This webinar, hosted by Matt Larson, President and CEO of Our-Hometown Web Publishing, with Betsy Edwards, Executive Director of the Virginia Press Association (VPA), detailed the VPA’s successful Digital Initiative. The initiative aims to bring all Virginia newspapers online with their own websites, driven by the critical need for digital presence for business, public notice compliance, and long-term sustainability. The discussion covered the program’s origins, its three-year financial support model, impressive growth metrics from six initial papers, and the broader implications for the future of local news, including legislative pressures around public notices and the potential for grant funding. Our-Hometown’s full-service platform and partnership model were highlighted as key to the initiative’s success, offering a replicable model for other press associations.

If you are a publisher or representative of a press association and would like more information, please reach out to us at ops@our-hometown.com

The post Our-Hometown & VPA Digital Initiative: A Model for Newspaper Sustainability — Webinar Replay first appeared on Our-Hometown.

Our-Hometown invites you to join us for a LIVE WEBINAR highlighting our Digital Initiative program on September 4th at 1PM Eastern!

We are honored to be joined by special guest Betsy Edwards, the Executive Director of the Virginia Press Association (VPA), who will share her perspective on how the program has helped news publishers in Virginia, as well as answer questions from the audience.

The Digital Initiative program aims to assist newspaper publications nationwide by offering affordable web solutions and revenue opportunities through a partnership with local press associations and independent publishers.

Key benefits of the program are listed below:

• Offer members a high-value digital solution with no setup costs
• “Digital Initiative” discount for your members
  • 100% off setup costs for basic website
  • 50% off monthly costs first year
  • 10% “Association Discount” continues after first year indefinitely
• White-label or co-branded initiative puts your association front and center
• Easy onboarding for any size newspaper
• Trackable results and ongoing tech support

Newspapers who enroll in the program are entitled to a modern, mobile-friendly website designed on Our-Hometown’s WordPress Platform and equipped with a variety of features and plugins to help grow your audience and introduce additional revenue streams.

This webinar is free to attend. Please fill out the form below to register, or click the button below to join on the day of the webinar!

The post Register for a LIVE WEBINAR on Our-Hometown’s Digital Initiative on September 4th first appeared on Our-Hometown.

Did you miss our recent webinar on advanced Block Editor layouts? The replay is now available.

Our session, “Block Editor Basics: More Text, Plus Grids & Groups,” explored how to create sophisticated content arrangements directly within WordPress. Christopher from Our-Hometown guided attendees through leveraging the Block Editor’s powerful layout tools. If you weren’t able to join us live, this is an opportunity to review the key techniques.

In this replay, you’ll learn about:

• Utilizing Grids: Discover how to construct dynamic image and text grids using the Grid block, including the application of column and row span settings for flexible designs.
• Organizing with Groups: Understand how Group blocks can be used to keep related content together and maintain structure within complex layouts.
• Beyond Standard Lists: Learn about the Details block as an alternative for presenting collapsible content, suitable for citations or expandable information.
• Refining Visuals with Covers: See how Cover blocks can be used to enhance the presentation and fit of individual elements within your grid layouts.
• The session also covered nested lists and the distinct functionalities of Rows and Stacks.

This webinar replay offers practical demonstrations and insights to help you create more sophisticated and visually appealing content in the Block Editor.

The post Block Editor Basics: More Text, Plus Grids and Groups | OHT Webinar Replay first appeared on Our-Hometown.

One of the most powerful aspects of the Block Editor is the ability to use multiple different types of blocks together to create a more dynamic final product without the need to learn how to code or design pages in photoshop. All of the tools you need are available right in the Block Editor!

Follow along as our host walks the audience through various different ways to format and present text in the Block Editor, as well as how to combine these elements effectively to create more compelling page layouts using Grids, Groups and other container blocks.

As always, this webinar is available to Our-Hometown customers at no cost! Just fill out the form below to register and keep an eye on your email for a link to join the webinar on the morning of June 13th!

The post Block Editor Overview: More Text, Plus Grids and Groups on June 13th, 11AM EST first appeared on Our-Hometown.

We recently hosted a live webinar diving deep into the world of text-focused blocks within the WordPress Block Editor. Led by Christopher, with assistance from Vera and Tyler, the session explored how to go beyond basic paragraphs and headings to create dynamic and well-structured text layouts for your website content.

If you missed the live session, or want to revisit specific sections, the full recording is now available!

During the webinar, we covered a wide range of essential blocks and techniques, including:

• The Fundamentals: Mastering Headings, Paragraphs, and Lists, including their shared settings for color and typography.
• Layout Powerhouses: Using the Table block for structured data, the Details block for creating collapsible content (like FAQs), and the versatile Buttons block for calls to action.
• Advanced Options: Exploring inline images within text blocks, managing list levels and nested lists, styling tables and buttons, and using container blocks (like Group and Cover) for enhanced layout control.
• Legacy & Custom Content: A look at the Classic Editor block for older content and the Custom HTML block for embedding custom code or third-party widgets, plus a mention of the Shortcode block.

Christopher demonstrated practical examples for each block, showing how to transform blocks, adjust settings in the sidebar, and utilize the floating toolbar options. We also tackled common questions and explored workarounds for styling limitations.

This webinar is perfect for anyone looking to enhance their skills in the WordPress Block Editor and create more engaging, organized, and visually appealing text content on their website.

The recording includes chapters, making it easy to jump directly to the blocks or topics you’re most interested in.

Stay tuned for future webinars covering more aspects of the WordPress Block Editor and other helpful topics!

The post Block Editor Basics: Creating Text Layouts | OHT Webinar Replay first appeared on Our-Hometown.

One of the most powerful aspects of the Block Editor is the ability to use multiple different types of blocks together to create a more dynamic final product without the need to learn how to code or design pages in photoshop. All of the tools you need are available right in the Block Editor!

Follow along as our host walks the audience through various different ways to format and present text in the Block Editor, as well as how to combine these elements effectively to create more compelling page layouts. Headings, Paragraphs, Buttons, Tables, Drop Caps — you name it, we’ve got you covered!

As always, this webinar is available to Our-Hometown customers at no cost! Just fill out the form below to register and keep an eye on your email for a link to join the webinar on the morning of May 16th!

The post Block Editor Overview: Creative Text Layouts on May 16th, 11AM EST first appeared on Our-Hometown.

Images are the lifeblood of engaging online content. They break up text, draw the eye, and tell stories in ways words alone can’t. But let’s be honest, getting them to look just right on your website – perfectly sized, aligned, maybe even with some stylish text overlay – can sometimes feel like wrestling a digital octopus.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated trying to manage images in WordPress, especially transitioning to the Block Editor, you’re not alone! That’s why we recently hosted a deep-dive webinar, led by Our-Hometown’s own Christopher, focused entirely on mastering the Image, Gallery, and Cover blocks.

Missed the live session? No worries! We’ve got the full recording ready for you, packed with practical tips and live demonstrations.

What You’ll Discover in the Webinar:

This session wasn’t just a surface-level overview. Christopher took us through the nuts and bolts, starting with the fundamentals and building up to sophisticated layouts:

1. The Mighty Image Block: We revisited the basics, comparing the Block Editor’s capabilities to the Classic Editor. You’ll learn how to precisely control:
   • Sizing & Aspect Ratios: Go beyond presets with specific dimensions and aspect ratios (square, widescreen, portrait, etc.).
   • Scaling (Cover vs. Contain): Understand how to make your image fill its space or fit entirely within it.
   • Non-Destructive Cropping: Learn how to crop images directly in the editor without altering your original file – a game-changer!
   • Alignment & Filters: Master positioning and apply cool effects like duotone (perfect for consistent headshots!).
2. The Creative Cover Block: Prepare to be amazed! The Cover block lets you use images (or solid colors/gradients) as backgrounds and layer text or even other blocks on top. We explored:
   • Adding Text & Content: Place headings, paragraphs, buttons, and more over your visuals.
   • Background Effects: Create eye-catching parallax scrolls (fixed background) or tiled patterns (repeated background).
   • Focal Points & Overlays: Ensure the most important part of your image stays visible, and use color/gradient overlays with adjustable opacity to improve text readability.
3. Gallery vs. Grid – Choosing Your Layout: Need to display multiple images?
   • Gallery Block: Quick and easy for simple grids, with a unique caption overlay style.
   • Grid Block (Power Move!): We showed how transforming a Gallery into a Group and using the Grid layout unlocks incredible flexibility. Create responsive columns that reflow automatically and even make specific images span multiple columns for dynamic, magazine-style layouts (perfect for staff directories or featured products!).
4. Combining Blocks for Maximum Impact: The real magic happens when you start combining these tools. Christopher demonstrated wrapping a complex Grid layout inside a Cover block, allowing you to add background effects and align the entire structure seamlessly within your content flow.

Stop Fighting, Start Creating!

Whether you’re new to the Block Editor or looking to level up your design skills, this webinar provides actionable techniques you can implement immediately. Learn how to move beyond basic image insertion and start crafting visually compelling, responsive layouts that capture your audience’s attention.

Need a hand implementing these techniques? Don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team at ops@our-hometown.com. We’re always happy to help you make the most of your Our-Hometown platform!

The post Unlock Stunning Visuals: Master Image, Gallery & Cover Blocks in WordPress — Webinar Replay first appeared on Our-Hometown.

The Block Editor makes adding media to your post, page or article easier than ever — whether that is a simple photo, a complete photo gallery, or more advanced Cover Image style block that you can add text on top of.

The Block Editor‘s formatting options allow for complete customization for every image or piece of media you add, including ratios, scaling, background colors, text colors and more!

There is a lot to cover on the topic; so we’d love for you to join us for this Friday’s LIVE WEBINAR. There is no cost to attend! Just fill out the brief form below to register.

The post Block Editor Overview: Media and Images on May 2nd, 11AM EST first appeared on Our-Hometown.

Block Patterns are a pre-arranged set of Blocks saved as a template that you can quickly re-use with the click of a button rather than creating each block individually. Not only can this feature save you a ton of time when creating Articles or Pages, it can also help you to ensure a consistent appearance across all of your content using the same pattern, and opens the door to using more complex and advance patterns made by other designers in the WordPress community.

There is a lot to cover on the topic; so we’d love for you to join us for tomorrow’s LIVE WEBINAR. There is no cost to attend! Just fill out the brief form below to register.

The post Block Editor Overview Part 3: Patterns on April 18th, 11AM EST first appeared on Our-Hometown.

Our team will help get you acquainted with the Block Editor‘s user interface, introduce you to the powerful block-building fundamentals and show you where you find traditional formatting tools that you’re more familiar with.

This crash course on Navigating the Block Editor is, as always, free for Our-Hometown customers to attend, and we hope to have some of you join us tomorrow!

The post Block Editor Overview Part 2: Navigating the Block Editor on April 11th, 11AM EST first appeared on Our-Hometown.