While you are working on getting content onto your Writing for Digital Media portfolio, you should also consider an important tweak that will make your site more friendly to your users. Before you post any real content, be sure it’s easy to find.
If you look at the URLs in your site, you’ll notice that they end with odd looking codes. What you want to do here is replace those codes with real English words that coincide with your posts. This is usually a straightforward process, but one you’ll want to consider carefully. Once you decide on and begin using a linking structure, you should not change it later. Doing so will confuse your users and break any links others have made to your portfolio. Consider these new links as permanent, or “permalinks.”
When you are logged in to the administration section of your WordPress install, select “Settings > Permalinks.” WordPress offers a couple of standard settings for permalinks, or you can choose “Custom Structure” like I’ve done for this site. Here, I use the category followed by the post name:
/%category%/%postname%
In deciding what you want your portfolio’s structure to be, look at the numerous options that WordPress offers. Dates make sense for most blog entries; however, some of your pages might be better served by simpler URLs. Choose a structure that makes the most sense for your general content. This setting can always be overridden when you add a new page or post.
Whatever you choose, you should always be consistent. Only change a URL if it makes sense to do so. When I evaluate your portfolios, I will look for URL consistency, so be sure you pay attention to these settings.
One final note: once you choose your permalink structure and save it, check your portfolio to see if the new structure works. If you get an error, there is a problem with your Apache settings that must be taken care of. WordPress has a page to help with this, but it can be tricky. You might need to contact tech support of your ISP to help you with this matter.
