December 12th Workshop

Starting December 12, we will initiate a new format for the workshop.  During the first hour we will cover outstanding issues from the last workshop and then continue with the lessons from the book we are following.  Then during the second hour we will be building a WordPress website from scratch.  I have already selected the subject matter for this site & will divulge the details at the workshop itself.

So during the first hour we will be increasing our knowledge of WordPress, while during the second we will put this knowledge to practical use.

Other topics will include:  a method for creating site maps & a method for creating nested numerical lists.

November 14 Workshop

We will resume our investigation of static & dynamic pages in WordPress.  A static page is equivalent to a normal webpage & changes to it are infrequent.  Whereas, a dynamic page is a blogging page where posts are added to it on an on-going basis.  This concept was not clearly defined in the last workshop & we will attempt to resolve it.

Then we will continue following the textbook & cover the following:

• Categories & Tags
• Working with the Text Editor
• Creating Lists
• Adding a new page

October 10 Workshop

We will be continuing with our study of the WordPress blogging system which we will use to build a website.

In this second in the series workshop, will be slightly different than the first.  Based on comments from attendees, this workshop will not only cover the use & features of WordPress but at the same time we will be building a website from scratch.  This website will be used to demonstrate the topics as described in the textbook we are using.   Topics for this workshop will include:

• Getting started - installing WordPress
• Categories & Tags
• Working with the Text Editor
• Creating Lists
• Adding a new page

Reply to comment:

The workshop is considered to be a beginners workshop.

September 5th Workshop

Hope everybody had a great summer & Labor Day.

Temporarily, we will put the Expression Web design tool aside & take up the study of WordPress which we will use as a Content Management System (CMS).  A CMS presents content on the web & can be thought of as a website. For the Sept. 5 workshop we will cover the following:

• Introduction to  WordPress
• Planning the site
• Examine the WordPress dashboard
• Using the text editor
• Styling paragraphs, lists
• Creating posts
• Adding a new page

You can also checkout the page (tab) - Labeled, "WordPress 24Hr. Trainer Book" for table of contents of the book we will be using. This tab is part of the top navigation bar starting with Home on the left.

or use this link:  Table of Contents page

Testing Incoming Links

Testing to see if this link will show up as incoming link on the martello blog.

http://martello44.wordpress.com  or

deglindesigns.com

June 6 Workshop

We will resume our exploration of WordPress and finish Earl G.'s site. 

Then we will explore the concept of cross-browser testing.  This is an integral part of website design since there are times when different browsers display a website differently - sometimes incorrectly.  We'll study this subject using the Expression Web feature called SuperPreview.

In addition we will explore the "SEO Book" toolbar that Ed Weinberg discussed during his presentation at the General Meeting. This toolbar for Firefox is a free Firefox extension which adds many search engine optimization data points used to evaluate a web site's ranking for search engine

May 9th Workshop

We will resume our exploration of WordPress - a blogging & website development tool & work on Earl G.'s site.

In addition we will explore the "SEO Book" toolbar that Ed Weinberg discussed during his presentation at the General Meeting. This toolbar for Firefox is a free Firefox extension which adds many search engine optimization data points used to evaluate a web site's ranking for search engines.

April 4th Workshop

Due to Spring Recess, we are scheduled for first week of the month.  This workshop we will cover several areas:

1. Resume work on Earl G.'s American Legion WordPress site. After the March workshop, we have renamed the site to make it easier for search engines.  The name change has brought the site up on the first page of search results when using keywords that Earl requested.
2. Demonstrate the proper way to set up a template website following Microsoft guidelines
1. a benefit of this demo will be an introduction to the CSS Properties Task pane which we have been seriously avoiding
3. Explore a website dedicated to the Expression Web package which is rich in reference material
4. Finish demonstrating the slide show which displays a series of images in an infinite loop

March 14 workshop

For this workshop we will cover several areas:

1. Check the progress on Earl G.'s American Legion WordPress site & see where we can offer assistance
2. Set up a slide show which displays a series of images in an infinite loop
3. Demonstrate the proper way to set up a template site following Microsoft guidelines
4. Explore a website dedicated to the Expression Web package which is rich in reference material.  

A musical interlude

Just to see if anybody's paying attention.

Be patient music starts at about 0:45

youtube music -- opens in new tab

enjoy

Feb. 1 Workshop

For this workshop we will build a WordPress blog for our fellow club member Earl G.  Although the blog will be built using WordPress, which is a blogging software package, we will make it look like a traditional website.  Also, WordPress makes it very easy to update content through its built-in dashboard.  This will make it easy for Earl & his group to send out notices about the activities of his group.

January 11 Workshop

There will be a PowerPoint presentation on the subject of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  Search Engine Optimization refers to a collection of techniques to improve a site's ranking when using search engines such a Google or Yahoo.

Also a demonstration of the Expression Web feature called SEO Checker. The SEO Checker analyzes a website using techniques similar to what a search engine would use. The SEO Checker also provides a detailed report which identifies problem areas for the site's designer to address so that a site's ranking can be improved.