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Getting Started

This guide walks you through the steps to create and publish a rich, interactive website—using just a GitHub account, Markdown files, and the Juncture platform.

Step 1: Create a GitHub Account

  1. Visit https://github.com
  2. Click Sign up
  3. Choose a username, enter your email, and create a password
  4. Follow the prompts to complete setup

Step 2: Create a New Website Repository

Create a Juncture-enabled GitHub repository using this link - https://github.com/juncture-digital/template/generate

  • Add a repository name and (optional) description
  • Ensure Public is selected for repository visibility = Click the green Create repository button

This sets up a new site with a working Jekyll + Juncture configuration.

Step 3: Update Configuration Setting

  1. Go to the config.yml file in your newly created repository. This is located at the repository root.
  2. Update the title, description author name, and author email values as needed using the GitHub web editor.
  3. Save (“Commit”) the _config.yml after the changes have been made.

This sets up a new site with a working Jekyll + Juncture configuration. This website is pre-configured as a simple blog-style site.

Step 4: Enable GitHub Pages

  1. In your new repository, click the Settings tab
  2. Scroll to Pages in the left sidebar
  3. Under Source, choose the main branch and / (root) folder
  4. Click Save

Your site will be published at:

https://<your-username>.github.io/<repository-name>/

It may take a minutes or so for the site to appear.

Step 5: Edit Your Markdown Content

In your repository, open or create a Markdown file—such as index.md. You can do this directly in GitHub:

  1. Click Add file > Create new file
  2. Name it index.md
  3. Add your Markdown content

Markdown Example

# Welcome to My Site

This is my first Juncture-powered page.

`map location=32.051,-81.104,8 caption="Savannah, GA" marker`

`youtube vid=dQw4w9WgXcQ large center`

This adds a heading, a map of Savannah, and a YouTube video.

How It Works Behind the Scenes

Tool What It Does
Markdown Simple language to write content
Juncture Adds interactive features via custom tags
Jekyll Converts Markdown to HTML web pages
GitHub Pages Hosts and publishes your site for free

When you save (commit) your Markdown file, your site is automatically updated and re-published. No need to press a publish button!

Customize Your Site

You can:

  • Add more pages (just create more .md files)
  • Add images or audio with Juncture tags like:
`image src=wc:Sunflower_sky_backdrop.jpg center medium`

`audio src=wc:Wikipedia_-_Earth_(spoken_by_AI_voice).mp3`
  • Edit the navigation bar in _data/navigation.yml
  • Customize your home page in index.md

You Did It!

You now have:

  • A live website
  • Interactive features
  • A no-cost, no-code publishing workflow

All powered by Markdown, Jekyll, GitHub, and Juncture.

🔗 Want to learn more?