The Premier WordPress Developer Course

This is the premier developer focused course that teaches attendees how to use WordPress as the backbone and platform of all development projects. This is an advanced, intensive and comprehensive live training event geared to give developers the necessary tools to develop solid websites.

This course will take place over the place over the course of 3 days.  Wednesday, August 25th (6-8pm), Friday, August 27th (6-8pm), and Saturday, August 28th (8am-Noon) (All Central Time). So what is this course and who is it for?

This course is perfect for anyone who wants to create a better WordPress website for themselves or for their clients.  In order to understand how to “think outside the box” and create some creative uses for WordPress, you first need to understand the box.  This WordPress Developer Course will help you understand the box so you can make WordPress work for you and not have to do all the heavily lifting of development yourself.

Prerequisites: Some of you may be concerned that this course will be over your head or you are wondering if this is the right class to take.  It is helpful if you have worked with WordPress before and have used or seen how the iThemes Builder theme is used. It is also helpful if you don’t freak out when you look at CSS.  Most people, regardless of their level are going to find enormous benefits of attending this WordPress Developers Course.

Cost: This course costs $297 for non-WebDesign.com members.  Purchase and reserve your space today.  But all WebDesign.com members can attend this full 3-day course for no extra charge.  To learn more about WebDesign.com membership and benefits, check out our training page.

So what topics are going to be covered in during the 3-day event:

• Installing WordPress from SSH (or command line) to eliminate slow FTP wait
• Multisite installation
• Fully understand the wp-config.php file and all options

• Understanding security through obscurity
• Patch or fix common security issues (holes)
• Communicating security to your client

• Discover which plugins should be part of your Developer Toolbox
• Learn unconventional uses for popular plugins

• We will write our own Admin dashboard plugin, using a simple plugin framework that participants can replicate
• Understand when you should modify a current plugin or write your own

• We will be using the Builder theme
• Building a child theme from scratch
• Learn when to use style.css & when to use Style Manager
• Learn unconventional uses for Builder

• How to create a custom post type with code and also with a plugin
• Choose when you use a custom post type and when you just use categories and tags
• Assigning a layout in Builder based on custom post types

• Use the functions.php file to make your life and the life of your client easier
• Create your own set of shortcodes
• Learn when to use functions.php and when to use plugins

You can learn more about this live training webinar and additional webinars WebDesign.com offers at our events page.  If you want to have a live calendar feed of all WebDesign.com webinars, download the WebDesign.com ICAL file.

Yes, the American Football season is just around the corner, and WebDesign.com has a new show that is happening this week along with some great live training webinars you won’t want to miss.

The current weather here in Washington DC is considered a CODE RED. The heat and humidity have combined to make it a miserable mess when you walk outside. And to make matters worse, a fast moving and powerful storm caused so much damage that it caused my firestation to move to a “Condition #2″, which caused me to head down to the station for some duty time. This is the reason why you are receiving this update just a tad late today. (Also due to the fact that the before mentioned storm knocked out our power for quite a while.)

I wanted to take a moment before this week begins to highlight some upcoming webinars we have planned here at WebDesign.com and also let everyone know of a brand new event taking place this week. Yes, you are hearing this before anyone else because you have subscribed to this email update.

First, several webinars you should have on your calendar:

On Wednesday, July 28th, from 11am – Noon (Central Time), I’ll be hosting a free webinar called”WordPress 3.0 – Are you still on the fence?”. WordPress 3.0 has been out for a month. Are you still on the fence? Do you want someone to show you step-by-step the different and new areas of WordPress 3.0 so that you will feel comfortable upgrading your site? Then this is the perfect webinar for you. Join us for just an hour and you’ll be ready to hit that Upgrade button.
Reserve your seat: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/725320714

Then on Saturday, July 31st, from 8am-Noon (Central Time), I’ve got a PREMIUM webinar called”Cracking the Gravity Forms Code”. Gravity Forms is not just a simple form creation plugin, it is powerful enough to be so much more. Over the course of this live webinar, participants will learn how to make Gravity Forms work for them to add stunning new functionality to WordPress sites. If you are serious about providing the best quality to your clients, come learn why Gravity Forms is a must install plugin for developers. The cost of this premium class is $79.00. Reserve your seat today! Remember that allWebDesign.com members can attend this class for free as part of their membership. Members can find their free member’s registration link once they login.

Second, a brand new event has been added to the calendar for this week:

On Thursday, July 29th, from 1pm-2pm (Central Time), I’ll be hosting the first ever “Course Unveiling Party”. During this fun live webinar I’ll be revealing all the new courses for the month of September. We’ve got some great topics ranging from developer focused, designer focused, freelancing/business focused and more.
Reserve your seat: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/332242467

Third, meet the Professor in September:

On September 11, 2010, WordCamp MidAtlantic will be hosting their event at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. This is a great time to get involved in the greater WordPress community as well as meet me, Benjamin Bradley. If you’re planning on heading to WordCamp MidAtlantic or have any questions, just email me  and I’ll see if I can help answer them. For more information and to register for WordCamp MidAtlantic: http://wordcampmidatlantic.com/

Finally, I would never lose an opportunity to pass out a discount:

Which is what I sent to people who are on the WebDesign.com email list.  If you want great discounts and opportunities for discounts, you need to be signed up for our email list.  To sign up and start receiving upcoming event alerts and great discounts head over here and insert your email in the form on the left.

Till next time… the Professor (Benjamin) is out!

In this special multi-part series, we will be exploring the great mystery of Search Engine Optimization.  With practical tips and real world examples, we will help you fine tune your search engine optimization strategy using WordPress and the iThemes’ Builder theme.

Now is a great time to join us at WebDesign.com.

Here are several of the links discussed in the free preview webinar:

iThemes’ Builder Theme

Firefox addon: Web Developer Toolbar

Firefox addon: ColorZilla

Firefox addon: Firebug

Tutorials on using the above Firefox addons

Layout Grid image to use as a background: Layout Grid image (285)

• We’ve got a wide variety of live training scheduled ranging from WordPress Security by Brad Williams on July 15th to Interacting with clients AFTER the contract is finished on August 4th.
• We’ve also added several in-depth Plugin Focus Series webinars to the schedule covering plugins like: Gravity Forms, Shopp, BackupBuddy, Rotating Images. Plus, we’ve added an advanced Gravity Forms webinar that will take place Saturday, July 31st in addition to the previously scheduled Gravity Forms webinar.
• Next week, we had scheduled a Convert your site to Builder on Saturday, July 10th.  We decided to add a preview webinar for people to get a feel for what we will be digging into on the full Saturday class. The preview webinar will be held on Tuesday, July 6th.
• Flexx has grown a lot since it was released.  It now incorporates the new WordPress 3.0 menu system and the fabulous Shopp plugin.  Come learn how to use this solid theme platform to build your next ecommerce project in the Flexxing your Flexx webinar.
• We’ve also got another great BluePrint Series webinar that will focus on PhotoBlogging on August 16th. BluePrint webinars walk participants through building a site (step-by-step) from scratch to launch in under two hours.
• BIG NEWS: During the last week of August, we’ll have an updated WD Developer Course taking place over the course of 3 days. More info to come about this advanced training event.
• Plus many more webinars have been added to the calendar.

Head over to the WebDesign.com events page for additional information, times, and signup links to each of the free live training events.

For the past couple of months he’s been teaching part-time while we tried to build momentum to hire him full-time.

I hope many in our existing WebDesign.com community realize the commitment and investment we’ve made asking Benjamin to join our team and focus solely on WebDesign.com training.

I’ve been on many of his courses (which include his two-day WordPress developers course that is currently in the WebDesign.com premium library) and have been amazed at his practical teaching style and have learned some things myself!

As you might know, we are one company and one team with three brands: WebDesign.com, iThemes, and PluginBuddy. We originally met Benjamin as one of our early customers, who urged me to start some sort of an All Access Theme package at iThemes and got to know him more at our iThemes Dallas Bootcamp in January. He’s got thorough knowledge of our iThemes and PluginBuddy products and done several seminars and courses on them already.

In the next couple of weeks, you’ll be seeing more webinars and premium courses scheduled as Benjamin and I seek to add more and more value to our existing 65+ hours of training in our WebDesign.com membership.

The best is yet to come!

Here’s some notes about Benjamin ….

Benjamin was the International Business Development Director for GarageGames.com and was instrumental in its acquisition by IAC in 2006. He also worked as the Vice President of an international non-profit responsible for training NGOs around the world in the proper uses of technology. This included the largest micro-finance organization in India.

Benjamin is also a successful entrepreneur and has a wealth of knowledge in WordPress and Drupal that he brings to our WebDesign.com team and members.

We also have a couple fun facts about Benjamin …

• He has traveled through over a hundred countries and was born in Karachi, Pakistan.
• He was struck by lightning while watching Stephen Segal’s “Marked for Death” in a mountain cabin.
• He has recorded several musical albums with some bands out of Nashville and toured throughout the South.

Learn more about Benjamin, including some more fun facts, at his personal website: BenjaminBradley.com.

And be sure to sign up for a free trial of the WebDesign.com membership here!

• Setting up Local WordPress Hosting – Thursday, June 24, 11a.m.-Noon
• Plugin Focus: Gravity Forms – Monday, July 19, 6 p.m.-7p.m.
• Plugin Focus: Introduction to Shopp Ecommerce Plugin – Wednesday, July 21, 1-2 p.m.
• How To Write Content, Blog Posts and Titles That Attract Traffic To Your Site Like Magic… Even If You Hate Writing – Friday, July 23, 11 a.m.-Noon

Here are the previous publicized workshops …

• BuddyPress for Dummies Webinar with Lisa Sabin-Wilson – Wednesday, June 23, 1-2 p.m.
• Setting up Local WordPress Hosting – Thursday, June 24, 11a.m.-Noon
• Creating Stunning Blog and Website Headers – Thursday, July 8, 11a.m.-Noon
• Convert Your Website to iThemes Builder – Saturday, July 10, 8a.m.-Noon
• Social Media Consulting – Wednesday, July 14, 11a.m.-Noon=

Sign up for these free workshops on our Events page …. or get a free trial membership of our WebDesign.com premium training here.

We’ve invited our friend Amanda Blum to do a free online workshop on doing website sitemaps aka Why Site Mapping is the Ugly Redheaded StepChild of Website Development June 30 starting at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time.

Amanda is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, and Creative Director of Howling Zoe Productions, a creative strategy firm involved in design, marketing and public relations. Helping microbusinesses and non profits find new ways to reach their target demographic for over 10 years, Amanda represents a wide range of clients including P.R. Agents, boutiques, entrepreneuers and web 2.0 companies. Amanda has been active in community volunteering for almost 20 years including HIV agencies, Red Cross, animal disaster rescue and environmental causes, and is dedicated to helping non profits utilize social media tools to help further their mission.

She runs Howling Zoe.

Reserve your webinar spot today here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/608218090

Here’s a summary Amanda wrote of what the workshop will include:

Everyone hates doing it but you should revel in it because doing it right will make your website like a zillion times more effective and unicorns will love you.

In my basement somewhere is an ironically framed-in-beige certificate assuring people I graduated from a criminally expensive design school somewhere on the east coast.  But I like living on the edge, so I’m about to make a bold statement:

Design is the least important aspect of your website.

Let’s all take a breath for a moment while I see if these circa 1986 jellies I’m wearing will absorb the lightning strikes. Wow… you know they say silicone deteriorates, but these puppies still have some magic left in ‘em.

Sitemapping is the most important aspect of your website

Whether you’re a developer or a user, figuring out the “what goes where” and “what should my website say” bit does seem to spin people into knots.  For a long time, we’ve been thinking completely logically about it, creating wholly reasonable menus that put items into truly common sensible categories. The whole thing makes complete sense…… to us.  Therein lies the problem: we’ve been putting out the information in the way we, as the site owners want to give it.  We have often ignored how people – our users – might want to receive the information.

WordPress core has inherent functionality to help you sitemap effectively. In combination with some plugins, it has like, Superman strength to ensure that what you’re doing is working (ensure usability), to continue trying to make it better (analyze metrics) and you know…. to sell more stuff (actualize  revenue streams by leveraging low hanging fruit to facilitate ROI).

Reserve your webinar spot today here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/608218090

Cory and Brad will walk through how to use PluginBuddy Mobile to easily create a mobile-ready versions of your site, including live demonstrations of creating mobile versions of some pretty cool and famous sites!

Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/518100906