed different settings I saw on my screen. I decided to switch themes and finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I could label my headers and figure out how to add posts to pages.

So far, my blog is quite plain because I have just nailed down how to work out the basic of WordPress today. I am still figuring out my dream aesthetic and how to make it a reality through WordPress. Overall, I’m content with publishing my posts on the website.

As Campbell emphasizes, creating your own personal cyberinfrasture really does entail RICHLY teachable moments. I probably spent a few hours figuring out how to make headers on my site and then setting up a new template and customizing it. I have barely scratched the surface of using WordPress and all it has to offer. I have yet to make it SEO-friendly and add accessibility, and I hope it is not as complex and overwhelming as it sounds. I never realized how stressful building a website can be, even with a template!

Reference:

Campbell, G. (2009). A Personal Cyberinfrastructure. EDUCAUSE Review, 44(5), 58.