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Create and Launch a Website

Develop your website -- and your career as an internet writer and editor

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Create and Launch a Website

WHEN 8 weeks, September 25 - November 20
Online chats: Tuesdays, 9-10 pm EST

WHERE Online. Click here for information.

LEVEL Intermediate/advanced

PRICE
$599 ($575 for )
more info

Course Details

With more advertising dollars than ever before flowing to the Web, the opportunities for content-based websites have never been greater. But what if you're a "word person" and couldn't tell Java, XML and CSS apart if your life depended on it? Perhaps you've never heard of SEO or a CMS or maybe (shock! horror!) you've never read a blog or spent time on MySpace.

You're not alone. Talented editors and writers who understand online content have a big role in creating top-quality editorial, thereby delivering those proverbial eyeballs to advertisers wanting to tap burgeoning online audiences. In this course, you'll learn how to create compelling content -- for your own site or your employer's -- and also come away with a working knowledge of what it takes to pull off the launch of a good site. You'll also gain a better understanding of some of the most common advertising models and current trends driving the Web today. Weekly chats will include guest hosts at the top of their respective fields. This class is designed for writers and editors.

In this class, you can expect to learn:

  • What you need for the successful launch of a content-driven site
  • The roles designers, tech folks, and your business staff play
  • How to develop a sound content plan on which to build a business plan
  • What makes a good online user experience and how to create and edit content
  • The roles of design and technology in a content-driven website
  • How search engine optimization (SEO) and internet marketing build site traffic
  • What happens during a launch



Note: This class will not cover e-commerce sites and will not provide in-depth discussions of design or technology capabilities, software or trends. These topics will be discussed only in the context of their place in enhancing a content-driven site to give students a working knowledge of these areas and the role they play in creating the best possible editorial with which to reach your audience. This course will not include the creation of a business plan.

By the end of class, students can expect to have:
A solid foundation with which to take your site forward and turn it into a reality

Admission Requirements:
Experience writing and editing for publications in print or online. Please submit a letter of interest (including a brief work history).

The online classroom has several interactive components:
  • Instructors post lectures once a week. You can read them online, print them, or download them at your convenience.
  • Students post completed assignments for feedback and discussion by the instructor and class.
  • Weekly chats allow your class to get together via instant message. Transcripts are available for review if you can't attend.
  • Technical support is available from mediabistro staff.

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Instructor Bio

Dana Rousmaniere's Courses

No courses available at this time.

Dana Rousmaniere
Dana Rousmaniere has more than 10 years experience working as a writer, editor, producer, and content manager for online publications. Dana has held positions as Managing Editor of FitPregnancy.com, Senior Producer/Group Product Manager at Lycos.com, Senior Producer at Lifetime Television Online, and New Media Editor for Hearst Publishing. She's written, edited, and produced online content for publications including Good Housekeeping, Healthy Living, The Atlantic Monthly, US Weekly, YM, and Rosie magazine, and has helped create marketing mini-sites for Random House Publishing, Barnes & Noble.com, and The Literary Guild/Book of the Month Club.
Dana earned her B.A. in English from Cornell University. A bookworm with a brown belt in tae kwon do, she recently returned from backpacking around the world to settle down north of Boston, Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and baby-on-the-way.

Testimonials


Dana was a great instructor. She really knew her stuff and was keen to encourage us in our search for employment. She also posted extra podcasts for us to listen to in our free time. Highly recommended. -- Lesley McCave

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