Sara Isenberg Web Consulting & Project Management » WordPress

Blogging and WordPress.com, class resources

Sara Isenberg — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:16:28 +0000

Thank you for attending Santa Cruz Parks & Rec class Intro to WordPress.com for Free Website or Blog on March 1, 2011.

My presentation is available here:
Download Presentation [PDF]

My Upcoming Classes are listed here:
http://saraisenberg.com/upcoming-classes/

Here are some great Blogging and WordPress resources:

How to Fail at Blogging and Social Media: http://saraisenberg.com/2011/02/08/how-to-fail-at-blogging-and-social-media/
Great Social Media Resources – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blogging (scroll down to see the blogging links): http://saraisenberg.com/2010/07/22/social-media-resources-linkedin-facebook-twitter-blogging/

WordPress: http://wordpress.org
More WordPress: http://wordpress.com
More WordPress: http://learn.wordpress.com
Even More WordPress http://wordpress.tv
Even MORE WordPress: Printer-friendly version of the entire Learn WordPress.com tutorial

Business Blogging Best Practices: http://socialmediab2b.com/2009/06/business-blogging-best-practices/
Business Blogging Best Practices (video): http://everything.typepad.com/blog/2009/02/typepad-business-class.html
Blogging Best Practices: http://www.echoditto.com/blogging
New! 30 Tips On How To Make Your Company’s Blog Rock: http://www.jeffbullas.com/2010/02/21/30-tips-on-how-to-make-your-companys-blog-rock/
New! 20 Blogs Every Business Owner Should Read: http://www.businessinsider.com/20-blogs-every-business-owner-should-read-2010-7
9 Things to Do to Make Sure Your Next Blog Post is Read by More than Your Mom: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/09/03/9-things-to-do-to-make-sure-your-next-blog-post-is-read-by-more-than-your-mom/
New! The Yahoo! Style Guide: http://styleguide.yahoo.com/
How to Trick People into Reading Your Blog: http://outspokenmedia.com/blogging/how-to-trick-people-into-reading-your-blog/

Thanks!
Sara

Website: http://saraisenberg.com
Blog: http://saraisenberg.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SaraIsenbergConsulting
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/saraisenberg
Twitter: @saraisenberg

Expand Your Reach With Social Media, Resources

Sara Isenberg — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 04:45:35 +0000

Thank you for attending our Santa Cruz Parks & Rec class Expand Your Reach With Social Media on February 1, 2011.

My presentation is available for viewing or downloading here:
Download Presentation [PDF]

Upcoming Classes:

Details about the classes and registration, see: http://saraisenberg.com/upcoming-classes/

For more resources, see:

My collection of best SEO Resources: http://saraisenberg.com/2010/10/16/best-seo-resources/
My collection of best Social Media Resources: http://saraisenberg.com/2010/07/22/social-media-resources-linkedin-facebook-twitter-blogging/
Review: http://www.mindjumpers.com/blog/2011/01/the-impact-of-social-media/
Full HBR Article: http://hbr.org/hbrg-main/resources/pdfs/comm/sas/16203-hbr-sas-report-r3.pdf

Thanks!
Sara
Website: http://saraisenberg.com
Blog: http://saraisenberg.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SaraIsenbergConsulting
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/saraisenberg
Twitter: @saraisenberg

Best SEO Search Engine Optimization Resources

Sara Isenberg — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 23:57:05 +0000

My clients and students are often starting from scratch on SEO and would like to learn more about it, usually the basics. I find myself recommending these online SEO resources frequently. This blog post is for anybody who’d like to learn more about SEO. Here are some of my favorite Search Engine Optimization resources: [updated 1/31/2011, 2/21/2011, 3/14/2011]

Google’s Webmaster SEO Starter Guide
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2009/06/seo-starter-guide-now-available-in-40.html

DIY Part 1: Beginner WordPress SEO: How to Optimize Your Blog Posts
http://diythemes.com/thesis/beginner-wordpress-seo/

DIY Part 2: Beginner WordPress SEO: 9 Ways to Optimize Blogs for Search Engines
http://diythemes.com/thesis/beginner-wordpress-seo-part-2/

Another from DIY: A Beginner’s Guide to Optimizing WordPress Websites (w/ simple guide to optimizing WordPress websites)
http://diythemes.com/thesis/wordpress-website-optimization/

Hubspot’s 9 SEO Insights You Must Follow
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/7367/9-SEO-Insights-You-Must-Follow.aspx

25 tips to skyrocket your search engine rankings
http://www.socialmedia.biz/2010/09/15/25-tips-to-skyrocket-your-search-engine-rankings/

SEOmoz
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/the-beginners-checklist-for-learning-seo
http://www.seomoz.org/user_files/SEO_Web_Developer_Cheat_Sheet.pdf
http://guides.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-search-engine-optimization
http://www.creativemarcomgroup.com/docs/beg-guide-to-seo.pdf
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/tweets-effect-rankings-unexpected-case-study

Zdnet SEO Overview (w/ Google Video about SEO basics):
http://m.zdnet.com/blog/seo/how-it-works-what-happens-when-you-search-google/1211

Axandra:
http://www.axandra.com/
http://www.free-seo-news.com/index.php
http://www.axandra.com/free-online-seo-tool/

Bruce Clay:
http://www.bruceclay.com/
http://www.bruceclay.com/web_rank.htm
See BruceClay_SEO_web_rank.pdf and check the site for other documentation.

Bloofusion
http://www.bloofusion.com
http://www.bloofusion.com/resources/white-papers/index.shtml
See seo-for-ecommerce-sites.pdf, web-design-and-seo.pdf, seo-web-2-0.pdf and check their site for other documentation.

SDForum Marketing SIG:
http://marketingsig.blogspot.com/2010/01/search-engine-optimization-for.html

Outspoken Media:
http://outspokenmedia.com/seo/seo-audit-tool-comparison/

Scott Design:
http://blog.hotdesign.com/2010/11/the-art-and-science-of-seo/

Alameda SBDC Resources:
http://acsbdc.org/business-topics/seo
http://acsbdc.org/business-topics/keyword-advertising

SEO Mistakes That Just Make You Look Dumb (Outspoken Media):
http://outspokenmedia.com/seo/dumb-seo-mistakes/

Not Getting Enough Traffic? Here’s Why… (DIYthemes):
http://diythemes.com/thesis/not-getting-enough-traffic/

The Dirty Little Secrets of Search (New York Times, 2/12/11), what NOT to do:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/business/13search.html

HubSpot’s 4 SEO Tips to Instantly Take Advantage of Google Instant Preview:
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/7110/4-SEO-Tips-to-Instantly-Take-Advantage-of-Google-Instant-Preview.aspx

Steve Penny, SEO Expert, on Google Places Local Search:
http://www.stevepenny.com/googleplaceslocalseo.html

Google Adwords Keyword Research Tool:
http://tinyurl.com/2w634qo

Build a Blog or Website with WordPress.com, view presentation

Sara Isenberg — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:12:11 +0000

Thank you for attending the Santa Cruz Parks & Rec class Build a Free Blog or Website with WordPress.com – For Beginners on October 12, 2010.

1. My presentation is available for viewing or downloading here:
MyPresi-Oct12-2010 [PDF]

2. I’ll be teaching How to Prepare for Your Website Overhaul (or New Website) on Tuesday, January 25, 2011.

3. I’ll be teaching Expand Your Reach with Social Media (with co-instructor Karen Kefauver) on Tuesday, February 1, 2011.

4. I’ll be teaching ABCs of SEO — Basics of Search Engine Optimization (with co-instructor, SEO expert, Steve Penny) on Tuesday, February 15, 2011.

5. I’ll be teaching this class – Build a Free Blog or Website with WordPress.com – For Beginners — again on Tuesday, March 1, 2011.

All of my upcoming classes will be listed on this page. Links will be provided when Santa Cruz Parks & Rec is ready for registration:
http://saraisenberg.com/upcoming-classes/

Thanks!
Sara
Website: http://saraisenberg.com
Blog: http://saraisenberg.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SaraIsenbergConsulting
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/saraisenberg
Twitter: @saraisenberg

Expand Your Reach With Social Media, View Presentation

Sara Isenberg — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 21:58:54 +0000

Thanks for attending the Santa Cruz Parks & Rec class Expand Your Reach With Social Media on September 28, 2010!

“Excellent class that covered alot in a short amount of time. Thanks Sara and Karen! This should be a required coarse for anyone starting or managing a small business!”
Maggie Ann Johnson Barr

1. My presentation is available for viewing or downloading here:
MyPresi-Sept28-2010 [PDF]

2. Karen’s presentation will be posted here:
http://socialmediawithkaren.blogspot.com

3. If you’re interested in registering for my Build a Blog or Website with WordPress.com class on October 12, 2010, 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM, register at Santa Cruz Parks & Rec.

4. Karen and I will co-teach Expand Your Reach with Social Media again on Tuesday, February 1, 2011, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm. Tell your friends and colleagues. As soon as the registration is available, I’ll post a link — on my Facebook Page, under => Events.

5. I also plan to teach the Build a Blog or Website with WordPress.com again on Tuesday, March 1, 2011, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm. (Not to confuse you but I may rename it Intro to WordPress.com for Free Website or Blog.) As soon as the registration is available, I’ll post a link — on my Facebook Page, under => Events.

Getting Started with WordPress – Codex Resources

Sara Isenberg — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:59:46 +0000

Codex has GREAT online information to help you get started with WordPress.

First stop, go to their New to WordPress – Where to Start page at:
http://codex.wordpress.org/New_To_WordPress_-_Where_to_Start

Codex provides this Four Step Plan to help WordPress newbies get started:

Step One – Read
Step Two – Make a Plan
Step Three – Install WordPress
Step Four – Set Up WordPress

Next stop, check out their Getting Started with WordPress page at:
http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started_with_WordPress

Here you’ll find many articles about:

Installation
Installation Troubleshooting and Help
Posting in WordPress
WordPress for Beginners
File and Plugin Management
WordPress Support Forum, which includes FAQ.

Next stop, take a look at their page called: WordPress Lessons at
http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Lessons

Here you’ll find dozens of articles within these sections:

WordPress for Beginners
Designing Your WordPress Site
Template Files
Features and Functions
Website Development

Best of Luck! For more WordPress related resources and information, see other WordPress related blog posts from my blog here: http://saraisenberg.com/category/wordpress/.

From Indexed: Better than a poke in the eye

Sara Isenberg — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:48:13 +0000

How I love indexed! And, it’s a WordPress website, too.

Better than a poke in the eye.

Website Relaunch and Time to start blogging again

Sara Isenberg — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:12:48 +0000

I’m back. I took a four month break from blogging. I didn’t plan it that way but it happened anyway. All said, it wasn’t bad to have one less thing on my list to worry about for a while. During that period, I used my Facebook Page as a quick substitute, and that worked well.

What’s new?

My website has been rebuilt and relaunched. It may look similar to my old website (which — if you want to compare — still lives for now at technicalprojectservices.wordpress.com).

However, underneath the hood, saraisenberg.com is all new and is now based on the Thesis Theme for WordPress.

Why did I do it? I wanted…

my website to live at my new domain, saraisenberg.com, rather than my old domain, http://technicalprojectservices.com (which now redirects to saraisenberg.com).
more control over my SEO, which I’m still working on.
to have a more robust theme. I had heard great things about Thesis.
to move beyond hosting at wordpress.com, which I had outgrown. wordpress.com was great when I was getting started, great for learning wordpress, and FREE! Indeed, I still strongly recommend hosting at wordpress.com for many bloggers, especially newbies who want life/hosting to be as simple & free as possible.

Special Thanks to Melissa Smith, my special consultant and personal guru during this relaunch onto Thesis! Melissa, by the way, works at Equity Marketing Solutions.

URLs for Caffeineighted Presentation

Sara Isenberg — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:42:15 +0000

My recent presentation at the Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business Caffeineighted Series (November 5, 2009) is all about getting started on WordPress, specifically for the newbie blogger, or the person who wants to switch to WordPress. The actual presentation is a live demo showing how to configure and start using your new blog, here are some related URLs.

Resources

WordPress Support:
http://en.support.wordpress.com/

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org:
http://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

Resources for beginners:
http://saraisenberg.com/2009/08/13/wordpress-for-beginners/
http://saraisenberg.com/2008/08/13/wordpress-for-dummies/

How to make a non-post (non-blog-looking) WordPress home page:
http://bloggingexperiment.com/archives/wordpress-page-as-home-page.php

How to Redirect a WordPress.com Blog [PDF]:
http://blog-well.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/how-to-redirect-a-wordpresscom-blog.pdf

Notes from Chris’s September 2009 presentation at NextSpace:
http://saraisenberg.com/2009/09/15/wordpress-resources-from-todays-nextspace-brownbag/

How to have a non-post home page [PDF]:
http://blog-well.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/how-to-redirect-a-wordpresscom-blog.pdf

Examples of some WordPress blogs:

http://bestblog.wordpress.com/ (review)
http://thisisindexed.com/ (humor site)
http://thisisindexed.com/2007/05/calling-in-sick/

Examples of some WordPress websites (as CMS, not blog per se):
http://saraisenberg.com/2009/09/25/30-great-websites-using-wordpress-as-a-cms/
http://wordpress.org/showcase
http://publisherblog.automattic.com/2008/09/16/10-examples-of-wordpress-as-a-cms/

WP Remix:
http://wpremix.com/

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THANKS for attending!

Sara Isenberg Web Consulting & Project Management

email: sara@saraisenberg.com
twitter: @saraisenberg
website: http://www.saraisenberg.com
blog: http://www.saraisenberg.com/blog
linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/saraisenberg
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SaraIsenbergConsulting

Create a Free WordPress Blog in 1 Hour

Sara Isenberg — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:28:50 +0000

The location has been set and this event is a go!

The Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce has a very popular new speaking series for Women in Business called Caffeineighted.

On Nov 5, 7:30-9 AM, I’ll be giving a presentation called Create a Free WordPress Blog in 1 Hour at the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce, Women in Business, Caffeineighted Series.

[Click here to Register]

Full Details:

Women in Business will host its small-meeting networking series, Caffeineighted, Thursday, November 5, 7:30-9 AM

Location: New Leaf Community Markets
1101 Fair Ave
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

“Create a Free WordPress Blog in 1 Hour”

We continue with Web 2.0 Marketing tools with Sara Isenberg who will show us how to create a blog.

Sara Isenberg, principal consultant at Sara Isenberg Web Consulting & Project Management, has extensive experience in the corporate software industry, much of that as a technical account manager where she managed technical relationships between software engineering teams and strategic partners and clients.

Sara began working as an independent project manager in 2005, serving web producers and small businesses.In addition to working as a web consultant and project manager, Sara is a Technology Advisor with the Silicon Valley Small Business Development Center’s Technology Advisory Program.

Sara has a B.A. in Computer Science from University of California Santa Cruz and a B.S. in Sociology from the University of Oregon. She is listed by We Magazine for Women in “101 Women Bloggers to Watch for 2009″.

For more about Sara:
twitter: @saraisenberg

website: http://www.saraisenberg.com

blog: http://www.saraisenberg.com/blog

linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/saraisenberg

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/saraisenbergconsulting

Limited to 30 participants, the session will also include introductions and conversation. A light breakfast will be served. The cost is $15 for SC Chamber members and $25 for non-members.

Caffeineighted is held the first Thursday of each month. Caffeineighted is an outgrowth of the Chamber’s Women in Business programs, designed to create a more intimate atmosphere and an opportunity for teaching and learning.