Dreams for 2020
This past October I started a project I had envisioned for the past year. The publication of at least 15 articles in what I call the WordPress knowledge base.
The first thing you might be asking yourself is why on earth I would do such a thing if you can google how to do things in WordPress easily and get answers that way.
Well, every time I build a site for a client, at the end I need to create a user manual with instructions on how the client should manage their shiny new website. I write text, add images, illustrate actions in the hopes that the clients will only come to me if they need advanced customizations or new functionality in their site.
But that is not the case. I recently had to add 130 events to an online calendar in both English and Spanish, and of course, I could have hired a VA to do the job but I had already spent the budget on other things.
So, did I build a knowledge base in order that my clients get proficient in WordPress? Hardly. I think not everyone knows how to handle everything that’s going on in the WordPress backend and they need some help. So my articles are deliberately geared towards beginners. Maybe, later on, I will add more intermediate things like how to tweak themes and plugins but for now, the focus is on the first steps in WordPress.
What topics have I covered so far?
I started with the “Getting Started” section with instructions on how to install WordPress locally on your computer in several ways: with Local, DesktopServer and MAMP.
Then I added a section called “WordPress Basics” where I’ve added information on basic tasks like creating posts and pages, creating menus, tours of the customizer, the dashboard and the block editor. These are intended for users to get the feel of what WordPress has to offer and stop worrying that they will break something when using it.
I think every beginner interested in WordPress should have an installation in their computer where they can play around and have fun creating things, changing themes, testing out plugins. I mean, that’s how you learn, by experimenting!
I’ve added other sections like WordPress Management, Performance and soon Translation and Development but they have few articles right now. I think maintenance tasks such as backing up and restoring should be taught so that at least users are aware they need to do this for their sites and we are always looking to speed up our sites so performance is crucial in WordPress.
Eventually, I want to add articles about specific themes like Divi or Astra and page builders like Elementor or Beaver Builder. But for now, I am focusing more on general topics regarding the day to day usage of WordPress.
The YouTube Channel
I’ve created a YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/c/SolBarreraWatters – alongside this project that has the videos I make as demos. So far the most popular video has been on how to Install WordPress on your computer with MAMP. I almost didn’t make that video because I hadn’t done that installation in quite some time and it took a few moving parts for it to work. But apparently, people are looking to use MAMP as a server for WordPress. I’ve moved on to install WordPress with Local (Video on how to install with Local in this link) which suits my needs perfectly. I only wish Local would add more options for hosting so I could deploy directly to my web host (currently they only have Flywheel and WP Engine which are too expensive for what I need).
Are you interested in learning how to use WordPress? I find there is always something new to learn because the software is constantly evolving. Pretty soon we will have full site editing with the Block Editor and that I’m sure will have its own learning curve.
Meanwhile, I urge you to go to my WordPress knowledge base and look around for places to get started with WordPress. .