WordPress Website Hosting: Build, Design, and Manage Your Own Website with Ease
UC San Diego has launched a new service offering free WordPress websites to principal investigators, staff members managing labs, projects, programs, or expeditions. All websites are built using the customizable X Theme and share the same code base and simple family of WordPress plugins.
Each user is limited to one lab site, but for additional lab websites, a request with justification must be submitted to sioweb@our website. Users can request a WordPress site by providing their details, including their UC San Diego email addresses for those they wish to grant editing access to their site.
A UC San Diego style guide for writing text for websites is available at http://blink.our website/go/styleguide, and general types and guidelines for writing for the web are available at https://blink.our website/technology/websites/training/writing/index.html.
Initial setup and basic training are provided, but users are responsible for creating, maintaining, and updating their content. The sites must meet UC-wide accessibility guidelines (available at https://accessibility.our website/) and adhere to Campus branding guidelines. A default lab template can be viewed at labtemplate.sioword.our website.
The sites provided must also meet UC San Diego brand guidelines (available at https://brand.our website/using-the-brand/web-and-digital/index.html). The creation and development of content, images or artwork, multimedia content, theme development, or web design are not included in the service.
WordPress Training will be provided once the initial site has been set up. A video playlist for getting started with Cornerstone is available. If additional features like data repositories, interactive elements, or external hosting are needed, they can be opted for, but the Web Group will not provide support.
While the search results do not provide UCSD-specific details, most research universities offer managed WordPress hosting with branded templates, a set of approved plugins, and support—while labs and programs are responsible for content creation and routine updates. For official UCSD resources, consult campus IT or web services directly, as practices and offerings may differ from other institutions.
The initial setup of a requested site has a three (3) week turnaround from the date the request is received. All websites show up under the our website domain. Site maintenance includes WordPress CMS, theme, and plugin updates, as well as site backups kept for 90 days. Site analytics are also provided.
WordPress Resources include the WordPress Codex, X Theme documentation, and Cornerstone overview. If you have content from an existing WordPress site, you should export it before requesting a new site. For definitive answers, contact UCSD’s IT Services or Web Services department. They can provide the current list of available WordPress themes and plugins, guidelines for content creation, including accessibility and branding, training resources and support contacts for labs and research groups, and any specific requirements for expedition or field project websites.
- In an effort to facilitate climate science research and promote marine biodiversity studies, UC San Diego principal investigators and lab staff can request a customizable WordPress website to showcase their project's work using the X Theme and available plugins.
- To enhance the digital presence of marine biodiversity research, users can harness the power of technology by incorporating interactive elements, data repositories, and external hosting options in their WordPress websites, while adhering to UC San Diego's brand guidelines and accessibility standards.
