'Design Your Own Website - The Easy Way'
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Next courses in June and August 2012
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If the answer to any of the above is yes, then this intuitive, non-technical short course is for you. Using a popular, freely available online tool, you will learn how to create effective, multimedia websites, how to optimise them for Google™ in order to attract more custom, and how to use social media tools and offline business skills to promote your message.
The emphasis is on personal guidance and hands-on training, and take place over a total of 14 hours (increased from 12 hours in February 2012!). Courses are held in Cheltenham, but can also be arranged elsewhere, e.g. Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Oxford, Worcester, depending on demand.
The emphasis is on personal guidance and hands-on training, and take place over a total of 14 hours (increased from 12 hours in February 2012!). Courses are held in Cheltenham, but can also be arranged elsewhere, e.g. Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Oxford, Worcester, depending on demand.
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Course content
You will learn how to create web pages using simple 'drag and drop' techniques
familiar to anyone who uses windows or Mac. We will be online during
the classes, so you will need to bring a laptop that is able to access
the internet via wifi (see Requirements, below).
The course also includes tips on how to use effective graphics and photographs, as well as an introduction to marketing your new website using social networking and freely available online tools. Please see the full list of benefits at the bottom of the page. |
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The emphasis is on practical demonstration and exercises,
and there are a maximum of 6 students, so there will be
opportunity to ask questions and receive some one-to-one guidance. There will also be a 2-hour practice session for you to add your own content under supervision.
By the end of the course you will have your own fully functional website, together with the skills to update and maintain it, using a popular and freely available online tool. Please note that the course is subject to cancellation or postponement if fewer than 3 people have booked. |
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 2 Wolseley Terrace, Oriel Road (near Cheltenham Town Hall) |
What the course doesn't cover...
If wanting the skills to create basic multimedia websites for clients, this course serves as an introduction to a highly varied, interesting and potentially lucrative field. |
Afternoon Courses
Afternoon Courses in April, June and August 2012 (14 hours).
The afternoon course spans four three-hour sessions (2.30-5.30pm) and one 2-hour session (2.30-4.30pm) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. June 2012:
Cost: £180.00 Venue: The Isbourne Holistic Centre, 2 Wolseley Terrace, Oriel Road, Cheltenham (see Getting There, below). Arrival: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start to ensure that you can be set up and logged in to the wi-fi in good time. Refreshments: Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. Booking: Please phone the Isbourne Holistic Centre on (01242) 254321 (office hours) or email info@isbourne.org. |
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Requirements
- Modern laptop with ability to get online using wifi (i.e. wirelessly)
- Familiarity with Windows or Mac (i.e. you can use your own computer, are familiar with 'drag and drop' and can do basic tasks such as wordprocessing)
- Notepad and paper
- Please also bring a mouse (and mousepad) if you prefer not to use your laptop's touchpad.
To make the most of the course, it is suggested you write some or all of the content of your website beforehand, and bring it with you on your laptop. If you have any photos or graphics you want to include, please also bring these (in .jpg format). It is not compulsory to bring your own finished material however – you can always add it to your website in your own time at a later date.
Please note that individual advice on wording cannot be given during the course, although some general tips will be given, and leaflets by recommended copywriters will be available. However, I am happy to give feedback on the content (language, design, usability and search engine visibility) as a separate service once you have your website up and running. Please contact me for details and pricing.
Your tutor
Graham Boston has designed websites since 1996, and tutored individuals in web design since 2005. The first Design Your Own Website course took place in February 2011, and have run regularly since.
He publishes Gloucestershire Connections and is a committee member of the Aquarius Severn Astrology Society. Questions
If you have any questions about the course, please feel free to call me on freephone 0800 118 5322 or (01242) 228796
Please note that individual advice on wording and content cannot be given during the course, although some general tips will be given, and leaflets on recommended local copywriters will be available. |
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Getting there
The Isbourne Holistic Centre at 2 Wolseley Terrace, Oriel Road, Cheltenham GL50 1TH is an elegant Regency building, just by the traffic lights over the road from the Rodney Road car park.
For some reason, Google maps don't show Wolseley Terr., but it is located where the marker shows, i.e. between Trafalgar St. and Vittoria Walk. It's a few yards from Cheltenham Town Hall, and a short walk from The Promenade. |
If you live in Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, Worcester, Bristol, Birmingham or Oxford, there are good road and rail links to Cheltenham, making it a convenient choice for training.
Parking
Please do not try to park in Wolseley Terrace itself, as British Telecom, who are directly in front of the building, get very upset!
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There is some free-of-charge on-street parking nearby, in Vittoria Walk, the Bath Road and in front of Montpellier Gardens, however parking restrictions in Cheltenham are currently changing so please double-check local signs.
The Rodney Road car park, which is just over the road from Wolseley Terrace, charges £10 per day (inc. Sundays and Bank Holidays). |
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Benefits
- A practical web design course that includes an introduction to social media.
- Creating your own website is much cheaper than paying a web designer to do it for you
- You are in control of updating the website at any time - no waiting for a designer to find the time
- Advice on good design
- Template-based - makes creating a site quick and easy. Templates can be adapted (simple adaptations can be made by the tutor during the course - more complex adaptations charged for).
- Design, build and publish your website during the course
- Tips on using graphics, photographs and writing style
- An introduction on how to attract visitors to your website via:
- Search engine optimisation (SEO)
- Social media, e.g. Twitter etc (introduction to using social media)
- Newsletters (introduction to newsletters)
- Invaluable feedback on your design and ideas from tutor and class
- Much, much cheaper than other web design courses, which are typically £300-£1200
- Most web design courses involve learning Dreamweaver, which is complex and expensive to buy (minimum £250.00)
- Non-technical - no need to learn CSS and HTML coding
- Useful resources such as course notes and list of free utilities to enhance ones website
- Intuitive, enjoyable, 'drag and drop' approach
- Practical - learn by doing
- Website can be added to and expanded on indefinitely after the course
- Website can be updated any time and anywhere - even from a mobile phone (coming soon)
- Automatic creation of a mobile-phone optimised website
- No hosting fees unless one goes for the Pro option, which is only around £36.00 per year
- No other costs apart from optional domain name (approx £10.00 p.a.), optional graphic design, optional third-party plugins, optional template adaptations.
