As I had some prior experience working with WordPress, the process of setting up my own site was mostly fun, rather than presenting a learning curve. I had been considering establishing a personal website to host work completed here at Carleton, and this assignment provided the perfect opportunity. In addition to setting up my About Me page, which serves as the default home page on the site, I also began subpages for publications, films, and choreography. These pages are currently unpopulated, but will eventually have content that could serve as work samples to future employers. As it stands, my About Me page also links out to my LinkedIn profile and my Vimeo page, which serve a similar purpose.
In order to enhance the look of my site, I found a preset color palette online, so that the colors I chose for the side and main panels, in addition to my headings and text, would feel cohesive together. I used CSS code to apply a specific hex code to the page titles, as they were not editable as blocks.
As I see it, one of the primary benefits of hosting a personal website such as this is that you as the creator have full control over the content, style, and settings of the page. While WordPress has many default settings and available themes for use, all of these are customizable (with or without code) to make one’s own. If a user has concerns about the appearance, practices, or settings of web services or social media platforms, creating a personal website can add a level of autonomy that is not otherwise present. However, the act of creating one’s own website is much more labor intensive. Although WordPress uses block editing to ensure accessibility for those without coding knowledge, there remains a need to learn how to use the platform and how to present your content in a way that best represents you. This often takes place through lots of trial and error, which is more time-consuming and intellectually-demanding than asking a service to do the work for you. While I have enjoyed this process of setting up my own WordPress site, I understand that different approaches will work better for different needs. Check out my site here!
