FAQ

The General Stuff

General questions about WFU websites, resources and services offered by Digital Communications, and general good-to-know facts.

• What content management system do you use?

  We use WordPress, a versatile, easy-to-use content management system.

• How do I report a technical issue on a site?

  To report a technical issue (e.g. Error 404: Page Not Found, Server Error, etc.), please use the Web Request form and select “Error on Website” as the request type.

• How do I request a third- or fourth-level domain?

  Third-level Domains

  Submit third-level domain requests through the WFU Help Desk.

  All requests for third-level domains (e.g. yoursite.wfu.edu) are reviewed by a committee with representatives from Information Systems (I.S.) and Communications & External Relations (CER).

  Some things to consider when requesting a third-level domain:

  • Should reflect the content of the site;
  • Should not contain inappropriate words or phrases;
  • Should be unique and not have multiple applications;
  • Should be considered permanent, not for temporary use.

  Fourth-level Domains

  Third-level domain owners may request fourth-level domains (e.g., something.yoursite.wfu.edu) through the WFU Help Desk and do not need approval, but should follow the naming guidelines for third-level domains.

• Do you offer WordPress training?

  Yes. We offer monthly in-person training sessions for our new WordPress theme. To attend please use the WordPress Training Request form.

  We also offer an online WordPress Training Guide.

• How do I request a customized short URL?

  Wake Forest offerers a URL-shortening service (much like bit.ly) that uses the wfu.edu domain. A “Go Link” can be requested at go.wfu.edu.

• How do I submit a request for a broadcast email?

  To send a broadcast email message to an external WFU audience (alumni, parents, friends of the university), use the Broadcast Email Request Form.

  To send a broadcast email to students, faculty or staff, see the Broadcast Email Guidelines page.

• How can I request my information be removed from a WFU website?

  If your information is posted on a WFU departmental website, we recommend that you reach out to someone in the department and ask them to remove your information. If you are unsure about who to contact, please use the Web Request Form and specify any pertinent details — including the URL of the website — in your request.

• How do I update my department’s contact information in the WFU Directory?

  Academic and administrative offices are listed on the university’s directory page.

  To add an office or department, or to update the published information, please use the Web Request Form and provide all pertinent information.

• How do I obtain photos, logos and other assets for my site?

  For photography requests, please use the Photo Request Form.

  The WFU Web Style Guide offers downloadable logos for print and web, as well as an icon collection for use on WFU websites.

• Is my website secure?

  While no website is completely safe from malicious activity, Digital Communications, in partnership with the Information Systems security team, takes great care to avoid any unnecessary risks with your content and data. Critical updates to WordPress and other server software are installed as soon as practical.

  For additional information on security practices, including what data can and cannot be collected on a WFU website, please see the University’s Standard on Electronic Non-Public Information.

Everything WordPress

Have a question about your WordPress website? Want to know how to get your site in our WordPress environment? These and many other questions are answered here.

• Do I have to use WordPress to manage my website?

  Yes. WordPress is the only website publishing platform offered by CER. There are many benefits to being within the WFU WordPress environment (hosted by CER). If you’re not already using WordPress, please reach out to us so we can discuss these benefits with you.

• Do I have to use the Wake Forest theme?

  Sites built within the CER WordPress environment must use the WFU theme.

• Can I install my own plugins?

  No. CER and AIT tests and installs plugins based on common web publishing needs. CER may install new plugins from time to time. If you have a specific request, please use our request form.

• Are all Wake Forest websites using WordPress?

  No. There are many WFU websites that do not reside in the CER WordPress environment. If you are a site owner and would like to discuss migrating your site, we’d love to talk with you.

• Can I obtain a copy of the Wake Forest theme to use on my personal website?

  No. The Wake Forest theme is for use on official WFU sites only.

• How do I edit pages of my website off-campus?

  Only approved editors to a website can make changes to their sites. If you are an approved editor and are trying to log in from off-campus, you must connect to the Wake Forest VPN. Once you are connected, you will be able to access your site using your WFU credentials.

  If you are not an editor on your site but need to be, please use the Web Request Form and let us know.

• How do I create a registration form for my event?

  The Gravity Form plug-in allows you to publish many types of forms on your site, including basic registration forms. Please refer to our WordPress Training Guide for details.

• Is there a manual or guide to using WordPress?

  Our WordPress Training Guide covers many WordPress topics.

• Can I remove or change the site’s header or footer in any way?

  No. This is the branding for Wake Forest University website and will appear on all pages within our WordPress theme.

• How do I add video to my site?

  Video on a page is typically added through YouTube embed links. For more information on how to do this, take a look at our “Upload a Video” page on our training guide site.

• How can I monitor traffic to my website?

  WordPress sites use Google Analytics to track site traffic. You can put in a request through our form for access to your Analytics data or for setup if you’ve never used this service.

• Will my site look good on mobile devices in the CER WordPress theme?

  Yes. The CER theme was specifically built and tested to look great on all mobile devices.

• What kind of information can I collect with Gravity Forms?

  You can ask for and collect several types of information so long as it doesn’t violate the Wake Forest University Standard on Electronic Non-Public Information rules. We’ve listed those types of information on our training guide site.

• I deleted a page or post in WordPress. Is all hope lost?

  Pages and posts can be recovered from the Trash folder. For details about recovering items from Trash, see our WordPress Training Guide.

• Can I restore an earlier version of my page?

  Yes. WordPress gives you the ability to see previous versions of a page and revert. Refer to our WordPress Training Guide for details.

• Can I password protect a page?

  Yes. WordPress has built-in password protection for each page. In the publishing settings of your page you can set a password that you can share with the users you’d like to have access.

  You can also restrict access to a page for just those with a wfu.edu email address.

  If you need to make the entire site, or a section of a site, private, please let us know so we can work with you on solutions.

• How do I remove a page?

  On the Pages screen of the WordPress Dashboard, simply click the Trash link below a page title. Remember that if users have bookmarked a deleted page, they will get an error message when attempting to view it. For more information on page management, please see our WordPress Training Guide.

• How do I update my department site navigation?

  Your site navigation is based on the top-level pages you have in your site. Your site navigation will change based on what pages you add/remove for your list of pages. Within the CER WordPress theme, the number of links in your navigation are limited to what will fit in a single row (usually no more than 8 or 9). You can have subpages, though, which will show up under the top-level pages in your main navigation.

  Refer to our WordPress Training Guide for more information.

• Can I change the fonts, colors, etc. on my site?

  These styles are set automatically by a style sheet. Refer to the Style Guide for approved colors.

• How do I get my site to show up in Google Search?

  Google and other search engines automatically crawl Wake Forest web sites at regular intervals. If you would like to force a site to be indexed, please submit a request to the digital team.

• How do I redirect traffic from my old site?

  Prior to migrating a site, please make note of all valid URLs that will need to be redirected to the new site. The digital team will use these URLs to make server redirects to corresponding pages on the new site. In the case that there is not a corresponding page, the redirect will point to the new site home page.

• What fonts are used in our theme?

  Refer to the Style Guide for approved fonts.

• How do I add a PDF, DOC, XLS to my site?

  Most common document types may be uploaded and published via the Add Media function in WordPress. See our WordPress Training Guide for more details.