He learnt eleven skills during his short day and we measured the impact of six hours of training, taking up an hour and a half of my time to service this training, while he used the one of the PC’s here in the training room at YoungVoice.

We showed him -

1. WordPress log in and adding users and access levels
2. Setting up the initial look and feel of a WordPress site
3. Installing Plug In’s
4. Adding pages to the website
5. Amending pages to the website
6. Adding a blog entry
7. Amending a blog entry
8. Adding Images and Gallery’s
9. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) during build
10. Adding widgets and implementing them
11. Installing interaction between website and social media

We managed to increase his understanding of the above by 212%.



Tom is a website developer stating ”I have been using just HTML & CSS to create my websites, and haven’t actually used a content manager which is definetly needed”.  We have taken a young website designer and empowered him with WordPress and you can see his blog about the day on our website.

The thank you from Tom was very appreciated and I even managed to do half an hour on VAT, invoicing, credit control and book-keeping with him for is own business venture.

Thank you Tom for being such a polite visitor – 7/10 for your flying too.

I am far too exhausted from learning so much to speak about what I’ve done today, but I can say this, its great to have learnt off professional users of WordPress and would highly recommend this to anyone, as its done in a fun and very practical way.

I think from now on I am going to be a long term WordPress user and YoungVoice has definitely helped me push my WordPress website management skills to a whole new level! Thank you Andy for a great working day

In my past experience of website creation I usually start from scratch with pure HTML & CSS and once the site is looking snazzy I then just upload to the server, but updating it can be a real pain as you have to go over a whole load of tedious tasks of editing and reuploading the orginal index and stylesheets. With wordpress this is all done automatically for you, so to have a day learning how to use what seems to be the industry standard of website managment is really great and its all thanks to Young Voice and Andy Proctor.

Right I should really stop writing about how useful wordpress is going to be and actually learn how to use it! I’ll write another post at the end of the day so you can see how much I have learnt in one day of work.

Today I was working on my website, and actually broke it to the point where I couldn’t get on the website as the admin, but with a load of thinking from me and Andy we have managed to get it all back using htp files using heart internet, PHEW, not to mention doing it in less than 45 mins, winning a bet with Andy earning myself £20.

I have also learnt more on invoicing, and giving people refunds through actually seeing it be done in a real business.

Overall I’m sad I’m leaving YoungVoice, so glad I came here, never would have gotten as far along with my website without Andy’s help,

Thanks for everything

Michael Baalham

My favourite thing I have done it made my own website! My website is called Velvet Monster and its going to sell bright, colorful alternative clothing. I still have a lot of work to do on the site, but its up if you want to see what iv done already. I wouldn’t have been able to do it with out the help of Andy and YoungVoice so thanks!

I have been working on a few other websites, adding pages for people, and also making websites from scratch with just their guidelines in what they want on their website.

I have also learnt a lot about a business cash flow forecast, which is vital for any business.

Been a great week.

Michael Baalham

Micheal’s journey hasn’t just been about the website, we have been trying to find out why his T-Shirt supplier has gone cold as well as the pro’s and con’s of buying from abroad.  We are looking at many aspects of the business and his route to market.

We have been looking at this invoicing, responsibilities to the revenue and registering his business.  While we don’t think he needs an e-commerce shop, we have been testing this on a similar entity and shop using PayPal as the payment gateway.

I have enjoyed the experience and journey myself.  I have the confidence that what I can be measured and accounted for.  I can see the direct impact of what YoungVoice does to motivate, encourage and give wonderful people such as Micheal an opportunity beyond the normal classroom.

Micheal has the exciting opportunity of making his own website today after practicing on a few other projects and tasks, on existing corporate websites and updating, amending and re-conditioning some of my own websites.  His own website is the http://www.velvetmonster.co.uk/ website for t-shirts and he is working on this right now!

Thanks to the Eastern Enterprise Hub for the opportunity to help Micheal develop himself and his business here at YoungVoice.  I have been given an future enterprise superstar I think!

Micheal has been adding his own blog to the YoungVoice website.

Sam has been doing well volunteering and learning the craft of WordPress and Michael has been learning lots also.  Micheal actually came to the school for social entrepreneurs with me on Thursday so that was good.

We are making websites for James and Katie and they are being done this week as well as Michael starting the UnderIpswich website for secret tunnels under Ipswich.  Micheal found a fantastic theme for the wedding website he made this week and it’s very impressive – so much so I used it myself for Mandy’s own website (my girlfriend)

We have still got some teething problems with exactly what the deal is with the landlord here at UCS and I was pulled in the office today for more ironing out the solutions for a few problems, but I’m sure we will get there soon.

I have been to see some customers and had a contact for the 1st individual development website today so this is great.  I have also been to see a nation schools related entity and this has some great mileage with a possible 12 websites strait away, as well as contact with all the schools in the UK.

Next week will see Colin Crooks website started and then another website we are taking possession of, for someone at the school for social entrepreneurs.  We have also offered to make a free website for two girls that are selling bespoke jewellery online and they are very thankful for this.

We have also had contact with Andrew Cook , an Enterprise Adviser from Inspire2Enterprise who has been helping me immensely this week.  My business plan was emailed to him today and I’m looking forward to his response. Inspire2Enterprise are providing information, specialist advice and support from start-up through initial growth and beyond so I’m keen to use them as they are free!.  To find out how Inspire2Enterprise can help you or your organisation call 0844 9800 760 (Monday to Friday 08.30am to 5.30) or email info@inspire2enterprise.org

So, onwards and upward for next week and let’s see what happens then!

Today I have been working on a website called louandpaul2012 which is a website for Lou’ and Paul’s wedding, it will have their wedding photos on there, and people can post what they think of the wedding, or what ever they want to.

Also the cool thing is that soon you will be able to buy them their wedding gifts from the website using PayPal, and the gifts on there will be exactly what they want, like a bottle of wine, or a camel ride in the sunset.

I am really happy with what I have done with the website.

Today has been one of the most useful days here becasue I have learn’t how to create a website from scratch using wordpress! This has been really interesting to see how much I can change on a website, and looking at themes to use. I have been working on a website from scratch, selecting the theme and adding content. I was also shown how to edit a bit on a theme in HTML which is really usefull too.