Increase Font Size and Zoom In

Our U.OSU themes are designed to behave well in all browsers and devices. That responsiveness includes using size 14 font to comply with web and accessibility standards. While you cannot alter the default font size, headings can help signify importance in your posts and also increase readability. If you still find yourself squinting at the screen, try out the options below to increase font size on your own browser or simply zoom in on a page.

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Featured on ODEE.osu.edu

Denise Ellsworth of The Bee Lab

We were happy to see a great example of how to make U.OSU work for you on the Office of Distance Education and eLearning News this week.

“When the College of Arts and Sciences and ODEE teamed up to launch the U.OSU pilot in September 2013, Denise Ellsworth, Program Director for Honey Bee and Native Pollinator Education, the transformative platform could enhance how The Bee Lab functions online.

The Bee Lab, a research and education facility on the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center campus in Wooster, is a great example of how Ohio State branding and U.OSU customization can create a comprehensive yet navigable site.” 

Whether your site serves as a resource, a blog (or both like The Bee Lab!), a forum or a student org homepage, U.OSU is all about what YOU do at the university. Read more from Denise’s interview and browse our Featured Sites to get inspired.

Buzzworthy Articles

U.OSU a web space for everyone at Ohio State.U.OSU continues to gain momentum as the university’s supported web platform. Whether you need a site to house resources for your student group or want to start a class blog, the easy-to-use WordPress platform has features to meet many needs.

We compiled recent articles and posts that highlight site benefits, tips for creating forms, text widget superpowers, and a collection of great examples from across Ohio State.

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Maintenance Update

On Sunday, May 25, starting at midnight and possibly extending until 6:00 AM, Ohio State’s data centers will be undergoing maintenance. During an approximate two-hour window during that time, access to many IT services will be affected. U.OSU sites will be available to readers, but users will not be able to login to edit or post comments.

Questions regarding this planned maintenance should be directed to the IT Service Desk at 688-HELP (4357) or 8help@osu.edu

Tips & Tricks: Blogging Abroad

There are ample opportunities to spend time abroad while affiliated with Ohio State. The Office of International Affairs offers more than 100 study abroad programs on six continents as well as additional options to work or research in a foreign country. We’ve seen students study architecture in London or work toward a rabies cure in Ethiopia. Regardless of where your journey takes you, one thing is certain – you’ll want to document your experience.

  • Students on a study abroad trip form O-H-I-O for a picture.Share with friends and family
  • Preserve memories
  • Enhance your writing portfolio
  • Represent Ohio State

The thought of creating and maintaining a blog can seem daunting, especially when it’s one of many bullets on your pre-departure to-do list. That’s where U.OSU steps in.

The straightforward format allows you to present your content in a professional manner without fussing around with catalogs of templates (because we know time is of the essence). It may seem like more effort, but in the long run keeping a blog is a better way to update friends and family than bloated status updates, forgotten postcards, and international phone calls that cost more than your rent.

Review this list of writing tips and check out the Resource Center for U.OSU how-tos.

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Real Highlights: One Health

In 2013, Christine O’Malley, executive director of health sciences, created a WordPress blog to capture the experiences of the One Health Summer Institute in Ethiopia. For eight weeks, 15 faculty members and five students participated in outreach, teaching, and data gathering for research.

The blog served the group well, though something was missing. The chronological nature helped record the trip but lacked additional information surrounding One Health projects and resources for partners of the initiative.

“When I saw U.OSU come out, I thought, that is for us,” O’Malley said. “It solved both my problems, it gave me a platform where information could live as a static website but also included the blog.”

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How To: Add Users and Assign Roles

Maintaining a blog or managing a website can seem daunting; luckily there is safety in numbers. U.OSU allows for multiple users to increase collaboration and participation on your site.

You can invite anyone with an active OSU username (lastname.#) to contribute to your site, they can easily sign up for a U.OSU site to get started. An instructor might add students to spark group discussion, a student organization could add an advisor to moderate content, or a group studying abroad could all blog while traveling.

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Tips for Grads: Moving U.OSU

GraduatingDog

So you’re graduating, congratulations!

Countless emails about Commencement, looming alumni status, and your last round of finals are (un)welcome reminders that college is coming to a close. To make this process a bit less painful, here are a few quick tips for retaining your U.OSU site content.

When you graduate your name.# access will cease along with  your U.OSU access. Whether you’ve utilized the U.OSU platform to create a personal portfolio, manage the page for an extracurricular, or blog your study abroad adventures, you might want to preserve your content.

It’s quite simple to save your content by exporting it to another WordPress site. Check out the Resource Center  for a rundown of the WordPress export process. Follow the instructions to export your content in to a .xml file. Once you’ve set up a new blog, import your file and you’re on your way.

If you used your U.OSU account to manage an extracurricular page, transfer your blog to a new user or change admins. When you lose your U.OSU access, you will no longer be able to sign on to the site, even to delete it. Transferring the blog or removing yourself as the admin will ensure that your organization’s site does not fall static after you depart. Avoid a bittersweet goodbye by taking care of your content now.

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Stats 101: Analytics for U.OSU

The new stats widget is up and running! Whether you’re an analytics novice or an SEO master, here’s a quick breakdown of the WordPress statistics functions for your reference.

Where is it?

You can locate the stats widget in two locations: look near the bottom of your Dashboard (you can drag it to more prominent real estate on your page if you so choose) or find the Statistics tab in the sidebar below Home and My Sites.

U.OSU_statistics

select the image for a larger view

What can it tell me?

The stats widget allows you to see analytics on your site visitors for the past month, three months, or year. A bit of metrics-related jargon ensues, so here are some key terms:

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