Adding a Content Editor to UTC Blogs

Please understand: blog.utc.edu is a network of many individual blogs; however, a user’s login status for all blogs is shared across the network. User Level is set per-blog: a user may be assigned different levels on different blogs, and may (or may not) be associated with one or more blogs.

Confused? Hopefully not, after you have read the following…

Step One: User Authentication & Account Creation (by User)

1. User opens browser on USER’s COMPUTER or lab computer
   • these instructions will not work unless the browser session is Logged Out of UTCBlogs WordPress
2. User visits the CAS Log In link on a specific blog’s home page (default location is in the footer section)
   • If user does not see CAS Log In link, but does see CAS Log Out link, click Log Out; return to specific blog’s home page, refresh browser window, click Log In
3. Login redirects to UTC Central Authentication Service (CAS)
   • User authenticates with CAS, which creates a blog Subscriber account

Step Two: Account Assignment (by a Web Team Administrator)

1. Login as Administrator, go to Dashboard (Site Admin link, generally on the sidebar, or click any Edit button link from a blog post or page)
2. Choose appropriate blog from My Sites (top Menu)
3. Click Users, and check to see if user already exists
   • if so, skip steps 4&5 and proceed to WordPress Roles;  change user Role & Save
4. Add the user via Users > Add New > Add Existing User
   • Type the user’s UTC.edu email address into the Email field
   • Select the Role
5. Click the button: Add Existing User… User can now log in to the WordPress dashboard & create content

WordPress Roles (User Levels)

During account creation (or after creation, for existing accounts), Administrators can assign user level.

Usually, there should be only one Administrator, and that admin should be a permanent UTC employee, not a Term or student worker. Also, the Administrator’s Dashboard has far more links and menus, which are not needed everyday. Keeping most users at Author or below will greatly simplify the Dashboard, making it easier to perform everyday tasks such as writing blog posts.

• Administrator –  has access to all the administration features within a single site.
• Editor – can publish and manage posts including the posts of other users.
• Author – can publish and manage their own posts.
• Contributor – can write and manage their own posts but cannot publish them.
• Subscriber – can only manage their profile.

Problems?

If you make a mistake and add a “brand new” User without them creating a blog account through Central Authentication Service, their email address will be locked and CAS won’t be able to create the account. If this happens, you’ll need to contact UTC Web Services to delete the user.