This is the Workshop that was delivered on the Sunday of WordCamp Ottawa

1. CONTENT
ARCHITECTURE
AKA. PAGES VS. POSTS & CATEGORIES VS. TAGS
WORDCAMP OTTAWA 2016
#WCOTT
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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2. MAIN IDEA
Posts vs. Pages & Categories vs. Tags. There is so much confusion
about what types of things should be put on a page and what
should be in a post. Static vs. Dynamic content is the best way to
tackle this. When creating a website, you can edit a menu to
include not only pages, but also category archives that can create
a more complete experience.
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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3. AGENDA
Introduction
Pages & Posts
Categories &
Tags
Live Demo
Q & A’s
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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4. ABOUT (A BOOT) ME
• Instructor, Sheridan College
• Joint program with University of Toronto at Mississauga: Institute of Culture,
Communication, Information and Technology
• Web Design and Capstone Project
• Instructor, Mohawk College
• Computer Foundations and WordPress
• WIT program funded via the YWCA
• Independent Consultant
• Clients include NPOs, Real Estate, Software Development, Financial and
Political Sectors
• Bachelor of Commerce in Info Tech Mgmt., Ryerson University
• Serial WordCamper. Went to 7 last year and the year before that.
• Co-organizer, WordCamp Hamilton
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
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5. FIND ME!
Tweet Me:
@ShantaDotCa
Email:
shanta@shanta.ca
My Web Site:
http://shanta.ca
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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6. 1. WRITE DOWN ON POST IT NOTES ALL THE MAIN TOPICS
THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE ON YOUR WEBSITE.
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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About Us
Events
ServicesRecipes
Contact
Products
Portfolio
Blog

7. • Used to put down all the pieces of information that you
want to put on your website
• Later on, you may want to colour code them into categories
and pages
• During the presentation today, start filling in those post-its
with your ideas of what you want on the site. You may not
finish it today, but it will give you a start.
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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POST-IT NOTES

8. AN EXAMPLE
CATEGORIES AND PAGES MENU STRUCTURE
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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9. FOLLOW ALONG!
We are going to put together our menu based on content we’ve
already got. Follow along at:
http://tantienhime.com
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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10. 3-5-7 PRINCIPLE
• 3 Clicks to where
you need to be.
• Few (very few)
exceptions
No more than 5-7
items in a list.
This includes menus
and lists
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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11. PAGES VS POSTS
PAGES
Static information for the most
part
“About Us” is a great example
Does not use Categories
Can have sub-pages
POSTS
Dynamic information
Time sensitive
Uses Categories & Tags
“Upcoming Events” or “Events
Attended” are good examples
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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12. 2. FIGURE OUT WHICH ONES WILL BE CATEGORIES AND WHICH
ONES WILL BE PAGES
Pages Categories
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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About Us Events
Services
Recipes
Contact
Products Portfolio

13. Pages Categories
3. CHANGE THE COLOUR OF EITHER ONE OR THE OTHER SO
THAT YOU CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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About Us
Events
Services Recipes
Contact
Products Portfolio

14. CATEGORIES VS. TAGS
CATEGORIES
Major classifications for
information
“Events” is a great example
Can have sub-categories (much
like pages)
TAGS
Describes the content using
keywords
WordPress recommends 5-7 per
post
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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15. WORDPRESS MENUS
Menus can contain:
Categories (sometimes called “Category Archives”)
Pages
External Links
The number of menus that are supported depend on the theme you choose, so do that
first!Since 3.6, you can now choose what menu goes where (main, sidebars). Again,
dependant on the theme.
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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16. 4. KEEPING THE 3-5-7 RULE, START TO STRUCTURE YOUR MENUS
ACCORDING TO THE TOPIC, NOT WHETHER OR NOT YOUR
CONTENT IS A POST OR A PAGE.
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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About Us EventsServices Contact
Products
Recipes
Portfolio

17. 5. CREATE YOUR MENU IN WORDPRESS USING PAGES AND
CATEGORIES!
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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18. GO LIVE!
http://tantienhime.com/wp-admin (For Me)
http://tantienhime.com (For You)
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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19. RESOURCES
How to create your menu: https://learn.wordpress.com/get-published-30/#lecustommenu
(Created for .com, but still applicable)
Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web: http://www.amazon.com/Information-
Architecture-Blueprints-Christina-Wodtke/dp/0735712506 (until last year, used by our
course)
Don’t Make Me Think: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Think-Revisited-
Usability/dp/0321965515 (one of the books that replaced IA)
Evil By Design: http://evilbydesign.info/book/ (the other new book)
WordPress.tv: http://shanta.ca/posts-vs-pages-and-categories-vs-tags-video-at-wordcamp-
montreal-2015/ (my earlier talk, including creating the menu)
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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20. Questions?
Tweet Me:
@ShantaDotCa
Email:
shanta@shanta.ca
My Web Site:
http://shanta.ca
Shanta R. Nathwani - @ShantaDotCa http://shanta.ca
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