Task List for Final Project

DUE Thursday, Mar 08 – 6 points
(Friday NOON deadline)

Gradebook Declaration: I have published a page on my course blog containing a list of six tasks I plan to complete for my final project. A link to this page is visible on the front page of my course blog.

I met with each of you sometime during last week or this week to come up with a list of tasks you plan to complete for your final project. For this assignment, you will need to create a page (not a post) on your course blog with a list of at least six tasks. A link to this page should be visible on the front page of your course blog. Do not view this list as permanent or set in stone. While I expect that your lists will change as you work on the project, you do need to have a full list of six tasks planned now to start working on.

I will discuss a variety of acceptable tasks with each of you individually, but I have provided here a list of many of the common tasks.

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Site Setup

This task requires you to install and activate your selected WordPress theme, set the title and tagline of the site to what you want, and create the pages, posts, and/or categories you plan to use. (The idea is to get the site basically working how you want so you can visualize what content you’ll need to create. You may need to create some sample posts to get the categories and tags to appear where you want them to appear.) Adding a few of WordPress’s default widgets to the sidebar also may be included in this task. Many people will do this task first, but it might actually make sense to write some content first and then complete these for Task #3 or #4.

Write One Page or Post

All writing tasks need to be at least 300 words. This task requires that you write at least 300 words for one page (like “About Me”) or one blog post. If the particular page does not really need to be 300 words, please do not add extra content just to fill up the requirement. Instead, look at the next item in this list.

Write Two Pages/Posts

For many pages or posts, 300 words is more than you need. This task requires you to write at least 300 words total across two pages or posts. I have found that 150-300 words is a good length for blog posts, so those of writing blogs should plan on completing at least one or two tasks like this.

Add Portfolio Entry

For those of you building portfolio web sites, this tasks requires you to add one portfolio entry to your site and write 300 words of text to accompany it. If your particular portfolio piece does not really need to be 300 words, please do not add extra content just to fill up the requirement. Instead, look at the next item in this list.

Add Two Portfolio Entries

For those of you building portfolio web sites, this tasks requires you to add two portfolio entries to your site. Adding images is a little bit of work on its own, so if you add two portfolio entries then you only need to write 200 words of text total to accompany them. If your have two portfolio pieces that don’t even really need to have 200 words total, please do not add extra content just to fill up the requirement. Instead, look at the next item in this list.

Add Four Portfolio Entries

For those of you building portfolio web sites, this tasks requires you to add four portfolio entries to your site. Adding images is a little bit of work on its own, so if you add four portfolio entries then you do not have a writing requirement. You probably want to write a 40-60 word caption, but that’s up to you if you add four entries.

Custom Page Template

For most of your sites, writing the content in WordPress visual editor will be sufficient for all of your pages. But for some of you, you will need to handcraft some HTML for something like a resume or to generate content dynamically like a directory page listing all the children pages. Creating a custom template, assigning it to a page, and writing some HTML or PHP code for that template can count as a task.

Home Page / Portfolio Layout

Most of you will have a page that aggregates a number of other pages or blog posts together. This task requires you to configure a complicated page like that. This may be an advanced home page, or this may be a gallery page showcasing your portfolio. The course web site, for example, has a slider at the top with items on the bottom left and widgets on the bottom right: setting all that up would count as a one task.

Install and Configure a Plugin

This task requires you to install a plugin and then perform some additional task to get it to appear on your site or configure it. With Twitter Tools, for example, you have to provide your Twitter credentials and set up some other options. With WP Google Analytics, you have to create a Google Analytics account and paste some code into your WordPress administrative area. With Contact Form 7, you have to set up some fields and provide an email address. Setting up any of those would count as a one task. Some plugins do not require any configuration or setup; if you want to install a plugin like that, please see the next item in this list.

Install Two Plugins

Some plugins do not require any configuration: you just activate them and they are ready to go. You will need to install two plugins like that to count as a task.

Minor Tweaks to Your Theme

Many of you will want to make some minor modifications to your theme. This could include changing your logo, adjusting a background image, modifying some widths or fonts or colors. You will need to spend a couple of hours in Photoshop and in the WordPress theme editor and in an FTP editor for this to count as a task.

Major Tweaks / Custom Design

Some of you want to produce a custom web design for your site. If you spend, let’s say, six hours in Photoshop making a design comp then this can count as a task.

Major Tweaks / Custom Code

If you spent six hours in Photoshop making a design comp, then implementing that design comp on your site is probably going to require another six hours in a text editor. That can also count as a task.

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If you and I discussed a different task than one of these, do not worry. This is just a list of the common tasks that many of you will complete, but a lot of you have tasks that are specific to your individual sites.