WordPress is open-source blogging software that is deployed at CSE for research, instructional, and administrative applications. As such, it offers:

  • Web content creation using a web browser. A simple WYSIWYG editor is used to create posts (time-stamped stories) and pages (permanent static content) that are richly formatted and may contain images and other multimedia. Content can also be added using email submission.
  • A role-based permission system. You may use either the internal or an external auth scheme to identify users. Users may have permission to (for example) create content, to enter comments, or to approve content created by others.
  • Content offered via Atom/RSS. Users are offered the option to subscribe to the content of the site in their choice of feed-based formats.
  • Expandability. A vast array of third-party themes and plugins allow the look and functionality of the site to be customized to suit needs.

Do you have a genuine interest in creating a blog for your course, project, or group? Send a request to support@cs and be sure to include a desired blog name.

WordPress Concepts

post
A post is the primary unit of information in WordPress. It has a subject, an author, a timestamp, and a (possibly compound) body.
The default reader interface to WordPress presents a scroll of the ten most recent posts in reverse cronlogical order.
page
A page is a much like a post, but doesn't appear in the scroll. It has a URL ("permalink" in blogging parlance) and can be linked from static elements of the site design (or anywhere else).
category
Every post has at least one "category." Categories are simple words or phrases, possibly hierarchical, that put a post into a grouping. For example, "news," "screed," or "news:research." Each WordPress site has a set of defined categories and a default category, typically the (useless) value "uncategorized."
Categories have utility in filtering posts. For example, a user may choose to view only posts in a particular category.
tag
Tags are similar to categories, but are more free-form. There is no hierarchy nor predefined namespace.

Local Instances

Below, a small sample of existing WordPress installs at CSE, each described with the mission and key configuration details.

CSE News
This site replaced the static HTML CSE News page in 2008. A small number of CSE faculty and staff are administrators or editors of the site, which uses the subscribe2 plugin.
Contact: Kay Beck-Benton.
Undergrad News
This site offers time-sensitive material to CSE Undergrads. Read access is unrestricted, though.
Contact: Raven Avery.
Undergrad Jobs
This site is a list of jobs suitable for undergrads. Read access is restricted (via CSEcookie) to CSE account holders.
Contact: Kay Beck-Benton.
Change
Change is a research group at the University of Washington exploring how technology can improve the lives of underserved populations in low-income regions. The site is driven by WordPress.
Contact: Nicola Dell.

Popular Plugins

subscribe2
Subscribe2 offers email notification of new posts (and, optionally, pages) to the site. Unregistered users receive notifications with default characteristics, which registered users may set a number of preferences in their WordPress profile.
http-authentication
http-authentication allows the use of an external auth scheme in favour of the built-in auth. Such a scheme could be— for example— basic auth, CSEcookie, or pubcookie.
WordPress Tweeter
WordPress Tweeter post to your twitter account each time a new post is created.
WPtouch
WPtouch is a theme that automatically transforms a WordPress blog into a mobile site when viewed from a wide variety of mobile devices, including iPhone, Android, and some BlackBerry devices.