You can make your blog more easily viewable on a mobile device by activating two plugins. The process is simple:

1. Go to your Dashboard and click on Plugins, on the right of the screen.
2. Look for the WPTouch and WordPress Mobile Edition plugins and Activate them.
3. That’s it. Do NOT change your Theme. The plugins will automatically optimise the display of your blog when viewed on a mobile phone, iPhone or iPod Touch. WPTouch has various Settings which you can experiment with if you wish.
4. If you use an iPhone, you can download the WordPress app and update your blog from your phone. Nice!

Welcome to the new University of Lincoln blogs. We’ve been experimenting with blogs in the Centre for Educational Research and Development since May 2008 and are now pleased to offer blogs to departments, staff and students to support their research, teaching and learning.

Here’s a few things you should know about the blogs:

• This is a ‘beta’ service provided by CERD. We’ll do our best to support you but you should try to support yourself, as you would with many other services on the Internet.
• The blogs are provided to support research, teaching and learning. We have some Community Guidelines, which you must abide by.
• The blogs use the popular and cutting-edge WordPress software. Using WordPress competently is increasingly a skill required by employers.
• The University of Lincoln blogs also use BuddyPress. This creates a private social network, only accessible and visible to university students and staff.
• Blogs are publicly visible by default but can be made private if you wish.
• Anyone with a university email address can join and participate in our social network and have their own blog.
• Blogs can be set up for departmental, team, project, group or individual use.
• You can connect your university blog to other services such as Blackboard, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• The blogs can be used to support a variety of tasks, such as textual analysis, or an on-going project or reflective journal.
• They are an excellent method of communicating with colleagues and peers both inside and outside the university and are designed to help get your message across.

Together with LLR and the Research Office, CERD offer staff training on the use of blogs and other web services. Training is announced via the Portal on a montly basis and available on all campuses. In addition, we’re also keen to work with teaching staff who wish to incorporate the blogs into their courses and can visit classes to discuss the blogs with students, too.

For more information, contact Joss Winn in CERD.