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Managing Articles in Tobesee Admin Panel

August 11, 2024

A comprehensive guide to viewing, editing, and creating articles in Tobesee, with Markdown tips, SEO best practices, and workflow optimization

Managing Articles in Tobesee Admin Panel

Tobesee provides a powerful and user-friendly interface for managing your website's articles without the complexity of traditional database-driven content management systems. This comprehensive guide will walk you through every aspect of article management, from viewing and editing existing content to creating new articles with professional formatting and SEO optimization.

Understanding Tobesee's Article Management System

Before diving into the practical steps, it's important to understand how Tobesee's article system works and why it's different from traditional CMS platforms:

GitHub-Based Storage

Unlike WordPress, Drupal, or other conventional CMS platforms that store articles in SQL databases, Tobesee saves your articles as Markdown files in your GitHub repository. This innovative approach offers several advantages:

  • Complete Version History: Every edit is tracked as a Git commit, providing a complete audit trail
  • Easy Collaboration: Multiple authors can contribute using GitHub's familiar pull request workflow
  • Portable Content: Your articles are simple Markdown files that can be easily migrated to any platform
  • No Vendor Lock-in: You own your content completely, with no proprietary database formats
  • Automatic Backups: GitHub's infrastructure ensures your content is always backed up and recoverable

Markdown-First Philosophy

Tobesee embraces Markdown as the primary format for article content. Markdown is a lightweight markup language that's:

  • Easy to Learn: Basic formatting takes just minutes to master
  • Portable: Works with countless tools and platforms
  • Human-Readable: You can read Markdown files directly without special software
  • Version Control Friendly: Plain text format works perfectly with Git
  • Feature-Rich: Supports headers, lists, links, images, code blocks, and more

Accessing the Article Management Section

  1. Log into the admin panel by navigating to https://yourgitbasesite.com/admin and entering your access password.
  2. Once on the admin dashboard, locate and click on the "Manage Articles" or "Articles" option.

Viewing Articles

  1. In the article management section, you'll see a list of all existing articles.
  2. Each article entry typically displays:
    • Title
    • Brief description or excerpt
    • Creation date
    • Last modified date

Editing an Existing Article

  1. Find the article you wish to edit in the list.
  2. Click on the "Edit" button next to the article title.
  3. You'll be taken to the article editor page, where you can modify:
    • Title: The main headline of your article
    • Description: A brief summary or subtitle
    • Content: The main body of your article (in Markdown format)
    • Slug: The URL-friendly version of the title (if editable)
  4. Make your desired changes in the provided fields.
  5. Use the Markdown editor for the content. You can typically:
    • Format text (bold, italic, etc.)
    • Add headers
    • Insert links and images
    • Create lists
  6. Preview your changes if the option is available.
  7. Once satisfied, click the "Save" or "Update" button.

Creating a New Article

  1. In the article management section, look for a "New Article" or "Create Article" button.
  2. Click this button to open the article creation form.
  3. Fill in the following fields:
    • Title: Enter a compelling title for your new article
    • Description: Write a brief summary or subtitle
    • Content: Compose your article content using Markdown
    • Slug: If required, enter a URL-friendly version of your title
  4. Use the Markdown editor to format your content as desired.
  5. If available, use the preview function to see how your article will look.
  6. Once you're happy with your new article, click "Create" or "Publish".

Mastering Markdown for Article Writing

Tobesee uses Markdown for article formatting, which provides powerful formatting capabilities with simple syntax. Here's a comprehensive guide to Markdown:

Basic Text Formatting

# Main Title (H1)
## Section Heading (H2)
### Subsection (H3)

**Bold text** or __bold text__
*Italic text* or _italic text_
***Bold and italic*** or ___bold and italic___
~~Strikethrough text~~


## Managing Article Metadata

Depending on your Tobesee setup, you might be able to manage additional metadata for your articles:

- Tags or Categories
- Featured Image
- Publication Date
- Author Information

Look for these options in the article editor and fill them out as needed.

## Syncing with GitHub

After saving or creating an article:

1. Tobesee will automatically sync your changes with the configured GitHub repository.
2. A new Markdown file will be created (for new articles) or updated (for edits) in the `data/md/` directory of your repository.
3. The `articles.json` file in the `data/json/` directory will also be updated to reflect the changes.

### Advanced Markdown Features

**Creating Lists**:
```markdown
Unordered list:
- First item
- Second item
  - Nested item
  - Another nested item

Ordered list:
1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step

Adding Links and Images:

[Link text](https://example.com)
[Link with title](https://example.com "Hover text")

![Image alt text](https://example.com/image.jpg)
![Image with title](https://example.com/image.jpg "Image title")

Code Blocks:

Inline code: `const variable = "value"`

Code block:
```javascript
function hello() {
  console.log("Hello, World!");
}


**Tables**:
```markdown
| Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   | Cell 3   |
| Cell 4   | Cell 5   | Cell 6   |

Blockquotes:

> This is a blockquote
> It can span multiple lines
>
> > Nested blockquote

SEO Optimization for Articles

Writing SEO-friendly articles in Tobesee requires attention to several key factors:

Title Optimization

  • Length: Keep titles between 50-60 characters for optimal display in search results
  • Keywords: Include your target keyword near the beginning of the title
  • Clarity: Make titles descriptive and compelling to encourage clicks
  • Uniqueness: Ensure each article has a unique title

Description Best Practices

  • Length: Aim for 150-160 characters for meta descriptions
  • Call to Action: Include verbs that encourage readers to click
  • Keyword Placement: Naturally incorporate relevant keywords
  • Value Proposition: Clearly communicate what readers will learn

Content Structure

  • Use Headings Hierarchically: H1 for title, H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections
  • Short Paragraphs: Keep paragraphs to 3-4 sentences for better readability
  • Internal Linking: Link to other relevant articles on your site
  • External Links: Link to authoritative sources to build credibility

Image SEO

  • Alt Text: Always include descriptive alt text for images
  • File Names: Use descriptive, keyword-rich file names
  • Compression: Optimize image file sizes for faster loading
  • Relevant Images: Choose images that enhance the content

Content Writing Best Practices

Before You Start Writing

  1. Define Your Audience: Understand who you're writing for and what they need
  2. Research Keywords: Identify relevant keywords your audience searches for
  3. Outline Your Article: Plan the structure before writing
  4. Gather Resources: Collect links, statistics, and references in advance

During Writing

  1. Hook Readers Early: Start with an engaging introduction that promises value
  2. Use Clear Language: Avoid jargon unless your audience expects it
  3. Provide Examples: Concrete examples make abstract concepts clearer
  4. Break Up Text: Use lists, quotes, and images to create visual variety
  5. Write in Active Voice: Active voice is more engaging and direct

After Writing

  1. Self-Edit: Review for clarity, conciseness, and flow
  2. Check Facts: Verify statistics, quotes, and external links
  3. Proofread: Use tools like Grammarly or read aloud to catch errors
  4. Get Feedback: Have someone else review if possible
  5. Update Regularly: Return to popular articles to keep them current

Advanced Article Management Techniques

Content Calendar Planning

Maintain a consistent publishing schedule:

  1. Plan topics weeks or months in advance
  2. Align content with seasonal trends or events
  3. Balance different content types (tutorials, news, opinions)
  4. Track performance to inform future topics

Article Series and Pillar Content

Create interconnected content:

  1. Pillar Articles: Comprehensive guides on broad topics (2000+ words)
  2. Cluster Content: Detailed articles on subtopics that link back to pillars
  3. Series: Multi-part articles that dive deep into complex subjects
  4. Content Upgrades: Offer downloadable resources to build email lists

Analytics and Improvement

Track article performance:

  1. Monitor page views and time on page
  2. Analyze which topics resonate most with your audience
  3. Update underperforming articles with fresh content
  4. Identify content gaps in your existing library

Best Practices for Professional Results

  1. Regular Saving: Save your work frequently to prevent loss of content. Tobesee auto-saves to GitHub, but manual saves ensure your latest changes are captured.

  2. Consistent Formatting: Maintain a consistent style across all articles for a professional appearance. Create a style guide documenting your preferences for headings, lists, quotes, and other elements.

  3. Optimized Titles and Descriptions: Write clear, SEO-friendly titles and descriptions that accurately reflect content while incorporating relevant keywords naturally.

  4. Image Optimization: Always optimize images for web use before uploading. Use formats like WebP for best compression, and ensure images are appropriately sized for their display context.

  5. Thorough Proofreading: Always proofread articles before publishing. Consider these steps:

    • Read the article aloud to catch awkward phrasing
    • Use spelling and grammar checkers
    • Verify all links work correctly
    • Check images display properly
    • Ensure code examples are accurate and functional

  6. Mobile Responsiveness: Preview your articles on different devices to ensure they look good on mobile, tablet, and desktop screens.

  7. Accessibility Considerations: Ensure your content is accessible to all users:

    • Use semantic HTML (proper heading hierarchy)
    • Include alt text for images
    • Ensure sufficient color contrast
    • Don't rely solely on color to convey information

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues while managing articles:

  1. Changes Not Saving: Check your internet connection and try again. If the problem persists, try refreshing the page and re-entering your changes.
  2. Formatting Issues: If your Markdown isn't rendering correctly, double-check your syntax.
  3. Sync Errors: If changes aren't reflecting in GitHub, verify your GitHub token permissions and repository settings.

By following these guidelines, you should be able to effectively manage articles on your Tobesee website through the admin panel. Remember, all your content is version-controlled through GitHub, allowing for easy tracking of changes and the ability to revert if necessary.

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