Although the VPN will work for most of us, most of us on fancy setups anyway — there might be a few of you who are struggling with the setup, or whose systems are just incompatible. This is unfortuntately the nature of the beast that’s technology. But do not worry – we’ll work around this and find a way.
First of all, email me (p.schmarsow@sheffield.ac.uk) and talk to me about the issues you are having, I might be able to help. If we cannot resolve your issue – there are other options to explore.
easy access with limits
There is the option of the free WordPress websites – I introduced you to the 2 official WordPress sites and their different purposes already. In short, you can set up an account on wordpress.com and set up a website for free. This will be in the public domain and carry no restrictions of access (i.e. no VPN access required).
This is a perfectly fine solution for your project if you wish.
cons
- public view of your ongoing work (if this bothers you)
- limits in terms of themes (you’ll be limited to the ones on offer within wordpress.com)
- limited in terms of plugins (this might only be a minor drawback unless your site needs anything specific)
- moving away from the server stops us (Claire and myself) from getting quick access to your admin
(NOTE: you will need to share your logins with me for assessment purposes later)
pros
- public view of your ongoing work is easy to share and get feedback on from others (and those outside of uni)
- no VPN connection needed to work on your site – direct quick viewing and logging in
- make use of built in functions for external connections (like social media)
- content can be moved to the uni-hosted version of your site at any point