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Colors with Storify WordPress plugin

One more plugin to test today. This one is the Storify plugin plugin. I think Storify is a great curation tool and it’s one of the first ones that I tested out.  The fexibility of being able to add notes and commentary interspersed with the embedded content from other sites makes it a great choice for students working on research projects.

The plugin adds a Storify button to the editing toolbar to easily insert a story into a post. But this is pretty easy to do without the plugin, just copy and paste from the Storify site to your WordPress post/page.

The plugin also adds a panel where you can build a new story from within your WordPress dashboard. If you spend all day in your WordPress dashboard this might be handy. Personally, I’d rather use the Storify bookmarklet in my browser toolbar to add content to my stories. And with them already embedded on a page/post, the content will just update itself anyways.

Tell me what I’m missing? I’d love to hear how people are incorporating this into their workflow?  I do love that Storify listened to folks who wanted this plugin though!

Photos from my flickr feed – to test the Storify plugin for WordPress

(And this is my last #blog12daysxmas post! Hooray, I did it, a week late, but done!)

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Testing Embedly Plugin

Our WordPress ecourse is about to begin! So I though I’d test out a couple of WordPress plugins today.

The Embedly plugin makes it easy to add content from other sites simply by pasting a URL into a post. No need to find the embed code for a photo, video, map, etc., just copy and paste the URL onto it’s own line in your post. There are over 200 services that will work.

Tweet


The Possibility of Alien Life Is Now (Almost) Impossible to Deny http://t.co/MHcfDzmY #astrobiology
@astrobiology
astrobiology

Image from my flickr stream

2012-01-12

Google Map

And even though I’m a week late… I’m determined to write my final two #blog12daysxmas posts. Consider this Day 11!

Two free webinars: eBooks & WordPress

Carterette Series WebinarsI’m very happy to be participating in the next Carterette Series webinars sponsored by the Georgia Library Association on Wednesday, January 18 from 2 – 4:15 PM. Registration is free.

The always awesome Kate Sheehan will talk about Ebooks, Discovery, and the Library and I’ll be talking about WordPress for Library Websites.

Be sure to check out their archive of past webinars for some great learning opportunities. And while you’re at it, like their Facebook page to make sure you see news of future programs.

 

(Still catching up – this is for Day 8 of #blog12daysxmas!)

Using WordPress to Build Library Websites – ALA eCourse

It’s been such a busy couple of weeks that I didn’t have time to post about the WordPress ecourse that Amanda Goodman and I will be offering through ALA. It starts in Jan 16, 2012 and runs for 6 weeks. Amanda and I met face-to-face for the first time at the Internet Librarian conference in October. In addition to enjoying some great food and wine, we did do a good bit of work on the course!  The course will get you up-to-speed with WordPress and all the features that can help you build a dynamic and engaging web site for your library.

Note that there’s an early bird discount if you register by December 1.

Using WordPress to build library websites

I think everyone knows that I love working with WordPress and have been teaching WordPress classes for since 2006. Kyle Jones and I wrote an ALA Library Technology Report on WordPress that was published in April 2011. An expanded & updated version of that will be published by ALA Editions in early 2012.

I’m really looking forward to working with Amanda on this project. And looking forward to helping you decide if WordPress is the right tool for your library, school or personal web site. See you online in January!

Using WordPress as a Library Content Management System

This is a little embarrassing. I just realized I’d never actually posted here about the now not-so-new ALA Library Technology Report the Kyle Jones & I wrote on  Using WordPress as a Library Content Management System. It came out in early May. Get yours now, while it’s still hot (kind of!)  :-)

With WordPress, you can give patrons easy access to your library’s digital content . The software is free, and, with good planning, you don’t need expensive training or extensive technological expertise to maintain your site. Authors Kyle Jones and Polly-Alida Farrington, along with several librarian contributors, deliver a richly illustrated, practical guide for using WordPress as a tool for managing digital content, from basic set-up to customization with plugins.

Topics covered in this issue include:

  • Setting up a local development environment, choosing your package, installing WordPress, and transferring files.
  • How to evaluate potential plugins and select the best for your needs
  • How to test themes across different types of content
  • How to streamline administration with plugins like WP Maintenance Mode, Theme Visibility Manager, Role Scoper and others
  • Comparative descriptions of four different plugins for publicizing your events and programs
  • Managing user accounts to get staff involved in creating content
  • How you can make it easy for patrons to share your content on Facebook , Twitter and other social sites
  • First-hand accounts of academic, public, and school librarians on using WordPress to create dynamic subject guides, deliver elearning, and creating digital archives
  • 10 ways WordPress can improve website user experience

Drupal is from Mars, WordPress is from Venus

I’m way behind on posting conference presentation slides here. First up is “Drupal is from Mars, WordPress is from Venus”. This was a fun WordPress vs. Drupal smackdown at the CT Library Association meeting earlier this month. This was Sharon Clapp’s terrific idea, I thank her for inviting me to join her in doing this presentation.