WordPress Explained Video (Video Training)

Lesson 1

Introduction (Video Training), Downloadable Version

What Is New in WordPress 3.3?

Quickly review several new WordPress 3.3 features that make WordPress easier, faster, and more convenient, including new Admin and Uploading Tools; Feature Pointers; and easier Tumblr import.

Introduction

Learn what WordPress is, and how it has evolved into a full-featured program for creating both blogs and complete websites. Tour some typical sites created with WordPress, and discover how it can help you create everything from custom content and user forms to tag clouds.

Duration: 00:13:33  File Size: 60 MB

Lesson 2

Install (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Install at WordPress.com

Sign up for a WordPress.com account, and set up WordPress as a hosted blogging solution that relies on Automattic (WordPress’s company) to handle hosting, updates, and security.

One-Click Installation at a Webhost

Perform a one-click install for WordPress at your own Internet hosting provider, including steps you might need to take before you start. Learn how to work with a typical service provider’s Dashboard.

Manual Installs

Install WordPress manually, on empty website space provided by an Internet hosting provider. Retrieve and extract WordPress files; copy them to your provider’s server; create a configuration file; securely link a database, and more.

Duration: 00:14:05  File Size: 59 MB

Lesson 3

Create (Video Training), Downloadable Version

The Dashboard

Get comfortable with what you’ll see after you first log in to WordPress, including the new login screen and Dashboard. See which tools are available to you, and organize your WordPress interface so it’s easier to use.

Creating Posts

Create new posts, and manage posts once you’ve created them. Discover WordPress’s extensive options for scheduling, placing, publishing, and deleting posts; and for controlling whether they are public or restricted to specific readers.

The WYSIWYG Editor

Use the WYSIWYG Editor to enter text in WordPress, and then format text, paragraphs, numbered and bulleted lists, blockquotes, alignment, links, and more. Master editing tools such as spellchecking; and copy Microsoft Word text without Word’s troublesome HTML formatting.

Categories

Organize posts into Categories, including hierarchical “Parent” and “Child” categories, with descriptions. See how Categories appear on posts, and how they fit into your site’s structure.

Tags

Organize posts with Tags, and see how they are similar and different from Categories. Reuse existing tags, and learn tips for using tags more effectively. See how Tags can be used with WordPress’s popular Tag Cloud feature, and how they can be converted to Categories.

Comments

Create Comments, and use the Comments panel to manage them. Use WordPress moderation to publish, block, approve, or “unapprove” comments. Use QuickEdit to edit site comments.

Creating Pages

Understand Pages and how they differ from Posts. Use the Pages panel to create and manage Pages such as About Us, Contact Us, or Home. Create a page header, review “slugs,” and set Featured Images and Page Attributes.

The Media Library

Use Media Library to import audio, video, and images, and use them throughout your site. Create titles, alternate text, captions, and descriptions for your image. Use WordPress’s image editing tools; create thumbnails, and link to images from other web servers.

Duration: 00:49:23  File Size: 118 MB

Lesson 4

Design (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Links

Use the Links Panel to create a Blog Roll that manages and organizes links to other web pages. Edit links, and specify what happens when a visitor clicks them. Use Link Relationships, Advanced Options, and link ratings; and restrict certain links to authorized users only.

Themes

Change your site’s look and feel with Themes. Manage, active, and preview Themes; search for themes on WordPress.org; and install new Themes. Download and install themes from other sites. Learn how to edit Themes manually.

Widgets

Use Widgets to add capabilities to your site. Add and remove Widgets, and control how they appear on your site.

Menus

Use WordPress’s custom Menu system to reorganize your Menu structure. Incorporate Pages on your own site, Categories, or even content from elsewhere on the Web; then, control the behavior of your Menus.

Duration: 00:17:56  File Size: 45 MB

Lesson 5

Extend (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Plugins

Use Plug-ins to add capabilities to your site. Find and install new plug-ins from WordPress.org, or upload a plug-in you’ve already purchased. Get important details about plug-ins, and update them to reflect improvements or security fixes.

Contact Form 7

Explore Contact Form 7, one of today’s most popular free plug-ins. Install it, and use it to create a custom contact form that can send an email message to you or anyone else.

Photo Galleries

Use WordPress’s built in Photo Gallery section to quickly add pictures to your site, and control the Galleries it displays. Adapt the standard PhotoGallery with plug-ins.

Duration: 00:19:58  File Size: 67 MB

Lesson 6

Manage (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Managing Users

Create new users, and manage users and their roles (Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, or Subscriber). Allow users to register themselves as Subscribers. Understand how ownership of content works, and how it is displayed. Delete existing users.

Tools

Review the Tools panel of the Administration area. Use tools such as the PressThis bookmarklet, which makes it easy to blog about other web pages and sites. Import content from other blog systems, or from RSS feeds.

Settings

Use the many options available through your Settings Menu, including General, Writing, Reading, Discussion, Media, Privacy, and Permalink Settings.

Duration: 00:20:52  File Size: 35 MB

Lesson 7

Security (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Security

Master several techniques for protecting WordPress against security attacks, including the correct use of htaccess code; database table prefix customization at install; and security plug-ins.

Backup Your Site

Back up your WordPress site. Export all or some content from your database using WordPress’s built-in tools. Review other backup options; then use Backup Buddy to back up, restore, and/or migrate both your database content and files on your server.

Upgrading WordPress

Upgrade WordPress to the latest version automatically, and review what’s new in the latest version.

Upgrading Plugins

See what Plug-Ins need to be updated, and then update them, either one at a time, or all at once. Check whether Plug-Ins were successfully updated.

Upgrading Themes

See if you need to update your Theme, update it, and confirm that it has been successfully updated.

Guarding Against Spam

Stop comment spam, either by turning off comments on the Discussion Settings page; through the Akismet plug-in and service installed with WordPress, or via an optional anti-spam plug-in.

Duration: 00:20:17  File Size: 103 MB

Lesson 8

Local Installs (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Run WordPress Locally on Your Mac

Download, install, and properly configure WordPress on your Mac along with the Apache webserver, MySQL database, and PHP scripting language. Then, run WordPress locally even when you don’t have an Internet connection.

Run WordPress Locally on Your PC

Download, install, and properly configure WordPress on your own Windows PC, along with the Apache webserver, MySQL database, and PHP scripting language. Then, run WordPress locally even when you don’t have an Internet connection.

Using Real Content

Import content and associated files from another WordPress installation, and reassign content ownership as needed.

Files and Databases

Explore the files and databases that make WordPress work, including its PHP scripts; Plug-in and Themes folders; Uploads directory; and database tables.

Duration: 00:21:32  File Size: 71 MB

Lesson 9

MultiSites (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Enabling MultiSites

Use MultiSite to run multiple sites or blogs from a single installation of WordPress, sharing plug-ins and themes amongst them all, and making them all easier to maintain.

Multi-Sites: Starting Your Network

Create and edit new sites in a MultiSite environment. Establish administrators and users; then define each site’s capabilities, Themes, Plug-ins, network settings, upload settings, available space, and more.

Duration: 00:19:27  File Size: 76 MB

Lesson 10

Speed and SEO (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Search Engine Optimization

Learn the basics of Search Engine Optimization, and how to overcome simple problems and mistakes. Then, use the WordPress Dashboard tools and the popular WordPress SEO by Yoast plug-in to attract higher rankings from Google and other search engines.

Testing Your Site Speed

Attract and keep more visitors by improving your site’s responsiveness and loading speed. Use YSlow, PageSpeed, GTmetrix, and WebPageText to identify bottlenecks on your pages, so you can fix them.

Speed Up Your Site

Use web page caching to make your site run faster. Install a leading WordPress caching plug-in, WP Super Cache. Next, learn easy and advanced caching techniques, as well as specialized techniques related to content delivery networks and other site issues.

Duration: 00:27:59  File Size: 150 MB

Lesson 11

More with Themes (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Simple Theme Edits — HTML and PHP

Explore the HTML and PHP pages WordPress creates for your site, and then make simple adjustments to WordPress themes by directly editing HTML code and PHP scripts.

Simple Theme Edits — CSS

Learn how WordPress manages CSS style sheets. Then, safely make simple edits to style.css, the file that makes WordPress Themes work.

Overview of Theme Frameworks

Explore Theme Frameworks that can help you extend WordPress’s capabilities — for example, to more effectively support photos, videos, or book functionality; or to add more layouts, colors, and schemes.

Creating a Simple Child Theme

Create a Child Theme that is based on the characteristics of another theme, and then adapts its appearance or extends its capabilities.

Duration: 00:24:26  File Size: 129 MB

Lesson 12

Getting Social (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Managing Comments with DISQUS

Use the DISQUS Comment System service and plug-in to improve the way you manage comments on WordPress sites. Sign up for a DISQUS account, link it to your site, set up features such as likes and trackbacks, and use DISQUS’s enhanced moderation tools.

Overview of BBPress Discussion Board System

Set up a site forum with the BBPress Discussion Board System. Install the bbPress plug-in; create individual forums, topics, tags, and breadcrumbs; prevent forum spamming; and troubleshoot problems.

Overview of Twitter Widget Pro

Integrate your WordPress site with Twitter. First, get your Twitter posts onto your site with Twitter Widget Pro. Next, use the WP to Twitter plug-in to automatically post your WordPress content onto Twitter.

Duration: 00:19:19  File Size: 83 MB

Lesson 13

Getting Interactive (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Introduction to Gravity Forms

Discover the advanced WordPress forms manager Gravity Forms. Tour its features, including Multi-Page Forms, Advanced Field Types, forms scheduling, pricing fields linked to PayPal, and more.

Gravity Forms — Advanced Fields

Drill down with Gravity Forms to explore advanced capabilities such as Conditional Logic, forms with page breaks, sophisticated validation, and file upload options.

Configuring SMTP to Send Email

Use a different remote Internet Service Provider to handle your email, so your standard ISP does not misinterpret growing outgoing email traffic as spam.

Subscribe2 — Letting People Subscribe to Your Content

Use Subscribe2 to let people subscribe to your blog, so they receive email updates without visiting your site. Set up subscription options, including scheduling and tracking. Enable visitors to start, change, and stop their own subscriptions.

Podcasting with WordPress

Add media podcasting to your blog, using your site’s default RSS feed and the easy-to-use Podcasting Plugin by TSG. Customize podcast titles, set up iTunes-specific attributes, embed media players, and create audio or video posts.

Duration: 00:26:49  File Size: 92 MB

Lesson 14

Getting Money (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Introduction to WordPress E-Commerce

Get started with e-commerce in WordPress. Compare some of the leading e-commerce plug-ins, understand the pros and cons of each, and decide which one is right for you.

E-Commerce — Cart66 Settings

Install and set up the Cart66 e-commerce plug-in. Explore the pages Cart66 provides to support shopping carts and payment. Set up location, currency, SSL encryption, checkout, shipping, pricing options, and more.

E-Commerce — Cart66 Administration

Review additional administrative areas of Cart66, including product and item data; digital download options; product variations; tax status, and order settings.

E-Commerce — Cart66 Front End

Use Cart66 to place products on the “front end” of your website, where users can see them and make the decision to buy. Control the way you present your products to users, including descriptions and images.

Duration: 00:21:10  File Size: 99 MB

Lesson 15

Custom Content (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Introduction to Custom Content Types

Create custom content types without manual coding, using Easy Custom Content Types for WordPress. Establish Post Type Names, Supports and related settings.

Easy Custom Content Types — Metabox

Create a Metabox custom content type. Specify when and where you want your Metabox to appear, and define custom fields associated with it.

Easy Custom Content Types — Taxonomies

Create custom taxonomies to efficiently describe and organize your site’s content elements. Organize your taxonomy hierarchically, and optionally use template files and other features with them.

Easy Custom Content Types — Admin Area Column Editor

Simplify administration by adding or removing columns on your Content Type admin lists, using the Post Type Column Editor plug-in.

Duration: 00:21:41  File Size: 79 MB

Lesson 16

Site Management (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Restricting Access to Your Content

Use Restrict Content Pro to restrict some or all of your content to paying readers. Establish Free Content and Premium Content messages; set up Payment options, including PayPal and Stripe; define registration and redirect pages, and more.

Query Posts — Getting Content in Your Sidebar

Use Justin Tablock’s Query Posts plug-in widget to flexibly display and update content in your blog or site’s sidebar. Control a wide variety of options, from size to sequence.

Widget Logic — Choosing Pages Where Widgets Show Up

Use the Widget Logic plug-in to precisely control which WordPress widgets appear on each page, using WordPress conditional tags such as is_front_page().

Posting Via Email

Turn on WordPress’s XML-RPC remote publishing capabilities. Then, use Postie to blog via email when you don’t have access to a browser, or want to post quickly from a mobile device.

Finding and Fixing Broken Links

Check and fix broken links with Broken Link Checker. Control which links to check; track the progress of link checking; notify authors of broken links from their posts; stop search engines from following broken links; and more.

Alternative Search — YoLink

Install and register YoLink to improve site search within your site. Crawl your site with YoLink to find content and submit it for searching; choose whether to share YoLink search results with other web services; and more.

Duration: 00:31:07  File Size: 20 MB

Lesson 17

Getting Statistics (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Google Analytics

Add Google Analytics to your site using the Google Analytics for WordPress plug-in. Set the right Analytics Profile; authenticate with Google; choose an account; and review other basic settings.

Google Analytics — Dashboard Widget

Pull Google Analytics information into your WordPress Dashboard, so you can review your site’s performance without logging into Google Analytics itself.

Overview of JetPack — Statistics for WordPress

Understand how WordPress.com’s JetPack statistics package differs from Google Analytics. Then, set up and enable JetPack, and briefly explore JetPack’s statistical settings.

Duration: 00:06:33  File Size: 31 MB

Lesson 18

Summary (Video Training), Downloadable Version

Summary to WordPress Explained

Conclude with a brief summary of the features and plug-ins covered throughout WordPress Explained.

Duration: 00:02:06  File Size: 9 MB