content architecture - wordcamp buffalo 2014

Shanta R. Nathwani 1

Content Architecture

Shanta R. Nathwani, Sheridan College

WordCamp Buffalo 2014

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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.

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Agenda

• About Me

• Introduction

• Pages & Posts

• Categories & Tags

• Live Demo

• Q & A’s

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Find Me!

Tweet Me:@TantienHime

My Web Site:http://shanta.ca

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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

• Independent IT and Social Media Consultant

• Clients include NPOs, Real Estate, Software Development, Financial and Political Sectors

• Bachelor of Commerce in Info Tech Mgmt., Ryerson University

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Post-It Notes• Used to put down all the pieces of

information that you want to put on your website

• Later on, you may want to colour (yes, I'm Canadian!) 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.

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An Example

Categories and Pages Menu Structure

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Follow Along!

We are going to put together our menu based on content we’ve already got. Follow along at:

http://tantienhime.com

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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Go Live!

• http://tantienhime.com/wp-admin (For Me)

• http://tantienhime.com (For You)

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Questions?

Tweet Me:@TantienHime

Email:shanta@shanta.ca

My Web Site:http://shanta.ca