Website Rules, Policies, and Training

PLEASE do not mark or report email from AWSA East posts as SPAM. Doing so can be detrimental to ALL our users. We have added some members as a courtesy.

Any eastern region member may create an account and provide content. Click Register at lower left to create an account (if “register” is displayed) or request an account from webmaster or EVP.

We have tried various ways to limit spam registrations, so you may see a captcha or a quiz. Or you may be asked for an invitation code. We are currently not allowing self-registration; contact webmaster or EVP. When we do allow self-registration, we require admin approval before a user registration is active. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Disclaimer

Some of these instructions may be out-of-date as WordPress evolves. Apologies.

User Roles

  • New users are currently set up as Contributors. Your posts must be approved before they go live.
  • If you are tech savvy and find the system easy to use, you may be promoted to Author. Your posts would then be immediate. We would ask you to be careful with other elements of the system that would then be available to you.

 Posts

  • It’s helpful to have the public site open in one window and the admin in another so you can view these instructions and see your post on the public site without having to leave the admin.
  • When creating or editing any post, in the upper right, “Screen Options,” you can un-check Slug, Custom Fields, Send Trackbacks, Excerpt, Featured Image*, Format; these will be out of your way in the future. (We are only using the Standard Format, no excerpts unless someone wants to educate the admin on how they’re useful, no featured image*, no pingbacks or trackbacks, leave the slug alone.)
  • In the formatting bar, expand “Show/Hide Kitchen Sink” near right end to see more formatting options.
  • Best if you type the post right in the admin. Copy and paste can have some formatting consequences, especially if copying from Word. If copying, consider switching to “Text” tab (upper right), paste, then clean up under “Visual” tab.
  • If you make a long post, please add a “more” tag, also located in the top row of the formatting bar. This will keep your post short on summary pages.
  • Please DON’T FORGET to categorize your post at right, multiple categories allowed. (If you have forgotten to categorize any, the “Uncategorized” category will show in the left sidebar with the number of uncategorized posts. Go to Posts in the admin, click “Uncategorized” beside any such post in the Category column to see which ones, then click on the Post and categorize, OR, if the title is straightforward, click “Quick Edit” to categorize.)
  • Feel free to use Tags, optional, but categories are predefined and encouraged.
  • Most likely you WILL want to allow comments, but you may un-check “allow comments” if appropriate.
  • Most likely you will NOT want to check “Subscribe2 Notification Override” as we DO want people to get notification of new posts.
  • You are welcome to add an image to your post, or attach files; limited training below, ask if you need help.
  • If you feel additional categories are warranted, tell the webmaster.

Note: NEVER allow trackbacks and pingbacks. Although they were good in concept, the abusers have totally thwarted their usefulness and they result in huge amounts of spam.

Comments

  • You may comment on posts while logged in.
  • Consider setting up a Gravatar (Globally recognized avatar) at http://en.gravatar.com/.

Images / MEDIA

View by list or thumbnail for different information. List will show all images including headers (not shown in thumbnail view).

  • You may add an image inside your post. Put your cursor where you want it and click “Add Media” above the text window. You can upload an image from your hard drive (or choose from those already in the gallery). The system will save it in multiple sizes. You’ll most likely want the medium or small size in your post. I suggest you align it right. You can give it a caption if you’d like.
  • * Images at the top of the page are set to display randomly. If you want your own featured image on your own post, click “Set featured image” in the lower right of the admin. You can choose from the uploaded media or upload your own. If you upload, you will have the chance to crop it and scale it. The final size should be 1000 X 350 pixels (aspect ratio = 2.857). You need to save the changes within the images panel, and then the post.
  • Specifically for a Featured Image that will display at the top of the page or post, perform the following steps: click to edit the image, under the image click edit image, scale it to 1000 wide, save, re-open, edit (again), put your cursor inside the image and drag to highlight a cropping area, drag one edge so it is 1000 full width, make the height 350 either by dragging or using the numerical field at right, click cropping icon above image, save (under the image), save (at right). Then go back into the post and select this modified image as a featured image (lower right).
  • If you need a PDF or other document available from your post, you may upload this in the same manner. When the upload is complete, in the lower right of the window there is a dropdown choice. Select Link to “Media File.” Do not select “attachment page.” Then click Insert into Post. Additionally, best if you open PDFs in a new window so that people don’t close them when done and accidentally leave/close the website. Single click on the newly inserted link. A hover box will appear with the link. Click the Edit/pencil icon, then the gear for Link Options. In the next box that opens, under the URL and Title, click the checkbox for new window. You can also change the title here if you’d like.

IMPORTANT: Please keep in mind that initially everyone will receive notice of your post; that is how we set it up. If people get too much email, they can/will unsubscribe from certain categories or posts, or all of them. The intent of this site is to be for communication within the region, so please post quality information and not to excess.

Site administrator has sole discretion to rectify misuse of this site. Do not violate any copyrights. Give credit for photography. Use appropriate language.

Suggestions on how to improve this website and/or these instructions are welcome; email webmaster. Photos from other ski sites welcome/encouraged. For headers, we need panoramas, 1000px X 350px minimum.

Email Administration

  • We operate a separate MailChimp mailing list that allows sending messages to specific groups. This is our main method of communicating with region members. Please add yourself, http://eepurl.com/nUmC1.

Pages (for editors only)

  • When adding pages, un-check “Allow comments” (trackbacks, pingbacks) below. We do not want any comments on pages, only posts.
  • No custom fields.
  • Page Attributes
    • Choose placement in navigation hierarchy. (I may have to do an added step in nav menu.)
    • Use Default Template. I have not styled Showcase or Sidebar.
    • Do not change Order.
  • Featured image if desired, as above.
  • When creating or editing any page, in the upper right, “Screen Options,” you can un-check Author, Slug, Comments, Custom Fields, Featured Image; these will be out of your way in the future.
  • See other possibly helpful bullets above under Posts.

Awards Tables

To add a new row at the top of any table, click cursor into first row, then click second icon from the right (shaped like a table) and “insert row above.” Then click into the new cells and add the new info.