In my first post about a series of 10-minute tutorials, some people commented that they would like a separate workshop on starting & constructing your own website. This workshop will feature WordPress tools because they are some of the most simple, popular, and powerful to use today. Some steps might include:

• choosing WordPress.com (free service on WP’s server, with limited choices) vs. WordPress.org (freely downloadable software to run on your institution’s server or a for-hire external server, with more flexibility) — see how WordPress explains the difference
• understanding the WordPress dashboard and user roles (admins, editors, authors, contributors, subscribers)
• organizing the architecture of posts vs. pages, themes, menus, and widgets — see also WordPress Lessons
• seeking out and installing themes & plugins (for WordPress.org)
• making it up as you go along (that’s pretty much what I do. . .

Here are three different types of WordPress sites that I have created, each for a different purpose:

• a course website, with content by instructor and students
• a public history web-book, with long text and digital features
• a scholarly edited volume, w CommentPress plugin for open review

This workshop idea is more than what we can accomplish during the first 10-minute tutorial session, so that’s why I’m suggesting it here as a separate one, to see if there’s sufficient interest. If yes, I’m willing to start it up (have projector, will travel) and anyone is welcome to learn, share, and teach (since there are several people at THATCamp with more experience than me.)

When attending my first digital history/humanities workshop two years ago, I felt overwhelmed by all of the tools that other people were using. While everyone kindly shared advice, the initial learning curve was steep. I needed some friendly hands-on tutorials to understand some basics before feeling comfortable exploring further on my own. Now, with more experience, I’ve begun teaching basics of digital tools in undergraduate classes (as first steps toward semester-long projects) and faculty workshops (to enhance their teaching and scholarship). One goal is to create a series of 10-minute hands-on tutorials to introduce just the right amount of information — not too much, not too little — that build up skills and encourage new users to take the next step forward.

To start the conversation, here’s a *preliminary* list of tools & tasks that I commonly use in digital history/humanities work, with links to some of my 10-minute web tutorials:

• how to share a Google Document (requires free Google username) for collaborative writing and editing
• how to display points on a map using Google Docs tables/Google Fusion Tables
• how to create thematic map (boundaries & data) w Google Fusion Tables (tutorial)
• how to create a post on the WordPress
• how to capture a screenshot and wrap around text in a WordPress post  (compare with my video tutorial)
• how to manage, cite, and share citations with Zotero

This workshop is intended for participants with different skill levels:
If you’re a relatively new user, post a comment to vote for the topics you wish to learn (and/or suggest others) and we’ll teach those 10-minute tutorials during our session.
OR
If you’re a more experienced user, post a comment to suggest any basic tools & tasks not listed above, and/or link to a better 10-minute tutorial that you’d be willing to teach.

During and after the workshop, both types of users can post feedback about what worked — and what could be improved — for each of the 10-minute tutorials.