Getting started

Welcome to UAL myblog. Whether you’re showcasing your portfolio, managing a project, or experimenting with creative ideas, this guide will help you get started.

Create Your First Site

To begin, you’ll need your own site on the myblog network.

  • Go to the homepage.
  • Log in (if you’re not logged in already).
  • Click ‘Create new site’.

Alternatively, you can use the user menu at the top right of the page when you’re logged in:

  • Hover over your name at the top of the page.
  • Go to Sites > Create new site.

You’ll get to your personal ‘Sites‘ page and you’ll see a form at the bottom to create your new site.

A screenshot of the myblog member area showing a create site form
  • Decide a URL for your site. This should be short and descriptive. You can’t change this later, so choose wisely.
  • Choose a title for your site. This can be a bit longer, and might appear on your homepage. You will be able to change this later.
  • Finally, click ‘Create Site’ and your new site will be ready. You should see some new links to either view your site, or edit your site.

The first thing you might notice is the WordPress Admin Bar, which appears at the top of the page. This will help you navigate to different sites and areas of WordPress. Some of the more important actions on the admin bar are:

  • Get back to myblog home.
  • View your sites and navigate to them.
  • View quick links for the current site you are on.
  • Quickly add a new post, page, or media.
  • Change your myblog profile and view other members or groups you’re in.
An annotated screenshot of the WordPress admin bar

Once you go to edit your site, you should see something like the below screenshot. This is the WordPress admin dashboard. From here you can:

  • Add or edit blog posts, which can display in different places around your site.
  • Add or edit site pages, permanent webpages for non-time-based information. Pages are best used for content like your homepage, about you or contact.
  • Change the appearance of your site, with themes to choose from and settings for colour, logos and menus.
An annotated screenshot of the WordPress admin dashboard area

First Steps

1. Set Your Site Title and Tagline

  • In the WordPress Dashboard, go to Settings > General.
  • Here’s where you can set or change the name for your site (e.g. “Ben’s Portfolio”).
  • Add a tagline. This is optional, but we recommend it to give users a bit of an idea what they can expect on your site. It will appear on the myblog site discovery and will be visible to search engines like Google.

2. Set Your Site Logo

Some themes will show a logo or avatar at the top of the page. Here’s how you can add a site logo.

  • Go to Appearance > Customizer.
  • Go to Site identity > Site logo.
  • Upload an image that you think represents the site.

3. Choose a Theme

  • Go to Appearance > Themes.
  • Browse the available themes and click Activate on the one you like.
  • You can also Preview a theme before activating it.

Each theme offers a unique style and may include different features, such as custom layouts, widgets, or colour options. Choose one that aligns with your vision for the site.

Your First Post

Let’s create a blog post to kick things off:

  • Navigate to Posts > Add New.
  • Add a Title (e.g., “Welcome to My Site”).
  • Write your content in the editor. Use the “+” button to add paragraphs, headings, or lists.
  • (Optional) Add a featured image which represents the post. You can do this in the top of the right sidebar, under Page > Set featured image.
  • Hit Publish when you’re ready to share it.

There are a lots of blocks that come with your WordPress site. Feel free to add different blocks and test them out. Whether you want an image gallery, a table, a YouTube video, or simply 2 columns, you can do that in WordPress.

Adding Images

Let’s add some images to your post:

  • Navigate to Posts > All Posts and choose one of your posts.
  • Use the “+” button to add an Image.
  • You can then upload an image like you would on any other site. This image will be saved to your Media Library should you want to use it again.
  • Hit Save when you’re ready to share your updated post.

Next Steps

Happy exploring!

As WordPress is the most popular website content management system (CMS), there is a lot of support available online. We have also outlined some extra tips and tricks on the Help page.

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