What is WordPress?

WordPress started out as an open-source blogging platform nearly a decade ago and has since evolved into a sophisticated content management system (CMS) used by millions around the world.  It’s licensed under GPLv2, which in short “guarantees your freedom to share and change all versions of a program–to make sure it remains free software for all its users”.  So anyone can download WordPress for free; then use and modify it to their needs and preferences.

What is a Content Management System?

A content management system, commonly referred to as a “CMS”, is a platform that allows users with little or no experience developing websites to maintain their own sites.  In most cases it also allows the user to make changes to their sites without purchasing any special software – an internet connection and a web browser is all that is needed.  So I can build a site for a client, and later on down the road when they need to change content or swap out pictures, they don’t need to rely on me to do it.  With very minimal training, my client can maintain their site all by themselves!

WordPress is one of the most common CMS platforms out there.  Other mainstream CMSs include Drupal, Joomla and Expression Engine.  I like WordPress because of the huge community that surrounds it – if you get stuck building something, 99.9% of the time, there is an answer already out there on wordpress.org or one of the hundreds of other support and resource sites.  I also like WordPress for the simplicity on the user end.  Most of my clients find it easy and intuitive to use – creating and formatting content is familiar to them if they’ve ever used any word processing software and have experience using a web browser.

So, how is WordPress different than Dreamweaver?

Well, comparing WordPress and Dreamweaver is sort of like comparing apples and oranges.  WordPress is not an alternative to Dreamweaver; in fact many web designers use them in conjunction with one another.  Dreamweaver is an advanced HTML editor published by Adobe.  Many designers just starting to create websites like it for it’s “WYSIWYG” (what you see is what you get) capabilities.  I also think it’s a great tool too for those just learning HTML and CSS.  “Split” view allows you to simultaneously view your code and see a preview of what your site will look like.

However, building a site in Dreamweaver alone does not allow your client to manage their content themselves (unless your client wants to purchase Dreamweaver and learn how to use it – which most don’t!).  You would need some extremely advanced programming skills (not to mention a lot of time on your hands) to develop a site in Dreameaver alone, that a client could manage without any special skills or software.

Enter WordPress.  WordPress, in theory anyways, is an “out-of-the-box” solution that makes setting up a CMS for your client relatively quick and easy.  You can install WordPress on a web server in a matter of minutes and be entering content right away.  You don’t even need Dreamweaver or any other HTML editor to publish a fully functioning site.  However, I use Dreamweaver for custom theme development.  I don’t rely very much on the WYSIWYG features, but I prefer to write and tweak my code in Dreamweaver because of the code hinting and coloring, as well as the error alerts (forget a closing bracket or a semi-colon?  Dreamweaver will catch it for you most of the time!).

What is a WordPress theme?

Basically, a theme makes a website developed in WordPress look pretty.  A company that has a defined “brand” would use a theme to create the online version of their brand.  There are lots of themes out there available for download – both for free and for a charge.  One site that offers premium but affordable themes is Studiopress.com.  They have themes that are built specifically for all types of businesses and organizations – for example, realtors, photographers, churches, etc.  The thing that really makes Studiopress a great value is the support that comes with a purchase of a theme or theme package.  You get access to their forums and if you post a thread about a problem, you are pretty much guaranteed a response within a couple days – there aren’t many sites that offer that!

Whether you purchase or download a theme for free, you can tweak the theme to your heart’s content.  For me, this is where Dreamweaver comes in.  I have never built a theme from scratch, and I don’t recommend you try it either!  When I am building a new site for a client, I choose a theme that best fits the organization’s needs, and I use Dreamweaver to tweak the code, upload and swap out images, and really customize the look and feel of the site.  In some cases for simpler sites, I start out with the TwentyTen theme, which was developed last year with the release of WordPress 3.0.  For sites that need more special features, I might start out with something more advanced, like one of the Studiopress themes.  I often “recycle” my themes as well, reusing pieces of code from site to site.

WordPress sounds pretty cool.  Where can I learn how to use it?

As I mentioned before, there are literally hundreds of sites dedicated to the use of WordPress, and millions of users all over the world.  If you are just starting out, wordpress.org is an excellent place to begin reading what it’s all about and learn what you need to get started, including choosing a web host, installing WordPress, creating content and installing plugins.

A fabulous post I just came across last week is 10 Types of WordPress Helpful Resources, written by WordPress expert Anthony Montalbano.  This article includes recommendations on WordPress resource sites, videos, online lessons, books and podcasts.  This is probably the most comprehensive list of WordPress resources that I have seen put together.

Do you know of any WordPress classes that I can take?

Currently CMC doesn’t offer any WordPress classes but I do hope that we can in the future.  A quick google search will reveal that there are plenty of online courses available out there.  It’s up to you to decide which course might be right for you, and since I haven’t personally taken or taught any of them, unfortunately I can’t give a recommendation on which ones are the best.

A side note to my students: if you are genuinely interested in making web design your career, it’s very important to be self-motivated and to learn to find answers to web problems on your own.  While taking classes can be helpful, it is true that this industry moves extremely fast, and it’s impossible for the education industry to keep up with all the trends and changes of the web world.  Take classes to learn the basics, but be prepared to teach yourself new things all the time – this is absolutely the key to being successful in the web industry, whether you choose to use WordPress or not.

My work has come a long way since 2008 – my designs are far and above where they were at that time!  And I went from a WordPress newbie to a WordPress theme developing master.  I needed a site that reflected that growth.

While the old design might have been considered minimalist, the bright orange and gray colors clashed with some of my work.  I needed a design that was simple, and also complimented my designs.  So I ditched the loud palette for a softer, subtler mix of colors.   I also injected just a bit of personality with the very translucent illustration of the Ten Mile Range in the header area (The Ten Mile Range is a mountain range that starts here in Frisco, Colorado).  Where I live is a big part of who I am and where I draw my inspiration, so it felt important to convey that by incorporating it into the design in a very understated manner.

At only 800 pixels wide, I wasn’t using enough of the “real estate” provided by modern screen resolutions (not to mention browsers!).  My biggest portfolio image was only 544 x 335 pixels – now that’s small!  On the new site I’ve doubled the size of my thumbnails, and increased the size of the large images by around 50%.  Because of size limitations, my work just wasn’t shining on the old site, so I’m happy to say that it really stands out on the new one.  Not to mention, I’ve added 2-3 screenshots for each of my websites, as opposed to just one.  Users can get a better feel of each site before leaving my portfolio to actually view those sites.

Of course, I couldn’t redesign my site without building it on WordPress.  Now that I build 100% of my new projects on WordPress, it would be counter intuitive to build my own site any way else.  The theme is based on TwentyTen, which was released mid-last year.  For those of you who use WordPress this probably goes without saying, but entering content is now a breeze!  I’m adding samples to my portfolio in about half the time that I would have on my old static HTML site.  It’s fantastic.

Only 1095 days until I better get cranking on the next redesign!