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