In addition to the steps below, all stories must follow PN Style Basics and adhere to the PN Style Guide.
Steps to posting on WordPress
There are several steps and components for posting stories on the PN website. While all must be followed to be considered for publication, if you have a valid reason to deviate from how posts are traditionally formatted (strong photo essay, short documentary video, etc.) you can speak to an editor. Otherwise, you are expected to follow these steps.
Logging in: You can log in from the bottom of the PN homepage where it says: Philadelphia Neighborhood Student Reporters.
This will take you to a log in page. Click Use Log in with TU AccessNet where you can enter your TUID username and password. (It’s the same log in you use for TUmail.)
Note: The log in here is different than what is seen in the video. The image is of the updated log in page.
After logging in you will be taken to Philadelphia Neighborhoods’ dashboard for WordPress.
Adding a new post: On the lefthand side is a menu where you will find Posts. Using your pointer to hover over the word will make a secondary menu box open, with an option to Add New. Click on this to open a page to add a new post.
Alternately, if instead of hovering over Posts you click on it to load the page you will see a button next to Posts that says Add New. Click on this to open a page to add a new post.
Headline: Headlines should begin with the neighborhood where the reporting took place, a colon, then a short sentence with an action verb to draw the reader in. Capitalize all words except for minor, two and three letter words (a, an, the, at, by, for, in, of, on, to, up, and, as, but, or, and nor). Example: East Falls: Community Organizations at Odds With Each Other
Dek: This is a subhead that runs underneath the headline. This is a short description of what the story is about, written in a way that is compelling and makes the audience want to continue.
The dek is added on the right side of the screen in the Document navigation. Immediately below the Featured Image is Excerpt. This is where to add it.
Body: Things have changed since WordPress introduced the Gutenberg editor. (Additional video tutorials posted at bottom.) Instead of one long section to add content, sections are now broken up into customizable blocks.
In the sidebar on the righthand side, you will see two options: document and block. Make sure you are working in block while adding your content. It is here you can customize the content and settings for each block.
To add a block, click on the circle with a plus sign in it in the upper left corner:
Each block can contain one of several elements. Those elements include:
- Paragraph- A block that displays text Image A block that displays a single image
- Image- A block that displays a single image
- Gallery- A block that displays one or more images in a gallery style
- Quote- A block that displays a quote. There is a space for a quote and a separate space for the person quoted
Other options are available to use, but the above are the most common for our purposes.
It is here you will add your content (words, photo, video and/or other visual elements) in separate blocks.
Note: While audio and video are options here, audio and video should be uploaded to third party sites such as our Philadelphia Neighborhoods Soundcloud and Vimeo accounts, and the code from that content will be inserted into the post in a block.
All written content should follow AP Style and PN Style.
End of story: Add the following copy at the end of your story:
- Please email any questions or concerns about this story to: [email protected].
(Note: The email address is philadelphianeighbors and not philadelphianeighborhoods.)
Post Format: By default, this should be Standard.
If your major element is something other than written copy you may choose the appropriate format (audio, gallery, video), but only if that is the predominant media. If you have one of these elements as a minor/supporting element of your story, the Post Format should still be Standard.
Featured Image: This needs to be a horizontal image.
In the sidebar on the righthand side, you will see two options: document and block. To add the featured image, click the down arrow and select “Set featured image.” You will then be prompted to select which image to upload and set.
Images: All images must be uploaded to the Philadelphia Neighborhoods WordPress and not hosted elsewhere.
To add images, create a new block and select Image. When the dialogue box opens, click upload and select where your image is to upload it and insert it into the post.
Images need to run as Large and with dimensions of 1920 x 1080:
Video: All video must be uploaded to a PN Vimeo account. Neil will provide the log in information. Personal Vimeo or YouTube accounts will not be accepted.
To add the video, copy and paste the link into a block and it will be embedded automatically.
Links: Link out to the people, businesses, organizations, programs, reports, etc. that you mention in your story.
Authors: If you happen to be working in a team, please make sure both partners are added as authors. By default, the person posting will be listed but at the bottom of the page will be where another author can be added. If you start typing a person’s name, the field will auto-populate the rest.
Categories: You will choose three categories for each post: the section of the city your story takes place in (North, Northeast, Northwest, Riverwards, South, Southwest), the neighborhood your story takes place in, and the broad topic area of your story.
If you do not see your section, neighborhood or topic, please check with your editor or Malo.
Tags: You will choose up to five tags for your story. These should not be the same as the categories, but the major people, businesses, organizations, programs, etc. Which are featured in your story.
A good question to ask yourself is what term(s) you might search for to find this story and be relevant.
Preview: Preview! (Top right corner, preview button.)
You are reasonably free to experiment with how your story looks, as long as it appears professional and consistent with our style and voice. But please preview before submitting as how your story appears in the editor might differ from how it would appear live.
Filing: Once you have finished adding your content and have previewed your story, press Publish in the top right corner by Preview. This should prompt asking if you’re sure you want to Submit For Review. Click to confirm.
All done!
Additional WordPress Gutenberg resources:
If you have any questions, please contact your editor or Malo.
Last updated: Aug. 9, 2021