May 5, 2016 / News

Introducing Blogging U. On Demand

Never miss a registration window for Blogging U. again!

Over the past two and a half years, tens of thousands of newly-minted bloggers have kicked off their blogging careers with a Blogging U. course to help them learn the WordPress ropes and get comfortable with the ins and outs of blogging. Now that’s even easier: Blogging U. courses are available on demand.

Effective help is available when you need it, not on someone else’s schedule. Starting today, you can begin a Blogging U. course whenever you’d like! Visit the Blogging U. home page at any time to get started. Blogging: Learning the Fundamentals (formerly Blogging 101: Zero to Hero), Blogging: Commenting Basics (formerly Commenting Bootcamp), and a new course, Writing: Intro to Poetry, are available right now, with more courses on blogging, writing, photography, and website building coming soon.

Click on any course title to visit that course’s page for more detail on what it covers and click the “Start” button to begin a course, or read on to learn more about the changes to Blogging U. and what’s coming next.

FAQs

I’ve been to blogger conferences, and this has more meat and potatoes, advice, and real help than I’ve ever gotten anywhere else… plus this is free, which is remarkable!

– A Mother’s Shadow

How do I start a course?

Visit the page for the course you’re interested in and click the “Start” button — that’s it! If you’re logged in to WordPress.com, you’ll receive an introductory email right away, and your first assignment a few minutes later. If you’re not logged in, we’ll prompt you to do so, and you’re off and running.

What if I want to stop?

No problem — every email you’ll receive includes an unsubscribe link at the bottom. Click it, and the course stops.

This won’t affect any of your other WordPress.com emails, like notifications. And if you want to give the course another try, you can register again.

How many courses can I take? Can I take them more than once?

As many as you’d like, as many times as you’d like. We recommend taking one course at a time — blogging is fun, but that doesn’t mean it can’t also be overwhelming! — but you’re free to take multiple courses simultaneously.

What happened to the courses on writing, photography, and intermediate/advanced blogging?

We haven’t forgotten about them. We’re working hard to adapt them, and will be adding them to the lineup as soon as we can, along with other, brand-new courses on building a website, advanced photography, and more.

Hey, the course names seem different! Are these the same courses that have been offered in the past?

We’ve updated the course names to make them clearer and more descriptive, so you can more easily decide exactly what course is right for you. We’ll always let you know if a course is the same as something we’ve offered previously, or something new.

What if I need assistance during the course?

Every assignment includes expert advice from our staff as well as links to more resources and to our customer support folks, called Happiness Engineers. Blogging U. courses no longer have private sites for those participating — but that doesn’t mean there’s no way to get support when you need it!

How do I connect with other bloggers during my course?

Reaching out to other bloggers helps participants get the most out of Blogging U. courses. We encourage you to use the tag for your course when publishing posts (e.g., #bloggingfundamentals) and to browse that tag in the Reader to find and connect with other bloggers. If you don’t know what tag to use or browse, don’t worry — when you begin a course, we’ll tell you.

We also have a weekly Community Pool thread here where anyone can seek or give feedback on any aspect of blogging. A new thread opens every Monday.

What if I don’t blog on WordPress.com?

All general assignments (publishing posts, customizing your blog, leaving comments, etc) are applicable to any blog, anywhere. However, you’ll need to have a WordPress.com account to register for a Blogging U. course, and any specific how-to guidance we offer will be specific to WordPress.com.

How much does each course cost?

Nothing. Blogging U. courses have always been free, and still are.

Ready to register? Head to the Blogging U. home page to get started!

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    1. oh i meant to ask and i have typps blogging typos i should say. this may sound silly but on demand is anythime any day right ? so when a course closes i can still take it and communicate with other bloggers? maybe u say this. blessings

      Liked by 1 person

  2. This is so awesome! I found out accidentally the other day that you had started “on demand” classes. Thank you guys for doing this. Makes my blogging experience so much richer!

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Very good idea! I’ve taken three Blogging U courses in the last year and loved them, and having them On-Demand is a great way for new people to get involved right away.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. This is great!

    One question, in my “My Sites” list I have a bunch of old Blogging U blogs that I was added to when I signed up. I can’t find a way to remove myself from them. Help!

    Thanks

    Liked by 2 people

  10. This is great. I asked the same question to the .com team on Twitter today. Glad to know that 101 is back. The Commons going away is hard but it makes sense. All of that was essentially throwing a website and a domain away after one month of use. I’m sure the new model makes use of some other away to keep in touch with the (students??) and still be able to maintain the momentum of 1-1 interactions from the Commons.

    And, I wanted to ask this question for a long time. Now it doesn’t matter since Commons don’t exist but still…what if a user creates a blog with a URL that can be used for a future Blogging U course? Say blogging101 June 2017 . WordPress dot com? Do you guys take it back? Or it isn’t allowed in the first place?

    Liked by 3 people

  12. I have to say, all the support WordPress offers is fantastic. I’m loving all the opportunities to learn and connect with other bloggers.

    Liked by 3 people

  15. I am new blogger here trying to write on religous ecumenism and a intelligent discourse on Christianity and Religous Pluralism *(Selfless plug haha)*

    But everytime I read these things and new options I realize I really need to start studying and utilizing all the features that are available to me through wordpress! Seems like a crazy amount of good options for us bloggers now 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

  23. Disappointed with not having a group to begin with. I don’t see the opportunity to build “community” like was possible when there were beginning and ending dates. And no Commons? Please. Community pool lacks cohesiveness, nothing to hold groups together. I don’t know how to get acquainted there. And it seems like it is just for asking questions or getting advice – not friendship. Guess you can tell I’m disappointed. However, I will probably try another poetry class just to prove I can adapt if I have to!

    Liked by 3 people

      1. Thank you, Eric. I do belong to another alumni group and enjoy being there, but I don’t know of any reason not to belong to another. I am going over to check things out. Perhaps I can use your invitation to introduce myself.

        Liked by 2 people

  26. Great concept 🙂 I’ve been waiting for a blogging U to come up – kind of gutted that there’s no commons though, always loved visiting the commons and connecting with others properly

    Liked by 1 person

  27. As a seasoned blogger, Blogging U doesn’t do much for me. What I like is the community and friend-building Blogging U brings. Has that disappeared?

    Liked by 1 person

    2. The Commons sites are no longer a part of Blogging U., but we’re actively looking for new ways to create spaces where you can have that kind of interaction.

      Like

  28. I am new to wordpress and to blogging and i am really excited about starting these blogging U courses. Was starting to feel a little overwhelmed with the idea of blogging. I hope these courses will help me.

    Liked by 2 people

  30. I get why this is happening, but I think moving to this model will lead to more people not finishing courses. The fact of doing a course in a time frame with others also submitting assignments at the same time really helps a cohort complete. Hope it works out for people though.

    Liked by 1 person