Fenixworkshop

Frequently Asked Questions

So you still have questions? Here are some of the ones that come up after people read the entire website. Please feel free to contact us about these or others that may not be answered here.

Table of Contents

General Questions

  • Do I have to have a high speed connection to work on my website from home?
    • No. As long as you have an internet connection, you can work on your site. If your site contains movies or lots of images, then you will want a high speed connection, but it is not required.
  • Do I have to have a web address already?
    • No. We will teach you how to get a web address if you want one. We will set you up with a generic web space for the duration of the course.
  • If I have a website up, can I change it? Do I have to own it?
    • Yes, you can edit your existing class with the information we teach. You do not have to own the website, but you do have to know the password information required to change files on the server.
  • Will I be able to build my website during class?
    • Yes. In general, about half of each class is spent in lecture and about half is lab time. The instructor is there for the entire period to help with specific questions and general guidance.
    • The workshops we teach are very "hands on". All classes have a one-to-one ratio of people to computers unless otherwise noted in the workshop description.
  • Will I have access to my website outside of class?
    • Yes. Everything is cross-platform and standards based. You will be able to edit your website/homework from any computer that is connected to the internet, from anywhere in the world! It is the "world wide web" for a reason, afterall.
  • Is there any followup or free consultation after I've completed my workshop?
    • No. Depending on the course you take, we do offer free internet hosting for 3 months after you complete the workshop, with an option to pay a nominal yearly fee after that (the yearly fee works out to less than $5 per month).
  • Do I have to buy the software at the end of the class or is it part of the registration fee? Do I get a discount on software? How do I know it will work on my existing computer?
    • In many cases, you do not need any additional software besides what you already have. For example, even though we'll teach you how to edit HTML using BBEdit, HTML can be edited with any TEXT editor, including the standard WordPad in Microsoft Windows and TextEdit in Mac OS X. No additional software is necessary.
    • Of course, if you take a specific course to learn an application (Dreamweaver, FileMaker Pro, Photoshop, Microsoft Office, etc), then it will be up to you to get the software for your home computer. We are not a software reseller, but we can show you where to get the software if you don't already have it.

Location Questions

  • Where are the workshops taught?
    • On September 30, 2008, we closed our Downtown Portland location. All workshops are now taught as private tutoring. We can come to your location to teach.

Workshop Course Questions

  • What if I'm only interested in one part of your workshop? Do I have to pay for and sit through the whole thing?
  • What's the difference between the Dreamweaver workshop and the HTML workshop?
    • Dreamweaver is an application with its own menus and windows. You use Dreamweaver to build web pages and the course will teach you how to use Dreamweaver to do exactly that.
    • HTML is the language of the web. Dreamweaver creates HTML pages for you so you don't have to know anything about HTML. But like driving a car, if you are proficient at the "under the hood" stuff, then you can make the car perform better. HTML is the "under the hood" stuff in Dreamweaver.
  • Will I get any hard copy instruction/cheat sheets or am I on my own?
    • We have handouts for every workshop. If you are in an extended workshop, you will receive handouts in every class.
  • Does the website really work when I'm done with the class? How do I keep it working? What if I need help or want to make a change later — do I have to take the whole class over again?
    • The purpose of our workshop trianing is so that you can maintain your own website after you've completed the course. You will have the basic tool set you need and should be comfortable with making edits to your site.
    • If you need help that is beyond the scope of what we taught, then we can encourage you to take another workshop (see discounts for multiple courses above).