Visions Virtual Assistance Blog » Wordpress Dashboard Tips http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:31:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Have Comments Emailed to You http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/wordpress-dashboard-tips/have-comments-emailed-to-you/ http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/wordpress-dashboard-tips/have-comments-emailed-to-you/#comments Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:50:18 +0000 Crystal Pina http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/?p=168 Visit Visions Virtual Assistance on Facebook now!
]]> When you write a blog post you’re kind of hoping that people comment, right? But I know that sometimes life and business get in the way and you can’t always get back to your blog to make sure you are answering your comments in a timely fashion.

Did you know there is a setting in your dashboard that tells WordPress to notify you when you have a comment – even if your comments are not set to be moderated?

In your dashboard under Settings > Discussion make sure the box is ticked that says, “Email me whenever: Anyone posts a comment.”

That’s it. You’ll never miss a comment again.

]]> http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/wordpress-dashboard-tips/have-comments-emailed-to-you/feed/ 0 Not Sure if a Comment is Spam? Here's What You Can Do… http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/wordpress-dashboard-tips/not-sure-if-a-comment-is-spam-heres-what-you-can-do/ http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/wordpress-dashboard-tips/not-sure-if-a-comment-is-spam-heres-what-you-can-do/#comments Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:32:45 +0000 Crystal Pina http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/?p=121 Visit Visions Virtual Assistance on Facebook now!
]]> You get an email telling you that you have a new comment on an old post. You don’t recognize the person, and that’s ok. You don’t know all your readers. The comment is off, but you aren’t quite sure if it’s spam or just someone with bad English. It’s not inappropriate, just not quite the comment you’d expect for that post.

Here’s what you can do. Go into your dashboard. Click on Comments at the top of the page. All unapproved comments will be highlighted in yellow. Click on the person’s name. That will take you to a page where you can edit the comment. I cut and paste all comment links in a new browser to see where they are going to take my readers. If it takes them to a questionable site, I delete the link out of the comment, and approve the rest.

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Update for WordPress 2.7, unapproved comments are now called Pending. Simply hover your curser under the comment and a menu will appear. One of the links says Edit. Click on it to edit the comment.

]]> http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/wordpress-dashboard-tips/not-sure-if-a-comment-is-spam-heres-what-you-can-do/feed/ 0 Create a Desktop Shortcut to Post to Your Blog http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/wordpress-dashboard-tips/create-a-shortcut-to-post-to-your-blog/ http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/wordpress-dashboard-tips/create-a-shortcut-to-post-to-your-blog/#comments Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:59:29 +0000 Crystal Pina http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/?p=89 Visit Visions Virtual Assistance on Facebook now!
]]> Have you ever avoided posting to your blog because it’s just too much trouble getting to the right posting page?

In 4 easy steps you can create a desktop shortcut that will take you directly to the posting page with one click. Hint:

You can click on any of the images to see a larger version.

STEP 1: Open the dashboard of your blog and go to the Write Post page. Highlight the address of that page, right click, then copy the address to your clipboard as shown below. At this point you can close the blog.

 

STEP 2: On your desktop, right click and highlight New. A menu will pop out. The second choice of that menu is Shortcut. Click on that.

 

STEP 3: Paste the address that you copied in the address area as shown below. Then click Next.

 

STEP 4: Give your shortcut a name.

 

Now test your new shortcut. You may have to log in if you don’t allow your computer to save your passwords.

 

]]> http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/wordpress-dashboard-tips/create-a-shortcut-to-post-to-your-blog/feed/ 1 Routine Blog Maintenance – Plugins http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/wordpress-dashboard-tips/todays-challenge/ http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/wordpress-dashboard-tips/todays-challenge/#comments Mon, 22 Sep 2008 03:51:37 +0000 Crystal Pina http://www.visionsvirtualassistance.com/blog/?p=79 Visit Visions Virtual Assistance on Facebook now!
]]> I am challenging you to go into the dashboard of your blog, update your plugins, and deactivate or delete unused plugins.

Why? Because every plugin or widget you have comes with it’s own set of files. When a visitor comes to your site, WordPress has to call each and every file to load your page. Unused files simply slow the process down. And since WordPress is continually coming out with newer versions, plugins have to keep up. So they come out with versions to stay compatible.

To access the log in screen, go to www.your-site.com/wp-admin

(click on this image to see it in a larger window)

Go down the list. If there are any plugins that you do not use, delete them. Sometimes we look at a plugin and it sounds cool so we add it, then find out it didn’t work as we thought it would so we abandon it. Other times we just find we don’t need the features it offered, or we found an easier solution. That leaves us with lots of extra files hanging around.

To delete a plugin, first deactivate it. Then you will have the option to delete it.  If any of your plugins that you do use suggests that you upgrade, also do that now.

You may not have even realized how much a certain plugin was slowing your blog down until you delete it.

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