WordPress 101

On Tuesday, Sabine and I took an introduction to WordPress class with Nicole Crimaldi of Ms. Career Girl through Dabble. (Whew - lots of moving parts there.) This class was $25 but Sabine and I signed up during a "bring a friend" special so it was really just half that for both of us. I had literally never looked at WordPress before, but assumed that there was something above and beyond about it that would require a two-hour introduction class. Turns out, WordPress is not hard. WordPress is actually really easy to use. WordPress seems kind of fun to use. However, this class was still a great experience and I do not regret going at all. If I did it all over again, I'd do it the same.

Nicole gave us a great overview with signing up for WordPress, yes, but so much of this session was discussion about how to use blogging for whatever your purpose. There were participants who were starting small businesses, some just looking for more information for the mental knowledge bank (me), and others unsure of the next step but ready to move on to something else. And it was amazing to hear Nicole's story of fighting back against a job that made her unhappy by working really hard and really smart. It was motivating.

Additionally, she had great tips on how to grow your blog's readership and how to think strategically about SEO and keywords. I would say most of the participants were interested in how to monetize their blogs, which makes sense if this is for your business or part of your side hustle. For me, my blog is just part of my web persona, if you will, but I am very interested in creating a healthy and interesting presence on the web. While I am really not concerned with monetizing my web presence, I would say it still falls into a "side hustle" category, and these tips were great.

I was thrilled with the class and thought it a great night. The space was comfortable and inviting. Nicole was engaging and interesting - and inspiring. I'm happy to add her to a list of entrepreneurs I admire. I feel ready to really make this blog something to be reckoned with (haha - that sounds intense). It'll be a little bit, here and there, but by the end of the year, there will be some big changes here. That's the best thing about these Dabble classes - they truly do give you a taste of something new, and empower you to take off from there. Money and time well spent.

Recommendation: If you're new to blogging or social media or just less comfortable with tech, take WordPress 101. If you're all set with figuring out how to set up your blog, do that, and take Nicole's Start Your Side Hustle class on Tuesday (8/14).