D5 Toastmasters

The District 5 website allows for all registered users to contribute content! We want to learn about what's happening throughout the District and in the individual clubs, and the website provides a way to spread the word.

The process for adding site content is easy - just read the instructions below for the type of content you wish to add and you're set. If you run into problems or have questions, contact the webmaster.

NOTE: To download a file containing these instructions (PDF format), click here. A more detailed instruction document containing screen shots will be posted shortly - stay tuned...

Create a Login

If you wish to contribute content to the District 5 website (and we hope you do!), you will need to register and create a login for the site. This is a very simple process which takes just a minute and may be done via the Login module at the top right of the home page (just below the "Useful Files & Forms" listings).

Here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. Click on "Create an Account" at the bottom of the Login module. You will be directed to the Registration page.


2. Complete the short Registration Form, enter the Capcha text at the bottom of the form, and then click "Register."


3. You will receive an email which includes a link for activating your account. Click on that link, and your account is activated?


4. Go back to the D5 Home Page (click on the Home button or the District 5 logo at the top left) and log in to the site via the Login module using the new login and password that you just created.

Add Site Content

Once you have created a login and logged in to the site, you will be able to do the following things (all listed in the “Add Site Content” module located at the right side of most pages on the site):

1. Submit an Event
2. Add an Article
3. Upload Photos
4. Upload a File

Instructions on how to do all of these things are included below and also appear on the page to which you are redirected after logging in to the site.

Submit an Event

With the District 5 Calendar, it is possible for anyone to submit an event! This allows for greater visibility for your club and area contests, open houses, guest speakers, and other special events.

To add an event to the District 5 Calendar, please follow the process outlined on the “How to Add Events” page.

Add an Article

1. To add an article to the site, click on the “Add an Article” link under the “Add Site Content” module (right side of home page and most other pages). You will be directed to a page with the header “Submit an Article.”


2. Enter a title for your article. Please note that at the Webmaster’s discretion, this title may be changed before the article is published.


3. Using the article submission form, enter your article. You will be able to add formatting attributes like bold, italic, and bullets if desired, much like you would in a word processing application like Microsoft Word. If you do not wish to add such attributes or are confused by the editor, just enter your content. The Webmaster will format the text as needed before publishing the article.


4. If you know on which section of the site the article should appear, select the Section from the “Section” pull-down menu. The Section is the top-level menu item (i.e. "About Us" or Events"). You may also select a Category for your article if desired. If you feel that the article belongs on the Home Page, select “Home Page” for Section and "What's New" for Category. If you are confused by the Section and Category or are unsure as the appropriate selections, leave these settings as “Uncategorized” (the default) and the Webmaster will be sure to place the article in the appropriate place on the site.


5. If you want to be credited as the author of the article, enter your name under “Author Alias,” as well as any attributions you would like to have referenced (i.e. CC, ACB, CL, etc.).


6. If the article is time-limited (i.e. about an upcoming event), you may choose to enter dates on which you would like the article to start and stop appearing on the site. To select "Start Publishing" or “Finish Publishing” dates, click on the calendar icon to the right of that field and select the appropriate dates.


7. Don’t worry about the rest of the fields on the form (Access Level, Ordering, Description and Keywords). The Webmaster will take care of that stuff!


8. Review your article and any other settings and click on “Save” at the top right of the page. The article will then be submitted to the Webmaster for review and approval. Please allow 2 business days for this process. If your article is time-sensitive, please email the Webmaster at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and ask for the process to be expedited.

Upload Photo(s)

1. To post photos to the site, click on “Upload Photo(s)” under “Add Site Content” or under the “Files & Photos” menu (you must be logged in to the site to see the latter option).


2. Select a title for your photo or group of photos (i.e. Area 8 Fall 2010 Contests).


3. Select the appropriate category for your photo(s) from the Category pull-down menu (i.e. Contests). If a new sub-category is merited (i.e. "Area 2 Contests" below the "Area Contests" category), the Webmaster will take care of its creation.


4. If desired, type in a description of any length in the Description field (this field is optional but recommended). This will help viewers to know more about the photos you will be posting, such as the date and location of the event.


5. Browse to the photo(s) on your personal computer using the “Browse” button and then click “Open.” You may upload as many as 20 photos at one time using the “Upload Photo(s)” interface, which should be more than enough for any given event (please edit your photos and select only the best images to share with your fellow Toastmasters). Please pay attention to the file size of your images, as each individual file cannot be larger than 2 MB.


6. Photos will be sized down automatically by the website photo application. If you get an error message when trying to upload photos, your file size is likely too large. Please size down your photo (a good size guideline for web images is 800 by 600 pixels at 72 dpi) and try again to upload it to the site.


7. The Webmaster will need to approve your photos before they appear on the site. Please allow 2 business days for this process. If your photos are time-sensitive, please email the Webmaster at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and ask for the process to be expedited.

Upload a File

This option is used to upload files or forms which might be useful to other members within the District. Examples of files which you may choose to upload include training materials, officer resources, contest materials, and press releases.

Uploaded files will be stored in the File Repository, which may be accessed by selecting “File Repository” under the “Files & Photos” tab in the main website menu.

1. To upload files to the site, click on “Upload a File” under “Add Site Content” or under the “Files & Photos” menu (you must be logged in to see the latter option). You must be logged in to the site in order to upload a file or form.


2. You will be directed to a page with the header, “Upload File for Repository.” The first thing to do is browse to your file on your personal computer. The file format is fairly flexible, including Microsoft Office applications, PDF, and text files. Please be aware, however, that users will need to have that application in order to view the file. Unless you want the file or form to be editable by users, it is recommended that PDF format be used for all uploads whenever possible, as most people are easily able to access PDF files.


3. The thumbnail upload field is optional and is rarely used. This field would only be used if you want a user to have a smaller view of the file before downloading it.


4. Suggest a location for your file in the Repository by selecting an option from the “Suggest Location” pull-down menu. Please note that the Webmaster may opt to post the file in an alternate location.


5. Enter a title for your file. Try to make this title short but intuitive. Some Repository containers (categories) include a large number of files and users may be skimming a long list in order to find an appropriate download, so the title field is important and should be well thought out.


6. Enter a brief description of your file and how it might be used. This will help users to decide if the file is appropriate for their individual or club needs. The first 150 characters that you enter into the Description field will appear as the Short Description in the list of files within a given Repository container.


7. Don’t worry about the other fields between “Description” and “File Author.” Those fields are not required.


8. Enter your name or the name of the file’s author in the “File Author” field.


9. If desired, click on one of the icons at the bottom of the page to represent your file type. If you don’t know the appropriate icon, skip this step. The Webmaster will complete this step before approving the file.


10. Review the form and correct any errors, then click on “Submit File” at the bottom left of the page. Your file will then be submitted to the Webmaster for approval before it will appear within the File Repository. Please allow 2 business days for this process. If your file is time-sensitive, please email the Webmaster at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and ask for the process to be expedited.