The blog function on your blogfolio is actually built in and primary so by default, the latest post will show up at the top of your home page. But I suggest that you use the Customize tool and set a “page” as home/landing page, then add a blank page under My Blog which you then set as your blog page (Go to Dashboard>> Appearance>> Customize, and from the “Static Front Page” section, select the blank page as the “post page”). This will allow your blog posts to appear normally but in the My Blog section. Including a “blog” tab alongside your education, experience, and other areas of the resume will help to highlight blogging as a component of your portfolio–this is what makes your portfolio a “blogfolio.” Some other notes for the blog:
- Consider using the “read more” feature so that readers/visitors to the blog page don’t have to scroll down to the bottom of a post in order to see another.
- Preview texts or even preview styles are better than thumbnails (let the reader see text, not random images when they land on your blog; use images intentionally within your posts instead).
- Multiple access is an acceptable means of emphasis/foregrounding on the web, so consider adding the “Recent Posts” to the widget area as well. If you have comments from your peers, also activate/place “Recent Comments” in the widget section.
- Some other blogging widgets that I would recommend include: Links or widgets linking/embedding your web presence on other sites, Blogroll linking your peers’ blogs, Search bar, Your headshot if you want to be visible while the visitor is on any page, and Subscribe widget so readers can sign up for new post alerts.
In case I am talking over your head ;), below is a quick glossary:
Widgets: If you have a two-column site, consider including the following widgets on the right navigation panel (vertically): recent posts (3-5), recent comments (3-5), pages (pulldown menu if available), subscription, and social functions that we will continue to explore in the coming weeks.
Plugins: Plugins are additional functions that you can activate/install and then make available through the widget configuration tool. We will discuss what kinds of functions you may want to add to your blogfolio in class as well.
Share Functions: Also to be discussed…
Integrating Social Presence: As I elaborate in this blog post, integrating the blogging function takes your academic portfolio and even an online version of your resume to a whole new level. In particular, it allows you to speak with a voice about issues that you are passionate about with a broader audience that you may also start engaging in a conversation. The short version of the blog post linked above is that blogging and integrating other social media within your professional portfolio adds a dynamic and socially engaged professional presence that begins to represent the emergent identity and voice of the student/scholar on the web.