As part of the Triad Web Meetup blogging series, I’ll be giving a detailed look at how to use WordPress. Some of the items that will be covered include:

• Walking through a WordPress installation on a web server
• Navigating the admin tool
• Installing themes and plugins
• Customizing themes
• Using WordPress as a Content Management System
• The possibilities of WordPress (it’s not just a blogging tool)

All skill levels are welcome and there is no need for previous WordPress experience. Let me know if there is anything else you’d like to learn about WordPress. We usually have time for specific questions after the presentation.

Have you seen animations on sites without the use of flash? Have you noticed calendars widgets, drag n’ drop features, fading elements and all sorts of dynamic things happening on websites these days? Have you heard of AJAX and want to know what it is and why it’s such a big deal?

jQuery is a JavaScript library that lets you do all sorts of great things with your websites. Google, Dell, NBC, and WordPress are just a few companies that use jQuery to spice things up. jQuery is one of the tools that helps web applications respond more quickly to user input and mimic some of the user-friendly features of desktop applications.

This presentation will go into some technical details but, don’t worry, background information and examples will help put the pieces together. If you’re not a developer, you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of how websites work. If you code, then you’ll have another tool to add to your arsenal.

This meetup I’ll be covering how to install WordPress from scratch, getting started with creating/modifying a WordPress theme, the basics of the admin and show some examples of what can be done with WordPress as a CMS.

Bring your questions and any WordPress sites that you’d like to show the group. All skill levels should be able to take away something from the presentation.

Do you have a website you’re thinking about building? Want suggestions on how to make your site better? Stumped on a technical project? Have a web related question? Want to hear what questions other people are asking?

Bring your questions and ideas to the next meetup because we’ll be giving our free professional (and personal) advise. We’ll answer questions, give pointers, and get feedback from the rest of the group. We’ll try to give 10-15 minutes per question to get through as many as we can. Any web related (or technology related) question is welcome!

Even if you’re not asking a question make sure you join because it’s a great opportunity to hear website tips, design tricks, suggestions and expand your thinking.