Help with WordPress Blog Look

Hey!

Sorry to be SO QUIET. I have been swamped with getting ready for the holidays, then I have taken family time the past two weeks—my soldier is HOME! We look like a family of geeks. We came to Elisabeth’s coffee shop to visit and the WIFI is soooo good that we have to succumb to the temptation to get online for a bit. LOL

I wanted to answer Lisa’s question:

Judy and anyone else that cares to chime in,

Have you found what you need – to learn to make the changes in your WP
template? I may be jumping into this sooner than thought and would
appreciate any help that may be given.

I am doing a bit of remodeling of my website and wanting my blogs to
look like the departments of my site that they are patterned after. I
don’t know yet if I will be hiring someone to design the blog
templates for me, or if I will tackle it myself. (I should hire, I
don’t have time. But I am the only one that sees the picture in my
head. And finding just the right graphics is probably what I need
to do first.

I have skimmed through many pages at WP.org for info on changing and
designing themes, and also came across a software that works with
Dreamweaver to design WP Themes. Since I use Dreamweaver for designing
my site, this may be a good possibility. It is called ThemeDreamer.

Let me know what you’ve found.

For Me and My House,
Lisa @ Me and My House ministries
http://frommeandmyhouse.com
Discipleship for Life!

Articles, blogs and resources for Christian Growth, Biblical Home
Discipleship/Education, Family Living, and Biblical Nutrition.

Lisa, I have two suggestions. First, I want to tell you my experience. I CAN DO web design with WordPress and CSS, but about 6 months ago I decided to take the counsel of some of my dear friends who were gurus in internet marketing and just outsource somethings. Obviously, I cannot outsource writing—THAT is what I am all about. I feel the same about blogging and many of the other thousand tasks that we do every day in business. Finally, it hit me that I COULD outsource some “jobs” that were just nagging at me. One was my web design templates. I am SO glad that I did.

I worked with Kelly from Freshnets. Here is my link to learn more about her services (please do use it if you use this advice. J):

http://www.Writers-Nook.com/FreshNets.html

Kelly did a super job at taking time to really get to know me and my businesses. We had known each other through several business seminars and through online business fellowship before she took on my sites, but she “knocked it out of the ball park” by really getting to KNOW me, my style, my brand, my heartbeats. The first banners she sent my way SO CAPTURED me and the spirit of my “home” on the web. They took everything to another whole level that would never have been possible for me to do without a HUGE learning curve and much time away from the things that ONLY I can do. Take a peek at some of her designs for me:

http://www.CindysDesktop.com
http://www.Talk-a-Latte.com
http://www.MomtoMomRadioShow.com
http://www.CindyRushton.com
http://www.Writers-Nook.com

Also, go to her site and peek at the other sites she has designed:

http://www.Writers-Nook.com/FreshNets.html

I think that you will find that she is well worth hiring. First, the time and energy saved. Secondly, the way she can capture and pull your brand together.

I wanted for all of them to be cohesive, yet individual. She helped me to continue “the look” through all of them without getting redundant. She also helped each site to show its heartbeat and purpose. I loved it!

Lisa, I cannot articulate how much it helped me to turn Kelly loose to do what she does best. Kelly can help you simplify, get on target with your real vision, and step out there into the things that you have been putting off. I think you will find that she will do more for your sites than 20 other businesses. J

Now, saying that…I did say that I have two suggestions.

If you want to try it yourself, I do have one other suggestion. Kelly is teaming up with Lynette Chandler to offer a fabulous FTM that teaches you the ins and outs of blog design. It is intended to help those who want to have a web-design business to get started and learn the secrets behind setting up a professional website. I LOVE IT! Here is my link for it:

http://Writers-Nook.com/BlogEvangelist.html

Not only do you receive lessons on how to build and market your business, but you also get amazing help with WordPress. I love it! It is not as fast paced as you may need if you are in a hurry setting up your sites with a new fresh template, but the lessons are super! Now, if you are in a hurry, that brings me to another recommendation-oops! That is THREE!

I recommend Lynette’s Blogging Starter Pack. It is absolutely the best resource out there to help you learn how to use WordPress fast. Here is my link to that:

http://www.Writers-Nook.com/bloggingstarterpack.html

I had NO idea how to do anything in WordPress before I got her set. In one weekend, I GOT IT! It will really help you understand WordPress better very fast. Do note: the videos show the older admin panel, but Lynette does a super job of keeping you updated with changes on her members-only blog that you can access for free with your purchase. I think you will be pleased.

So, what do you do if you have no idea where to begin and you are in a hurry????

I would first suggest going ahead and hiring Kelly to help you get going. You will love her. She is just fabulous to work with. If you are in a bind for money or you think you can handle most of it yourself, then go for Blog Evangelist and the Blogging Starter Pack. I think you will love them! They are ALWAYS on my laptop! J

Hope this helps!

Love ya!
Cindy

Get ready for a BIG NEW YEAR with the Writer’s Nook!
http://www.Writers-Nook.com

Share this: