Getting Started
So you’ve signed up for a new blog on SFI Labs. Great!
Umm… now what?
Well, you could just sit back, relax, and let our team set up a website for you. We’re really good at it. And when we’re done, we’ll just hand you the keys and you’ll be on your way. Just send us a message with an idea of what you want.
You’ll have to pick a theme for your site from the provided list. Go to the USS Widget test site and look around. We have provided a “theme switcher” utility to allow you to change between the available themes and try them out. Kick the tires, and then make your choice. You can change it later if you want, don’t worry.
You’ll be asked to email us any graphics, such as a picture of your ship, chapter logo, etc. Plus we’ll need some text for your home page. Maybe you want a page for your chapter roster, we’ll need that information, too.
Once we get your site built, we can do simple maintenance for you. But WordPress is very smart, it pretty much takes care of itself. You’ll want to keep it updated by posting news and information to your weblog, though. Keep it fresh!
Doing it yourself
WordPress is pretty easy. It’s not rocket science, the editor is very easy to use. Just jump right in. Go to your dashboard, click Write, and start blogging. The latest posts are presented top-down, with your newest entry right on top.
Themes
Getting bored with your site already? Then give it a new look. Anytime, you may change the theme for your website. From your Dashboard, select Presentation. This will take you to the theme selector. We have a variety of themes available, all with a Star Trek or SFI look and feel.
Home Page
Your website will default to the top page of your weblog with your most recent post on top. What if you want a different start page on your site? To create a “static” home page, from your dashboard, go to Options -> Reading and select a start page. You may need to create one in the Editor by going to Write -> Page from the dashboard.
To create a separate news blog page, create a BLANK page called “Weblog” or “News” or whatever, and in the Options -> Reading menu, set that page as your “Posts Page”. That page will be added to the menu automatically.
Plugins
Want to add cool features to your site? We have a number of fully tested WordPress plugins available. Go to the Plugins menu from the dashboard and activate the plugins you want to use. Some of the included plugins require some additional configuration. Don’t hesitate to contact the SFI Labs Team for assistance. We’ll be happy to set up plugins for you. If there is a plugin you want, just ask. We’ll research it and if it’s do-able, we’ll install it for you and help you set it up.
Widgets
Want to customize your site’s sidebar? You can drag and drop “widgets,” ready made objects for your sidebar, instantly from your dashboard. Go to the Presentation menu and choose “Widgets.” some of them are really simple, others require some light configuration. If you choose to have no widgets at all, your sidebar will display the default items.
