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This course, created and taught by author, lynda.com instructor and WordPress expert Morten Rand-Hendriksen, has a simple goal in mind: To teach you how to build, publish, manage and maintain a website using WordPress.

Morten has built WordPress sites for local bloggers, large corporations, banks and even Microsoft. In this course he shares his secrets and teaches you the tricks of the trade. All meat, no filler.

Over 8 weeks you'll walk through every step of the process, from inception to publication. Along the way you'll learn how to optimize your site for search engines (SEO), connect it to popular social networks like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, integrate content from sites like Flickr, and how to produce content that gets noticed, shared, and referenced by the people of the internet.

The course is comprehensive and in-depth and is designed for beginners as well as people who already have a WordPress website or want to port an old website to WordPress.

In addition to the regular class material we will also leave time for discussion, idea sharing and real-life website creation. At the end of the course every student will have a website published on the web, and throughout the course we will work together to make each of them great.

Topics covered include WordPress basics like setup and administration, content creation and publication, social media integration and Search Engine Optimization. In addition we'll take a shallow dive into the world of HTML, CSS and PHP

Although focused on photographers, the course is general enough for anyone to attend. If you want to build, manage, and maintain your own website or a website for a company, this is the place to start!

*Please Note: Laptop computer (PC, Mac or Linux), power supply for laptop, digital images.
No software requirement.

Optional: Domain name and host. Self-hosting will be covered but is not required.

We provide: Course is based on open source software. Links and installation instructions will be provided in the first lesson. Example files and lesson material will also be provided as needed online.*

Lesson 1:

An introduction to WordPress - what it is, what it can do, what people are doing with it. Discussion about what a website and an online portfolio is and how to use them. Setting up a WordPress site locally on your computer.

Lesson 2:

Using WordPress - how to create posts, pages, links, and other content in WordPress. How to add images to your content. Best practices for handling images online using WordPress, Flickr and other image services.

Lesson 3:

Using themes. Creating basic child themes. Using basic HTML, CSS and PHP to reconfigure parts of your child theme.

Lesson 4:

Creating a site architecture to organize your content. Creating advanced menus, populating sidebar widgets. Adding plugins for enhanced functionality. Creating a contact page.

Lesson 5:

SEO, Semantics, Accessibility, Social Media Integration and other catch phrases. Making your site findable, readable, accessible and sharable using simple plugins and common sense.

Lesson 6:

Changing the look and feel of your site with theme customization and child themes. CSS 101.

Lesson 7:

Reaching out: Integrating your WordPress site with online services like Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. Building a consistent online presence for your business.

Lesson 8:

Publishing your WordPress site. Finding a host. Finding a domain name. Configuring WordPress for the host. Publishing your site to the internet. Exporting and importing WordPress content.

 

Pre-Requisites

Level:

Beginner to intermediate. Basic computer skills including how to install applications and manage files and folders are required. No prior experience with WordPress, blogging, web design or development is required, but is beneficial.
You must have and know how to edit digital images.

Enrollment:

Maximum 12 participants.

What to Bring

Equipment Needed:

Laptop computer (PC, Mac or Linux), power supply for laptop, digital images.
No software requirement.
Optional: Domain name and host. Self-hosting will be covered but is not required.

We Provide:

Course is based on open source software. Links and installation instructions will be provided in the first lesson. Example files and lesson material will also be provided as needed online.

Discounts

Early-Bird Discount:

Most of our courses and workshops offer a 10% discount is applied automatically if you register before the Early-Bird Discount deadline date listed in the registration table below.

Some courses and workshops offer a discount if you're among the first 3 people who register. This discount will replace the 'standard' Early Bird Discount mentioned above, and will be applied automatically during the online registration process (as long as it is available). Check the course/workshop listing page for more details.

Group Discount:

A 5% discount will be appplied if 3 or more people register at the same time for the same workshop. (All 3 tuitions must be paid for by one credit card to be considered a group registration.) Please follow the instructions on the online registration page.

Refunds

In order to provide the best learning environment possible VPW keeps class and tour sizes limited to 10-15 people (depending on the workshop). This is but one reason that we count on you to attend your chosen class or tour, once you have registered for it.

If you must withdraw for any reason please be aware of our refund policy as follows:

For our Local Lectures, Seminars, and Workshops valued at or under $100, VPW is unable to provide a cash refund. Transfers are limited to one transfer to either the same event at a later date, or a different event of equal value. VPW requires 48 hours written notice in order to make such a transfer (email notice is acceptable). The event you are transferring to must occur within 6 months of the original event you registered for. A $15 fee will be applied to all transfers.

For our Local Workshops, 1 to 5 days in length and our Local 4 to 10 Week Courses, VPW requires 30 days written notice (before the event start date) of your withdrawal in order to provide a refund. (Email notice is acceptable.)

For our Master Photographer Series workshops, 1 to 5 days in length, VPW requires 60 days written notice (before the workshop start date) of your withdrawal in order to provide a refund. VPW may retain 15% of fees paid or $150 minimum in processing your refund. If the tuition is less than $500 the minimum fee drops to $75.

Within 45 days of the Master Photographer Series workshop date all fees paid are non-refundable.

For our Photo Tours (national and international), the following charges will apply:

  • If you cancel up to 3 months before the tour start date and we can fill your space, your reservation (or deposit) fee will be refunded
  • There is no additional cancellation fee up to 8 weeks before the start of your tour
  • From 8 weeks to 4 weeks before the tour: 25% of your balance
  • From 4 weeks to 1 week before the tour: 50% of your balance
  • From 1 week to 72 hours before the tour: 75% of your balance
  • If you cancel within 72 hours of the start of the trip, no refund can be paid
  • Transaction charges incurred on accepting and refunding payments will be deducted from the refund amount
  • In the (unlikely) event that we cancel the Photo Tour, all monies paid will be refunded in full

We highly recommend that you take out travel insurance to guard yourself against monies lost due to unavoidable cancellation by either party.

Transfers (for all events over $100): If you wish to transfer to a different workshop date, VPW requires a minimum of 30 days written (email) notice. All transfers are based on availaibility, and subject to approval by VPW staff. For courses/workshops with tuition above $101, the transfer fee is $35.

Transfer Fees as based on event pricing:
Tuition of $100 and below, the transfer fee is $15
Tuition of $101 and above, the transfer fee is $35

VPW can give no refunds:

If you registered for any event valued at or under $100
If you do not show up for your registered course.
If you register for a course beyond or below your skill or ability level.

Refunds for all events valued at $101 and above (excluding Master Series Workshops):
If a student wishes to cancel their registration for any of VPW's events, and has provided written notice within the appropriate timeframe, a refund less a $50 administration fee will be provided.

Course Cancellation:

Occasionally, we may have to cancel a course due to low enrollment. In this case, we will issue a full refund of all monies paid to VPW up to that time.

Instructor Replacement:

In the event that a listed instructor is unable to participate because of a change in his or her professional schedule, we will replace the instructor with someone of equal or similar credentials. If we cannot find a replacement in due time before the course is about to start, a particular class may have to be rescheduled.

Liability

In the event that we cancel your course, for any reason, the extent of VPW's liability is limited to the return of all monies paid. We will do everything we can to register you in another equivalent course. VPW will not be responsible for reimbursement of travel expenses of any kind.

Please note: An administration charge of $50 applies to all refunds

Read complete refund and liability policy

"I am so happy to see you teaching classes on the latest equipment and software available on the market.

I am currently taking a digital photography course elsewhere in town and we are still using Photoshop CS which is about as outdated as the camera and lighting equipment this school has. I am looking forward to taking your CS3 and RAW camera workshops soon."

Read more testimonials......

Building an Online Portfolio using Wordpress is taught by the following instructor:

Morten Rand-Hendriksen

Please choose your instructor and course date from the registration table below.

Class Start Date Time Early-Bird Discount Ends Location Instructor Registration
Tues Night October 4th, 2011 7pm-10pm  $295 for the first 5 students VPW Studios Morten Rand- Hendriksen Click Here to Register
TBA TBA, 2011 7pm-10pm TBA, 2011 VPW Studios TBA Click Here for Wait List