The new version of WordPress (WordPress 3) is now being used as the system which operates the myCouncillor websites. 

The "Dashboard" - what you see when you log into your site to edit it - looks a bit different, and a bit more up to date. 

Hopefully most of this is pretty straightforward for people - the buttons that you see down the left of the dashboard are shown here: 

• - posts - for creating a new story on your site (or editing an existing one)
• - media - for managing pictures (or now other files) which you have uploaded to your site: 
• - links - to manage the links that you show in your website side bar
• - pages - to manage the extra pages that you've set up on your website 
• - comments - to approve, reject or mark as "spam" comments that you get on your site
• - appearance - to change the look of your website
• - tools - all the extra things that are just for for the myCouncillor sites are in here - Local Information, the Graph, Surveys etc. There are NEW features in here, which we're going to be telling you about over the coming weeks!

Please be a little careful with the tiny arrow which appears just about "posts" on the left - if you click on that your dashboard reduces to a thin column of just icons, with no words - to get the words back you just click on the tiny arrow again! 

Please ignore the "profile" section - we don't use it on the myCouncillor system. 

Please note that to see your website from the dashboard - click on your name at the top of the page - its not that obvious!

New Features when creating a new story

When you're creating a new story there are a number of new buttons which hopefully you'll find useful (see below): 

• Picture Button - can you see the "picture" just to the right of the words Upload/Insert? This is where you add pictures to your website. This is a hugely improved way for adding pictures (or files like word or PDF documents with the media button (the "star") to your story. Its significantly improved on before and allows you to alter the sizes of pictures more easily. We'll be doing a separate posting to help you with the detail of this shortly, but it is very easy to have a go. Please remember that if the picture you want is ALREADY on the internet, you don't have to upload it again (just just add media "from URL"). 
• Show the kitchen sink (!) - the LAST button on the right is called "kitchen sink" - press it an all the buttons on the bottom row appear!
• A really useful new feature is "Paste From Word" (the clipboard with a "W" on the bottom row) - if you're copying a story from a word document, then sometimes its full of strage fonts and formatting that spoil the look of your website - click on "past from word" and you remove the worst of this!

1. Apply for a site

You're already an ALDC member and you'd like a MyCouncillor blog.  The first step is to fill in the application form by clicking here.  Don't worry about the information you give being set in stone.  You can change almost everything later - with the exception of your council area and ward.

2. Receive your email

Within seconds of you submitting the form, the ALDC team springs into action.  After making the tea, your blog is set up and an email sent giving you all the information you need to get blogging.  The most important pieces of information are:

• your site address e.g. www.lennygrice.mycouncillor.org.uk
• your username e.g. lennygrice
• your password

3. Visit your site

Click on the link in the email to visit your site (or paste the web address into your browser). At the bottom right corner of your new blog is a link "Site Admin".  Click on it.

4. Log onto the administration panel

Put in your username and password to log into the administration panel.  You should be taken to the Dashboard.

5. Start blogging

Don't worry about customising your blog right now - lots of time for that later.  Get blogging!  Tell people about something your doing, some interesting local news or perhaps a national Lib Dem story,

6. Tell people about it

Blogging's much more fun if lots of people come and read your wise words, so tell people. Advertise your blog in emails, Focus leaflets, business cards and more.

Remember: you can get to your blog using several different addresses right from the start, including

• yourname.mycouncillor.org.uk
  
• yourname.4mp.org.uk
  
• yourname.focusteam.org.uk
  

Last updated by Iain Roberts, 17th November 2009.

Levels of Users

There are 3 levels of user that can be assigned to a person using mycouncillor. These are called AreaEditor, Editor, Councillor and Contributor.

When ever a new site is created, a Councillor user is always created for that site.

A Contributor is somebody you allow to make postings to your site (e.g. your local IT officer, or a volunteer or helper you assign this task to. 

A contributor is assigned to a specific site and they can:

·write posts and pages

·edit posts and pages created by themselves

·delete posts and pages created by themselves

·edit their own profile

A Councillor is the site owner. 

Councillors are assigned to a specific site and they can do everything that a Contributor can do plus:

·add and delete Contributors

·add, edit and delete posts and pages written by Contributors

·change the site’s appearance or ‘Theme’

·add, edit and delete ‘Useful Links’

·edit the contact details displayed on the site

·change the councillors photo

·change the banner photo (if the Theme is photo enable)

·change the recipient email for the ‘How You Can Help’ and ‘Report a Problem’ forms

·add, edit and delete Categories that can be applied to Posts

An Editor is responsible for a whole ward. This might be one councillor in the area, or you may want to make all your ward councillors Editors. 

An Editor can do everything a Councillor can do plus:

·add, edit and delete Local Information entries

·write posts and pages for all Councillor sites in that Ward or Area

An AreaEditor is responsible for the whole area. Unless you tell us otherwise, this is ALDC. 

AreaEditors can do everything an Editor can do plus:

·add, edit and delete Editors and Councillors

·write posts and pages for all Areas, Wards and Councillor sites

Last Updated by Tim Pickstone on 3 August 2009