The Value of Someone Else’s Perspective

Most have no reason to know this, but I actually built a few websites about 20 years ago. Just enough to know that I’m not interested in being a developer, but to leave me with some interest in creating my new business website myself.

However, I knew I didn’t want to build it from scratch, or go with a pre-built theme. The answer seemed obvious: time to try a page builder.

Now, I remember the days of Dreamweaver and the shudder its name evoked in the developers around me. Seriously, the shudders were nearly audible. But from what I’d heard, page builders have come a LONG way and the time seemed right to dive in.


A Girl Walks Into A Page Builder

I picked Beaver Builder and have been poking around at it for about the last six weeks. My experience has been mixed. Getting started was fairly simple and the basic elements have been fairly self-explanatory, but there’s definitely a learning curve. Friends answered questions and I made progress, but felt kind of stalled. I was not sure where I wanted to go, but knew that I wasn’t really where I wanted to be.

So, when I saw that the new Beaver Builder 101 course from WP101 was out, I headed over to take a look. Normally, it would be a no-brainer to spend time with Carrie Dils, but then I saw the course was only 45 minutes long. My skepticism stopped me from auto-clicking the sign up link. 

Would a 45 minute beginner course be a waste of time?

I mean in no way do I think I qualify as an “experienced” Beaver Builder user, but …. 45 minutes. How much value can you really get in 45 minutes, particularly since I’d been using this for the last few weeks? The only way to know was to dive in. Plus, WP101 had some other things I needed to learn and had no experience with so it seemed the value was there even if this series just reinforced what I already knew. An added bonus was the time I spent with Carrie — she is a delight.


Spoiler Alert: I was Not Disappointed

Hold on to your hats, people, because I LEARNED something. And I didn’t just learn something, I learned exactly the little tidbits I needed to move my project forward. 

Carrie pointed out elements and settings that I had never even considered looking at, some I didn’t even know existed. She showed me where to go to get help, which I’d never thought to do. Why it never occurred to me that there might be documentation, I’ll never know. 

By showing me what I didn’t know, it sparked my interest in learning more. 

If the video had been longer, I would have learned how to use Beaver Builder according to Carrie. If I hadn’t watched it, I probably would have stuck with the mostly fine site I had in progress. Instead, the series gave me a quick look at the tool from someone else’s perspective and opened the door to new possibilities. 


This is Not a Sponsored Post

Nope. No one’s getting paid for this. Though if you fine readers or any of the fine products mentioned want to throw a few dollars in the WP Mainline pot, I’m sure it would be much appreciated. Either way I get nothing.

This is also not a push for any one product or service. There are a lot of good learning options in the WordPress space and a variety of page builders that have a healthy following.

I’m simply throwing out the idea that taking a few minutes, maybe even 45, to check out what other people are saying about the tools you use on a regular basis could be hugely beneficial. Each person approaches a topic from a different perspective with a unique history. Those things matter. Embracing them can enrich your life, give you new options, and possibly even improve your skills and workflow.