WordPress

Learn how to use WordPress, the most popular website building software, at Portland Community College.  PCC will offer the course, “Take Control of Your Website with WordPress” starting on April 9th and again on May 14th.  The course runs weekly for three Tuesday classes from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Climb Center right across from OMSI.  The first class covers the basics of WordPress–the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.com, the difference between posts and pages, how to insert images and videos, creating slideshows, selecting themes, and creating custom menus.  The second class covers how to install a shopping cart plugin.  The third class, the most important, covers marketing–Search Engine Optimization, email marketing, social media marketing, Google AdWords, and adhering to marketing basics.  This course is designed for both those who have never used WordPress and for those who already have a WordPress site but struggle with it.  WordPress is very easy to use, but it is important to be familiar with basic computer skills such as managing multiple tabs in a browser, copying and pasting, saving files to the hard drive and then finding them, and switching between multiple windows.  Students are encouraged to contact the instructor in advance at http://jha.bz/wpc to arrange for a free test WordPress site to use during the three classes.   Alternatively, students can work on their own WordPress site or have one set up for them in advance.  According to the instructor, Scott See of www.hammock.net, “WordPress is a rare combination of being very user friendly and also very powerful.  There are thousands of free plugins available to add nearly unlimited functionality to a website.”  For registration information, visit http://bit.ly/pcc13spr or call PCC at 971-722-8888.