Adding New Users

Allowing new users to register by using the WordPress registration interface is only one way to add users to your site. As the site Administrator, you have the ability to add new users manually by following these steps:

1. Log in to your WordPress Dashboard by inputting your username and password in the form at http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin.
2. Click the Add New link in the Users menu on the Dashboard.

   The Add New User page, shown in Figure 4-2, loads.

3. Enter the username in the Username text box.

   You can't skip this text box. The new user types in this username when he's prompted to log in to your site.

4. Enter the user's e-mail address in the E-Mail text box.

   You can't skip this text box, either. The user receives notifications from you and your site at this e-mail address.

5. Enter the user's first name in the First Name text box.
6. Enter the user's last name in the Last Name text box.
7. Enter the URL for the user's Web site in the Website text box.
8. Enter the desired password in the Password text box.

   WordPress asks you to type the password twice as a way of authenticating the password (making sure that you typed it correctly the first time). WordPress provides a strength indicator that gives you an idea of how strong, or secure, your chosen password is. You want secure passwords so that no one can easily guess them, so make the password at least seven characters long and use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols (such as @, #, $, and ^).

9. If you want the user to receive his password by e-mail, select the Send This Password to the New User by Email check box.
10. Select Subscriber, Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator from the Role drop-down list.
11. Click the Add User button.

The Add New User page loads and the e-mail notification is sent to the user you just added. When the page loads, all the fields are cleared, allowing you to add another new user, if you want.

Figure 4-2: The Add New User page in the WordPress Dashboard.