Hey everyone,

I’ll be hosting a WordPress Event on March 31st with Pam Nilzon and Lori Richardson at the Book Fare Café in the mezzanine of Village Books in Fairhaven from 5 – 7 pm. You need to be a Biznik member to attend (it’s free to join!). If in the neighborhood, please come on down! If you are a Biznik member, RSVP here:

http://biznik.com/members/ritama-haaga/events/wordpress-soire

If you are not a member of Biznik and want to join, please click here to join up (upper right hand corner “Sign Up” link on the site) and then RSVP on the link above. You have to be a member to attend the event!

Below is an outline of the event:

This event will give you a broader understanding of the powerful WordPress software and how your business can benefit using it.

Learn how you can manage your own web site with the latest web-based software and gain more knowledge of the options that are available with WordPress.

WordPress has free templates and hosting and also offers a more customizable version with your own domain and email accounts. We will be covering both aspects of this wonderful program so you can see what will fit with your needs.

Ritama and Pam co-create custom WordPress sites and will be sharing their expertise and knowledge at this event. We’ll start with an overview of the program and then have a question and answer session. No question too big, too small, or too stupid.

We’ll be meeting at the delightful Book Fare Café in the mezzanine of Village Books in Fairhaven – soups, salads, sandwiches, treats, coffee & tea are on the menu.

Please visit Ritama’s web site to see some of the WordPress sites Pam & she have created: http://ritama.com

Looking forward to seeing you there!

I finally finished the FAQ page for my site AND an additional page with all sorts of info about WordPress -  explaining the difference between wordpress.com & wordpress.org

Whoo-hoo!

Check ‘em out:

FAQ

WordPress.com & WordPress.org

WordPress.COM & WordPress.ORG

WordPress made its name as a blogging software. But WordPress has morphed into much more than that and along the way it has created some confusion as to what sort of features it offers and which WordPress is for the casual user and which WordPress  is for the web developer. Hopefully this article will help explain the differences between these two WordPress options.

With WordPress, you can just have a blog, or a web site, or, you have a WEB SITE with a BLOG on it, like my site does.

Since I don’t have all day to go into the difference betwixt a blog and a web site, go to these sites for further illumination if you desire:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_site

True fact: a blog IS a web site – as it is a site on the web, see? But a blog is usually set up so the owner can update the content themselves on a frequent basis.

Having a blog on your web site will help keep the content fresh – notice how I post new info on mine every week or so? And Search Engines like seeing fresh content and will give your web site higher placement if you keep your blog updated, which will make it easier to find you on the internet.

One of the main features about WordPress – and one reason why we use it in my company – is that is has a fantastic Content Management System (CMS) and this CMS will enable YOU, the user, to go in and update your site all by yourself – which is pretty cool.

Up until just a few years ago, we had to custom make CMS for clients – and it was expensive. With the advent of WordPress, we can use their pre-made CMS framework and modify it to suit our needs. This makes setting up sites easier for us and more cost effective for you, since we no longer have to do as much custom coding.

WordPress is Open Source Software, which means it has a huge developer base, talented people who are constantly working on improving it and adding more features/widgets/plug-ins. Also, millions of people are using WordPress, from Aunt Betty to CNN.

Because so many people are invested in this software on so many levels, we feel it is here to stay for the long-run, we trust it and we love using it.

••••• WORDPRESS.COM – www.wordpress.com

The .COM site is where you can pick out a template and set up a site for free – it will be hosted by WordPress.com

That’s right, you can go to http://wordpress.com right now, all by yourself, and set up your own blog web site. For FREE.

Keep in mind that these templates are not as robust as the ones offered on the .ORG side. But…hey, it’s FREE. So, don’t say I never gave you nuthin’! I just gave you a free blog at WordPress!

Go to my blog and see my tutorial recommendations for setting up your free blog:
http://ritamawebdesign.com/category/wordpress-tutorials

However, if you are not comfortable with setting up a blog on your own, or get confused mid-way through the process, here’s what my company can do in regards to WordPress.COM:
• Consult with you on setting up a free WordPress blog, answering basic set-up questions, show how to manage it, etc… hourly rate.
• Set up the free WordPress template that you pick out, add pages, etc… and then show you how to manage it – hourly rate ($85 an hour). Basically, we’ll make a “turn-key” blog for you so you can move right in and settle down and just start blogging to your hearts’ content.

••••• WORDPRESS.ORG- www.wordpress.org

If you want a site with more options in terms of individual domain names, associated emails, design and features, you’ll want the .ORG side.

The .ORG site is geared for developers, it will talk to you like you are developer and will assume you understand what a MySQL database is. If you are already lost at MySQL, just don’t go there, ok?

On the .ORG side there are more options available as far as custom designs, features, widgets and plug-ins go. Basically, you can do more with this side of WordPress than you can with the free version. But, it will cost you because you will be hiring my company to do all this stuff for you. 

To use the .ORG features, you have to have a domain name and a web host. I recommend Tigertech for domain name registration and web hosting – their hosting fees are about $7 a month, that includes free domain name registration – it’s a fantastic price and they are a wonderful web host.

Here’s some basics on what I can do in regards to WordPress.ORG:
• Set up the WordPress software on your web host
• Mildly modify a WordPress.ORG template to your specifications
• Make a custom site for you using the WordPress.ORG stripped down template

All .ORG possibilities are given a written proposal for cost.

FREE WORDPRESS.COM SITE EXAMPLES
Free templates and hosted on the WordPress server for….free:
http://blissdogyoga.wordpress.com/
http://sahoa.wordpress.com/
http://sunshinelollipop.wordpress.com/

WORDPRESS.ORG SITE EXAMPLES
With registered domain name & hosted on private server, slightly modified templates from the .ORG side:
$1,200 – $1,500 range
http://samishneighborhood.org/
http://traceypitts.com/

The following are custom graphics on a “skeleton”  WordPress template (using just the “bones” of the template):
These are $2,200 – $2,800:
http://donaleensaul.com
http://marthasherrill.com
http://whatcomwomensnetwork.com

Much as we love WordPress, it’s not the right platform for every job. We have other web site options to suit your needs.

There were some great speakers there, check out the list here and visit their sites:
http://www.wordcampseattle.com/speakers/

I especially liked these folks:

Chris Pirillo – and not just because he told us about the Bebot app for my iPhone!

Jane Wells - Jane works with the WordPress core development team, I liked her happy attitude and general joie de vivre – she loves her job and it shows.

Ian Lurie – good ideas on web page set up for better SEO

George Plumley – I really enjoyed  Georges talk on videos for your web site.
I especially like George’s site http://seehowtwo.com/
Its a FANTASTIC RESOURCE for WordPress Tutorials – absolutely check it out.

George is publishing a book that should be coming out in November, a guide for our CLIENTS on how to update just the basic features for their WP web site.

There are books out there – like WordPress for Dummies – but there is too much info in there for the casual user. So I am looking forward to this book as something I can give my clients when we finish their WordPress site. Sign up for his newsletter to get updated on the launch date.

Also, Mark McLaren has a lot of WP resources on his site :
http://www.mcbuzz.com/wordpress/

Scott Porad – Saw Scott at WordCamp San Francisco, he’s an engaging and thoughtful speaker. Lots of info and and insights on how his company tests out different web sites to see what flies and what doesn’t. Great for modeling.
http://icanhascheezburger.com/ and the other sites in the LOL umbrella attract millions of visitors and participants a day. They duin’ it rite!

Ignite:
Fast paced and great info – funny too!
Participants had 5 minutes to share a slide presentation (15 seconds per slide) about what they are doing with WordPress.

Next WordCamp? I’d love to go to one in Spain, or Brazil, or Australia…Thailand….

WordCamp Seattle is this Saturday the 26th in the Fremont District at Adobe.

I’m excited – wonderful line-up and totally SOLD OUT.

Hope you got your tickets!

Will let you know how it goes.

www.wordcampseattle.com

http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/soundcloud/

We are big fans of SoundCloud, a really useful service that is part Flickr for music, part professional music collaboration hub. Artists such as Beck, Moby and Sonic Youth now use the service to distribute tracks through their blogs and connect with their fans….go to the link to read more and get the embed code.

This is a pretty good step-by-step tutorial to get you up and running if you are unsure of how to get started. Go to wordpress.com and set up a blog while watching the video. This video is NOT put out by WordPress, just an avid user.

The guy, Chris Abraham, that does the video is kidding around when he acts like he doesn’t know what he’s doing! He’s a geekasaurious.

OR, Click HERE to watch it on YouTube

WordPress does recommend some tutorial books, http://wordpress.org/about/books/

I have WordPress for Dummies (doh!) and it’s quite good. More info than the casual user needs, but should cover everything for the novice and anyone interested in venturing into the .ORG side of WordPress.

Also, lynda.com has an on-line training library you can subscribe to – but that might be an overkill commitment for the casual user. However, if you are web inclined and want to learn about WordPress and other programs, it’s a great resource for a few bucks a month.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE ON THE WORDPRESS SITE

Check out their web site, sign up for Twitter and Facebook, and go!

www.wordcampseattle.com

central.wordcamp.org/

WordCamp is a conference type of event that focuses squarely on everything WordPress. Everyone from casual end users all the way up to core developers show up to these events. These events are highlighted by speeches or keynotes by various people.

Click here to read my post about the San Francisco WordCamp in May, and here for my illustrious meeting with Tim Ferriss.

One of the highlights at WordCamp was getting to meet Tim Ferriss – of 4 Hour Work Week Fame. Ok, it wasn’t really much of a meeting – it was an oh, look, there he is in the hallway in front of the door to the conference room, I will have to pass him on the way in kind of meeting. I had just a few seconds to prepare something witty and intelligent to say to him, something that perhaps no one else had ever said to him, something to ensure that I, out of all the hundreds of people there would be, at the very least, memorable, and perhaps, dare I say, captivating with my candor and sharp mind.

Here is what I said:

“I really loved your book.”

Brilliant ‘eh? Oh, yeah, in a pinch I totally come through with prose that would make a nightingale sing.

He said Thanks! Then asked my name (I had to look at my WordCamp name tag to remember) and shook my hand. Woo-Hoo!

Let me know if you want me to write your next big speech. I can probably come up with something like: Thanks for the Nobel Prize. I’d really like to thank my mom & dad, my great partner and all my friends. Gee, this sure is swell! Thanks again!