Most content management systems take what we think is a backwards approach to the content creation process:
create your content item in some central repository
choose where it goes, typically with some fugly drop down menus on that content
That's okay, but it isn't really how I think as I'm creating. I tend to have an idea as I'm looking at a page, and want to make that idea a reality right there. With c5, the process is more intuitive:
make the page you want this content to go on
make the content on that page.
Now that being said, there are times where it'd be nice to have some content show up by default on that new page - and still have it be editable. Maybe you've got a footer line of text that shows up on every page in your website, or a navigation you want to behave the same on every page. Perhaps there's a banner ad or related content block you want to show up on any new page by default, but then be able to edit/remove as desired at the page level.
Well, you're in luck!
Go to the Dashboard
Click the Pages and Themes tab
On the top menu bar, click Page Types.
You'll see a list of all available Page Types. There's a button labeled "defaults" for each one.
This will take you to a private copy of the page type where you can add any type of block you want to any area. Anything you add here will be automatically placed when you make a new page of this type. Anything you edit here will be changed across all the existing pages.
But what if you already have a bunch of pages that use the Page Type, and you want to put your new block on them, too?
First, add the block.
Click the block to select it.
In the pop-up contextual menu, click "Setup on Child Pages".
You'll be presented with a list of all pages that use the Page Type you're working with. There's a checkbox that indicates whether or not you the block is included on each. You can select all pages, or only individual pages. Click the Update button, and your new block will appear everywhere you want it to.