• Subscribe to your RSS feed, which WordPress automatically generates (see information on that, here).
• Sign up for an e-mail notification, which they receive when you publish a new post. (This requires a widget and plugin to allow users to create a subscriber profile and receive an e-mail. Here is an example of such a notification plugin.)

Interested in growing your web design skills? Here are a few choice recommendations.

Learn (X)HTML and CSS

1. HTML Dog Tutorials
2. W3 Schools

Recommended FREE code editors:

• PSpad (Windows)
• TextWrangler (Mac OS X)

Work on your Design Skills

1. Design a Beautiful Website From Scratch – Nettuts+
2. 8 Great Web Design Tutorials – Powerusers

Convert your Design into a XHTML/CSS Website

1. How to Convert a PSD to XHTML – Screencast – Jeffrey Way @ Nettuts+
2. Converting a Design From PSD to HTML – Screencast – Jeffrey Way @ Nettuts+

Turn it into a WordPress Theme

This step enables you to integrate your design with the powerful WordPress content management system. It’s a bit more complicated, and so the best resources tend to cost a few bucks. But here are two good options, well worth the price:

1. How to Be a Rockstar WordPress Designer – Downloadable PDF Book – $29
2. The Best PSD to HTML to WordPress Video Series Available – Nettuts+ “Plus” Tutorial – $9/month subscription

Looking for a free option? Try this:

• Designing for WordPress: Part One – CSS Tricks
• Part Two
• Part Three

What if I get Stuck, Frustrated, or Confused?

1. Drop me a line. (Use the form below!)
2. Sign up for my Introduction to Web Design course this fall at Oklahoma Wesleyan, where we’ll tackle these things and more.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

One of the great things about WordPress is its community of contributors and the plugins they develop to add advanced features or special customization to your site. At the moment, the WordPress Plugin Directory lists 1,573 plugins.

That’s great, but imagine rummaging through all 1,573 to find what you want. Thankfully, you can browse by tags or search the directory.

Even better: search the wider Web for what people are saying, including their recommendations for the best plugins of various kinds.

Here are a few of the better sources of insight I’ve found in recent days:

• Useful WordPress Plugins – WebDesignerWall
• 5 Most Useful Administrative Plugins for WordPress – Lorelle on WordPress
• Top WordPress Plugins for the Smart Blogger – lifehack.org
• 300+ Tools for Running Your WordPress Blog – mashable.com
• Lorelle’s WordPress Plugin Category Archive – Lorelle on WordPress