Uffculme School have teamed up with SitesPlus and the Blackdown Hills Business Association to host a Summer School for local businesses.
The theme is ‘Getting Wise to the Web’ and involves 4 workshops over consecutive Thursdays evenings in June and July.
Aimed solely at ‘non-tecchies’, the workshops are open to local small businesses, students, teachers, parents and anyone who is thinking of setting up a business.
All workshops are hands-on and will start at 6pm with tea and coffee and finish by 9pm on the following dates:
- 18th June – Understanding websites – an introduction, for the non-technical, to understand how websites work and the options available to building a website. Ideal for those looking to create a website for their business or who wish to improve the effectiveness of their existing site. The session will illustrate the benefits of integrating a content management system into the solution of their choice, with hands-on experience of the SitesPlus CMS.
- 25th June – How to manipulate images – Recognised as one of the most tricky areas in building, or maintaining, a website. The session includes an understanding of pixels, jpegs and gifs but concentrates on the practical aspects of working with images, such as re-sizing and cropping. During the session, there will be opportunities to upload onto SitesPlus and manipulate images plus tips to save images for web use.
- 2nd July – Search Engine Optimisation– gives an insight into how search engines work and how to improve search engine rankings. The general focus is on the most popular search engine, Google, with checklists and tools on how to make a website Google-friendly. The session creates a base-line for each site and gives guidance on improving PageRank and Google visibility.
- 9th July Google AdWords – an introduction to setting up and running a Google AdWords campaign (the sponsored links section on Google Search). The session will include: tips on choosing keywords, costs, campaign management and money saving tips.
Val Baker, from the BHBA says ‘The workshops will take people on a journey from understanding the very basics, right through to starting Google campaigns. We hope that the knowledge businesses will gain gives them much more control of their own online presence.’
Lorraine Heath, Head of Uffculme School said ‘We’re delighted that we’ve been able to offer these workshops for free. As an IT specialist status school, we have the best technology available to host events such as these. We really hope to welcome people both from the school and those who’ve never visited us before.’
To book for all 4 workshops or individual sessions, call Rosie on 01884 840458 (Uffculme School number) or book online at the Blackdown Hills Business Association website www.bhba.org.uk . Places are limited so book early!
Please let us know what you think, we really welcome your thoughts and reactions to the changes. 
