We're pleased to announce that all SFU graduate students can now request their own Wordpress-based websites and blogs (follow that link for more help).

It's a relatively quick and easy way to get yourself a website without having to learn a lot of HTML coding, and once you're ready to graduate, you can export the content and take it with you.

To get your site provisioned, read their FAQ to make sure that you understand the limits that they've put onto this service (most of the limits make things easier for beginners as there are fewer options you can tweak — or get wrong). Then follow the instructions on the last question on that page: "How do I get a blog?"

SIAT PhD student Terry Lavender, who taught our professional development workshop on websites for grad students, has also prepared a getting-started document (pdf) to help you get set up, once your site has been provisioned.

Here are a few examples of grad student websites, if you're looking for ideas on what to put on your site. (Hint: Start with your CV — this is a great way to put your best foot forward for granting agencies and future employers.)

• Kathryn Berry, Health Sciences
• Alana Cook, Psychology
  
• Lee Grenon, Health Sciences
• Fern Jaspers-Fayer, Psychology
• Joshua Labove, Geography
• Terry Lavender, Interactive Arts and Technology
• Julie MacArthur, Political Science
• Essya M. Nabbali, Sociology
• Bonnie Schmidt, History
  
• Mehran Shirazi, Mechatronics Systems Engineering
  
• Simone Viljoen, Psychology
• Vahid Zakeri, Mechatronic Systems Engineering

If you build your website on SFU's wordpress system, and would like to be added to this list of examples of SFU grad student wordpress sites (or if you have any questions), just email your website address to gradstudies@sfu.ca.

We're grateful to SFU IT Services for setting up the website spaces for SFU's graduate students.