Post a new announcement

This page describes generally how to post an announcement, such as a meeting announcement.   However, if you are posting an announcement that is almost identical to a previous announcement, see the page titled “Post a repeat announcement” for a way that requires much less composing and typing.

To post an announcement, select Posts > Add New from the left-side menu of the dashboard.

Write the title of the post. This should be a short sentence, ideally 40 to 70 characters long (but length is not critical). Pick a title that makes sense on its own so that when a users sees just the title, without the text, he or she will know what to expect when reading the post.

Click on the “Visual” tab in the top right of the text editor for the post.

If you are going to type the text, just start typing.  If you are going to paste the text in from another source, first click on the “T” icon in the second row so that “plain text” is selected.  Then just paste the text in.  (If you don’t have the “T” button set, then all the formatting from the program you are copying the text from will be copied into the post as well.  The result is usually quite a mess as the original formatting and the website’s formatting collide.)

If you want to add an image, use the “Add Media” button and follow the prompts.

After you enter all of the text and any media, click on the “Preview” button in the upper right to see what the post will look like.  If you are happy with the result, you’re done.  Otherwise, continue editing until you get the result you like.

You can use the formatting options in the buttons at the top of the editing window.  [When to use the “more” button will go here.]

Look in the right column of the page and find the “Categories.”  Check the category (or categories) that this post should fall into.  Categories help organize posts so you can see all posts in a category.

Next, move down to the “WordPress SEO by Yoast” section.  Type a key word or phrase that is applicable to the post as the “Focus Keyword.”

You’re almost done.

If you decide that you cannot complete the post, or need to consult with someone first, look in the Publish box and click on the “Save Draft” button.

If you’re ready to publish the post, click on the “Publish” button to make the post public.  It will now be visible on the front page.