Are you wanting to learn more about WordPress? From mainstream websites to personal blogs, WordPress is one of the most important and powerful publishing platforms today. There’s a wealth of information of information available online, but it can be very difficult to learn everything there is to know about something as big as WordPress from scattered blog posts and articles. That’s where Digging into WordPress fits in. Keep reading for our review of the latest version of this impressive book, and for an opportunity to win one of 2 copies we’re giving away this week!
Digging into WordPress is a great eBook that gives you a through WordPress education in a fun and exciting way. It is aimed at users that know at least some HTML, CSS, and PHP, but if you even have the slightest knowledge of web design and have a strong desire to push on and learn more, you’ll be able to learn a lot from this book. Best of all, it was recently updated for WordPress 3.0! Whether you’re still trying to learn your way around WordPress, are trying to hack your favorite Elegant Theme or WooTheme to work the way you want, or are trying to become the new 3rd most important person in WordPress, this is the book for you. It covers all the following and more:
- Unique ways to secure your WordPress site
- Great ways to incorporate Twitter and other social media into your site
- In depth SEO information
- Using WordPress as a CMS with custom Taxonomies, fields, post types, and more
- Creating and using WordPress child themes
- Over 20 pages devoted to the latest WordPress 3.0 features, including WordPress MultiSite, custom menus, and more, with WP 3.0 specific updates throughout the book
With all that content, Digging into WordPress is a massive eBook, with nearly 450 pages of tips, tricks, and instruction. It’s also a beautiful book that looks great on your netbook or eReader screen!
If you’re a visual learner, Digging into WordPress will be especially helpful. It frequently includes screenshots of websites and WordPress admin screens to illustrate what its talking about. The whole book is beautifully designed, which makes it a pleasure to read while still giving you a ton of WordPress instruction.
The book is filled with sample code that can help you do exactly you want to with your WordPress themes and backend PHP, even if you only have a basic understanding of PHP coding. You always learn more when you learn by doing, so be sure to try out the code on your own site or WordPress test install so you’ll really understand how it works. And if you’re already an advanced WordPress developer, it can be a great resource of code snippets for those little, hard-to-remember functions.
But it’s not all code, work, and study … Digging into WordPress is fun, too. It’s filled with funny and inspirational quotes, pointers, and off-the-wall remarks that break up the monotony of studying. This book is as informative as a textbook, but if you’re any bit into web development, it’ll be as fun to read as a tech book can be.
As mentioned before, the book has been fully updated with WordPress 3.0 information, so you’ll be armed with the latest tools when you set off to create your own new themes. Best of all, if you purchase a copy of Digging into WordPress (or have purchased one in the past), you’ll receive free updates to the book when they’re published! So you’ll learn about WP 3.0 today, and will also get the latest information when new versions of WordPress are released in the future. Technology changes daily, so too often, books are outdated as soon as you buy them. Not Digging into WordPress … it’s a living eBook 
We’re very impressed with the content and quality of this book, and highly recommend it. If you’d like to see more, be sure to check out the free sample chapter. Or take a look around the companion site, DigWP.com; it includes an amazing amount of WordPress tips and tricks, such as this great tip on using Tumblr-style link posts in WordPress!
Usually, when I finish reading a tech book, I think I wish it’d covered *whatever* better, but this book left no room for missing information. You’re supposed to point out where books came short in reviews, but I couldn’t find anything to critique. 450 pages of content, up to date information, full-color graphics, and free updates in the future … what’s not to love? If you’re wanting to learn more about WordPress, this is the book to get!
Win a Free Copy of Digging Into WordPress
Best of all, we’re giving away 2 PDF copies of Digging Into WordPress! To enter, simply leave a comment below and let us know why you want to read Digging into WordPress, or follow us on Twitter (@techinch for just Techinch posts, or @maguay for more random tech stuff and interesting posts), and tweet the following or just click Tweet at the bottom of this post:
Win a free copy of Digging into WordPress from @techinch! http://bit.ly/digwp3
Important: Make sure to mention @maguay or @techinch in the Tweet, or we may not see it and won’t be able to count it in this contest!
Want a better chance at winning? Leave a comment and retweet this post for 2 entries! The contest closes at midnight Friday, September 10th, EST time, so make sure to comment before then.
And a special thanks to Chris Coyier and Jeff Starr, the authors of Digging into WordPress, for sponsoring this contest.
Purchase Digging into WordPress
If you don’t win the contest, don’t despair. You can still purchase a copy and learn all the great tips yourself. The eBook version costs $27, and comes with fully free updates. Digging into WordPress has already gone through 3 major versions, and if you purchased a previous version, you automatically got a new copy for download as soon as it came out. It even includes several WordPress themes for free! This all makes it one of the best WordPress book deals available. You’ll be able to take advantage of all the tips and information in the current version, and will be able to keep your knowledge up to date as WordPress evolves!
Find Out More and Purchase Digging Into WordPress today!
This sounds like an exciting book! Especially for beginners and advanced users of WordPress. Nice find!
Been using WordPress for about 2 years and I’m sure I’ve only just scratched the surface of what it can do. I’ve read good things about Digging into WordPress and would love to be in with a change of winning a copy.
I’d like a copy because I’m really playing with the idea of setting up a blog for my many ramblings on movie reviews to my amateur thoughts on politics.
I’d like a copy because I’m really playing with the idea of setting up a blog for my many ramblings on movie reviews to my amateur thoughts on politics.
I just started working with wordpress. I would love to learn as much as I can about the ends-and-out of this wonderful software.
I need this book.
I would love to win this! I recently started working with WordPress. It’s amazing, but I want to know everything I can about it.
This looks really useful…would love to have it (hint hint)
Sounds like an awesome book! My girlfriend is just starting to blog professionally and I know we’d both like to read it. I might buy it…. if I don’t win it!
Please, I need this book, because it’s the really cool knowledges for me.
Sounds like a ebook i could learn alot from. Things i would do to own it.
I WANT IT! AWESOME EBOOK!
thanks for writing such an awesome book and contributing to the web community.
I’m just getting started with WordPress, having decided to buy some hosting and domain names so that I can blog about an upcoming experience of a lifetime. I’d like to incorporate more into my site and am using this as a learning experience to better myself at my job as well. I’d love a copy of the book so that I can get the most out of all of this.
This looks like a really good book. I’m going to have to recommend it to a few of my friends also.
i’d like to have this book cause this year is my graduation year from university , and my project will be a website , so i need to impress them to get “A”
regards
I really need this one if given a chance, i started my self-hosted wordpress blog a month ago and i need this to enhance the most of wordpress..
http://www.yethz.com
Hi there. this would be a great learning tool for me. I am trying to build a blog for a nonprofit – teaching art to children of abuse – using creativity to help deal with the pain of abuse and abandonment. I have started looking at wordpress for this, but this would make it easier. Thanks! Katherine in Kennesaw
Yes… I would like to win Digging In To WordPress 3. The book is not for me, but my wife (an English teacher) who just started a blog for her AP students.
Aloha!
This looks great! Thanks for creating such a body of knowledge!
this is real cool
I want to switch away from the Blogger engine. I’ve already decided on WordPress based on posts at How-To Geek, and this book looks like a great help to get started.
I want this, I’m a designer and I have some basic knowledge about PHP and blogging platforms, this could be excellent for my skills.
Thank you
I want this book. This would help out a ton for my infant blog.
I just started my first WordPress blog this week. I know this book could teach me some stuff on how to do my blog better!
This could be really useful for me as i’m a web developper and don’t know a lot about WP. I could offer more services to my customers. Seems like a very interesting learning tool !
I had not seen this book on stands in my country (India) although I went through many stores. Still as I am watching Chris’ WordPress tutorial videos regularly in iTunes I expect the book will deliver a lot which I had also felt on viewing his tutorials. In fact i am building my site based on WP just with a lot of help from Chris indirectly.
Thanks Chris. Soon expect to reach the book.
Please I need to have this book. I want to really start my new blog and I really wanna study WordPress
I am trying to learn how to use wordpress, I really need the help of a ebook. please let me win
I want to stay up to date on new techniques to use on word press and let others know about them as well.
For beginners, I am sure this ebook is going to be an interesting read. I hope I win the draw!
I want to read it because I need to learn more about wordpress
Looks awesome. Would love to have a copy.
I’m never satisfied just knowing a little bit about something – I want ALL the little tiny technical details. This looks right up my alley!
Hi maguay,
Thanks for the giveaway. I have read the first edition of Digging into WordPress eBook and liked it. I am sure this 3 would also be a great reading.
I tweeted and retweeted this post @moetodology
Did you purchase the first edition of Digging into WordPress? If so, you should be able to get the latest version for free as mentioned above. Let us know…
No. It was a friend’s book which being lent to me.
Ah, I see
Well, the contest is now over … sorry you didn’t end up winning! Feel free to check the book out anyhow, though, if you’re wanting to learn more about WordPress; I still highly recommend it.
I would love to win a copy of this book because I’m an emerging technophobic and I’ve set up blogs for staff at the college where I teach. Tricks and tips are a great way of keeping people interested, I just need to stay ahead. My personal blog is Wannabe Techno-junkie (still under construction).
Sorry to disappoint, but our contest is closed now. If you’re wanting to learn more about WordPress, though, I would recommend you purchase a copy … it’s truly a great resource, and very thorough. Check out the sample chapter on their site and see what you think!