Struggling to post? Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started.

Logging In
Firstly, you need to have obtained a username and password from the administrators. These are free for genuine authors who represent local Colne Valley businesses and community groups etc. To get yours, please email admin@colnevalleyweb.co.uk and we’ll be happy to set your account up.

Once you have your details, scroll down to the bottom right of the page, where you should find a login button:

This takes you on to the login screen, where you can enter your details:

Your Dashboard
The screen you’ll see immediately after logging in is referred to as the dashboard. It’s from here that you can write and manage your posts. Click on the ‘Write’ button to get started.

Writing your article
The screen that follows contains spaces for the title of your post, and a main area for writing the article. Don’t worry about losing your work - the story will automatically save every few seconds. Enter a title and your article into the relevant boxes. The main text area also contains tools to fromat text, such as changing font size, boldness, or italicising.

Next you need to add your tags. These are keywords that allow readers to find your post more easily. Enter your keywords into the list, separated by commas, then click ‘Add’.

The categories ensure your post appears in the right place on the site. Try and select the most appropriate category from the list provided. If you can’t seem to place it correctly, please add it to what seems most appropriate and send an email to admin@colnevalleyweb.co.uk requesting a new category. We’ll evaluate the situation and re-categorize your article as necessary.

Once you’re done, either save or publish your article. A saved article will not go live on the site but will be available for you to update and publish in future. Published articles will go live immediately.

Managing or changing existing articles
If you wish to change or remove an article you’ve previously posted, or would like to continue and publish a saved article, click on the ‘manage’ button on the main dashboard page.

On the following page you will see a list of all your articles. Click on the title of the one you wish to edit, and you will be returned to the authoring page. Make your changes and click on the ’save’ button.

To remove an article, you may either ‘unpublish’ it, which keeps the article saved but removes it from the site or you can delete it completely. This can be done from the ‘Manage’ page.

Working with Images and other media
You can insert different media into your articles. This is achieved through the ‘add media’ buttons visible while writing or editing your article.

Clicking the ‘Add Image’ button brings up a new screen. Click on the ‘Choose files to upload’ button.

Select the file from your computer you wish to include, and it will be uploaded to Colne Valley Web. You will then be presented with some layout options. Please do not caption your images - this is currently causing images not to display correctly, but we are hoping to correct this in due course.

Select the size and alignment for your image, and click ‘Insert into post’.

Once added to your article, images can be resized by dragging the handles on the corners of the image, and moved around the article by dragging the image as a whole.

If you move the mouse over the image you’ll notice two symbols appear in the upper left corner. These allow you to remove or go back and edit settings for the image. To change its size and position, select the first icon:

The dialogue box that appears also has an ‘advanced options’ tab that allows you to alter other features of the image.

It’s often preferable to give your images a bit of space if they are set inline with your text. Margins can be altered on the ‘Advanced Settings’ page. 10 pixels is a suitable margin.

Once you’ve done, click ‘update’. Then publish your post.

Logging out
Don’t forget to logout once you’ve finished administering your articles. The logout button is in the upper right corner of the dashboard screen:

Article popularity: 4%