My little cross blog conversation with Kelly McCausey is beginning to pick up. She has answered my questions about what kind of sites she’s built using WordPress and now has a new question. She asks,

I know you have created a lot of resources to help others learn how to use WordPress and related technology.  Why have you made this such a priority in your product line up?  Who needs to be learning this the most?

My response:

A little background for those who are new to my products. The very first created was BloggingStarterPack which originally had both Blogger and WordPress but when I did a total overhaul of it last year, I focused specifically on WordPress. And then there are the training materials at TechBasedTraining where almost half of the current training has to do with WordPress. There’s more coming too.

The biggest reason WordPress is so prominent in much of what I do is because of good old fashioned demand. People just want to build with WordPress. I don’t even have to convince them most of the time. There are times when people don’t quite know what they should use but know what they want as the end result. When they consult with me, 9 out of 10 times I discover it can be done with WordPress.

With demand also comes the need for people who are thoroughly familiar with the system. As a result, clients tend to ask their service providers and Virtual Assistants or expect them to know WordPress. I noticed this trend that many service providers are really need help learning it.

At the same time, there are tons and tons of resources out there about WordPress. Books, seminars, live training classes, YouTube, WordPress TV you name it. But many of them are focused on the features and functions. They don’t necessarily show you how you can apply this wonderful software within the context of Internet marketing. So, I do it.

As for who needs this most? I believe service providers (like VAs and web designers) and marketers who want their own staff or assistants to be trained. Training is hard work and very time intensive. It’s easier and cheaper to have us train their people.

Alright I’ve got a question in return. Kelly, you’ve hosted the Hot Seminar Series for a while now. I’m not entirely sure but think this is the first time you are focusing the whole series on a software/script. Why and how did you decide upon this WordPress focus this year?

Let’s see what she says on her blog.