WordPress: Not Just for Dummies Anymore
Last week, my coworkers and I went across the street to Barnes & Noble, where I saw Lisa Sabin-Wilson’s book “WordPress for Dummies”. Wow, what a find! However, hubby and I are saving up for some things, so I picked up her book from my local library (sorry, Lisa, but the public library system helps when times are frugal. But, I’m promoting you here on my blog!).
Lisa’s book is a fantastic reference. With it at hand, plus the WordPress Community Forums, I plan to learn all that I can and customize my blog until I can learn and code no more.
Why am I doing this? It’s a challenge and a compulsion. Although I am not an engineer by profession nor skillset, the engineer gene runs through my veins. (And, bore fruit in the lives of some of my cousins who are engineers either in IT or in construction.)
I like what Lisa says in her book, under the heading: “This Crazy Little Thing Called Blog” (chapter 2):
“The practice of blogging is an evolutionary process, and it’s my strong feeling that blogs have evolved beyond personal journals to become tools for real journalism, business, and authorship.”
So, that’s why. I enjoy the process. I’m going to expand on my CSS skills, and I’m going to learn PHP. Now, how wonderful is that? It’s wonderful because I’ll watch this humble little blog, and me, morph into something I cannot even imagine today!
For example, I may find a new partnership with Lisa!
http://justagirlintheworld.com/open-call-for-talented-people/
And, may what I share during this process, this journey, help both you and me to focus on “Always Learning” something new every month.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Is the book already updated with wordpress 2.5? If so, great. If not, I think many of the screenshots will be out of date. I listened to an interview with Lisa on the wordpresspodcast.org.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:05 am
Hi, Tom!! Thanks for visiting. Yes, Lisa is updating it, and will continue to provide ongoing updates for those who buy her book. A PDF file will be ready soon:
http://justagirlintheworld.com/wordpress-for-dummies-25-updates/
Between your blog, her book, and the WordPress.org Forums, I am learning so much! And, at this point, I need to do all of this at no dollar cost to the family. Plus, my time is limited to reading and implementing during week nights and weekends.
However, I would LOVE to be considered to help with the Codex, as you mentioned in your post:
http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/04/11/the-right-way-and-wrong-way-to-teach-people-
wordpress-notes-from-a-wordcamp-utah-planning-meeting-at-applebees/
Again, it would be as time permits. You’re in my Blogroll, Tom, and I thank you for all that you’re doing for the WordPress community. Your visits to my blog during it’s early-early days warms my heart!
April 19th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
The Codex is a large body of somewhat disorganized knowledge. I think this is a ripe area for technical writers to maximize profits by writing third party software manuals. Or for simply doing a lot of free work.
April 20th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
You’re making great strides in that area, Tom, with your tutorials and blog posts. Since you’re in Utah, it also looks like you’re establishing great business relationships with some of the WP team.
Perhaps I can do a small section at a time. If you find that window of opportunity opening as you talk with the WP team, please let me know. I could squeeze in a few sections while I’m working full-time.
Keep up the great WP work, and please welcome Ted Kopp, newest link under my Blogroll section.