WordCamp PDX 2011
WordPress Conference
The first day of WordCamp PDX Unconference was well worth attending. I met some great new local talent as well as learned some new ideas and techniques that will benefit all my clients. I so appreciate the vibrant and talented WordPress enthusiasts here in the Portland Vancouver area and have benefited from attending WordCamp the past 3 years.
Some of what I have picked up so far:
- There are vibrant local Musicians that ar3e using WordPress successfully here in the Portland area
- A number of new and very useful Plugins – keep an eye out for the video reviews of these plugins at AskDotty.com very soon
- Ideas to better enhance the client experience when using WordPress as a CMS
I am looking forward to learning more this afternoon.
WordCamp Portland: More Than Just WordPress
Lesson in Human Nature: Bloggers Band Together
I attended WordCamp (#wcpdx) for the first time this weekend. I have never attended any event in the past where Bloggers, Designers, Coders, and SEO Experts were all together in one place. It was way more than I expected. I expected to learn:
- Tips and Tricks about WordPress
- More Plugin information
- How to get the most from your WP install
- Pushing the limits of WP
- SEO Tips and Tricks
I did learn all of these things, but the best lessons were more intangible. I learned that in Portland there is a very close nit community of Bloggers and Tech people in general – and they all get along, talk to each other, and help each other out. There was people of all learning levels – from beginner to very advanced (Matt Mullenweg) and nobody felt “talked down to”. I am so used to tech people making the average person feel like an idiot – it was very refreshing to see the professionalism with all the attendees. I think everyone walked away form the WordCamp with new information and a desire to make WP better and get more out of their blogs. I left the conference knowing there are more people out there like me.
One of my favorite parts of Wordcamp was meeting some of my Twitter friends in person. Until this weekend these people were just online friends, now I can put the face to a personality and a real individual. Some of the people I met are:
- Brandi Kajino
- Lorelle
- Dale Chumbley
- Matt Mullenweg (never thought I would ever meet the creator of WP)
- Ed Bejarana
- Cami Kaos and Dr. Normal
- Numerous other local Bloggers
This weekend was a great learning opportunity for improving my WordPress skills as well as my business skills. I will definitely be attending more of these events.
Dotty
