The document discusses ways for individuals to get involved in and contribute to the WordPress community. It outlines that there are two types of community members - subscribers and contributors. While subscribing is fine, the document encourages becoming a contributor by helping with tasks like translating, creating videos, testing, or providing support. It dispels myths that one needs to be a coder or extrovert to contribute and emphasizes that any knowledge or skills can be shared. Local meetups and online groups are mentioned as ways to get involved both online and offline.
How I Got My Publishing Deal (Beautiful Serendipity)Denise Jacobs
Some say getting a book published is difficult, but it doesn't have to be. By leveraging your social networks and relying on happy accidents, you can publish your book too.
How I Got My Publishing Deal (Beautiful Serendipity)Denise Jacobs
Some say getting a book published is difficult, but it doesn't have to be. By leveraging your social networks and relying on happy accidents, you can publish your book too.
How The Open Data Community Died - A Warning From The FutureChris Taggart
Honest assessment of the difficulties facing open data, and routes to overcome them. Presentation given to Open Government Camp, Warsaw, October 21, 2011
Anuj Adhiya PLANITWIDE
Anuj Adhiya will show how PlanitWide, a 3-person startup, uses Trello-rather than email–for tracking task management internally.
New Media Made Easy - Introduction to Social Media June 2009David Perry
A presentation by Andres Acosta, Social Media Associate at DavidPerry.com.
http://www.davidperry.com/workshop
Follow the seminar hashtag on twitter: #DPASEMINAR
Many successful businesses began in the WordPress plugin or theme repositories. If you’re like most developers, you’ve wondered if your development could make enough money to support yourself and possibly a small business. In this session Garth Koyle from Event Espresso will teach you how to evaluate whether there is a market for your code and if it’s worth the effort. Garth will also demonstrate several of the tools, strategies and methodologies he pioneered to win $40,000 in a business plan competition.
Design in WordPress: Three files, unlimited layouts #wcstlWordCamp
In WordPress, doing creative things with design can seem like a job for a coding superstar. But it's not - you just need to be willing to cut, paste and edit three files. Do that, and you can make a WordPress site look like anything you want!
Wordpress Plugin Development Practicesserversideup
These slides are from a presentation given by Dan Pastori of 521 Dimensions that were presented at Milwaukee Wordcamp in June of 2012. These slides represent the best practices when it comes to developing a Wordpress Plugin.
WooCommerce is a popular and powerful e-commerce platform, but it adds an advanced layer to your WordPress-powered website. Keeping the installation up to date requires more of you as the administrator than a blog or a basic website does. In this presentation, we give you practical tips and advice on how to build an online store that works well and will function over time.
The presentation is intended for those who have basic knowledge of WooCommerce and want to learn more about how to build an online store according to current recommendations. You don’t need to be an advanced developer to keep up with the examples we will go through.
Finding the right balance between making money and contributing to any Open Source project is hard. By sharing some of his insights, success stories and failures Jimmy hopes to help future entrepreneurs building their own Open Source-based firms.
Presented at WordCamp Norrköping 2015
Optimizing Content Visibility (St. Louis WordCamp)Teresa Lane
If you enter content in a WordPress site and no one can find it, does it make an impact? Find out how to increase the visibility of the content in your WordPress site.
How The Open Data Community Died - A Warning From The FutureChris Taggart
Honest assessment of the difficulties facing open data, and routes to overcome them. Presentation given to Open Government Camp, Warsaw, October 21, 2011
Anuj Adhiya PLANITWIDE
Anuj Adhiya will show how PlanitWide, a 3-person startup, uses Trello-rather than email–for tracking task management internally.
New Media Made Easy - Introduction to Social Media June 2009David Perry
A presentation by Andres Acosta, Social Media Associate at DavidPerry.com.
http://www.davidperry.com/workshop
Follow the seminar hashtag on twitter: #DPASEMINAR
Many successful businesses began in the WordPress plugin or theme repositories. If you’re like most developers, you’ve wondered if your development could make enough money to support yourself and possibly a small business. In this session Garth Koyle from Event Espresso will teach you how to evaluate whether there is a market for your code and if it’s worth the effort. Garth will also demonstrate several of the tools, strategies and methodologies he pioneered to win $40,000 in a business plan competition.
Design in WordPress: Three files, unlimited layouts #wcstlWordCamp
In WordPress, doing creative things with design can seem like a job for a coding superstar. But it's not - you just need to be willing to cut, paste and edit three files. Do that, and you can make a WordPress site look like anything you want!
Wordpress Plugin Development Practicesserversideup
These slides are from a presentation given by Dan Pastori of 521 Dimensions that were presented at Milwaukee Wordcamp in June of 2012. These slides represent the best practices when it comes to developing a Wordpress Plugin.
WooCommerce is a popular and powerful e-commerce platform, but it adds an advanced layer to your WordPress-powered website. Keeping the installation up to date requires more of you as the administrator than a blog or a basic website does. In this presentation, we give you practical tips and advice on how to build an online store that works well and will function over time.
The presentation is intended for those who have basic knowledge of WooCommerce and want to learn more about how to build an online store according to current recommendations. You don’t need to be an advanced developer to keep up with the examples we will go through.
Finding the right balance between making money and contributing to any Open Source project is hard. By sharing some of his insights, success stories and failures Jimmy hopes to help future entrepreneurs building their own Open Source-based firms.
Presented at WordCamp Norrköping 2015
Optimizing Content Visibility (St. Louis WordCamp)Teresa Lane
If you enter content in a WordPress site and no one can find it, does it make an impact? Find out how to increase the visibility of the content in your WordPress site.
It took me 1143 days to start a blog that took 5 minutes to build. Publishing anxiety is common among beginners. The funny thing is, your vulnerability and authenticity are valuable to readers. Configuring WordPress can also be a black hole of unnecessary procrastination. Very few things *need* to happen before you post (ie. basic security and a promo plan). Your first goal = publish. Everything else can wait!
Being a WordPress developer means that our main programming language is PHP. Which works for building websites but not for running tasks. In this talk I will share my experience using Node.js as a platform to build on. Explaining why I have chosen for Node.js and show you how I used Node.js to build microservices that are supporting my WordPress projects.
On April 27, 2010, tornadoes ravaged the state of Alabama. In an effort to reunite families with their lost pets, several local Birmingham women involved in animal rescue came together and began a social media campaign. The simplicity of WordPress and its ease of use allowed a site to be created in a very short period of time. It provided emergency information, volunteer coordination, and an organized forum for listings of lost and found animals that was easily accessible. As a result, local shelters were able to distribute pertinent information and lives were saved.
Slide Show used in workshop entitled Writing the Modern Press Release. Discussed: Adapting your message for modern media, tailoring messages for markets, developing your own distribution channels, networking with bloggers and social media, various forms of content.
Presented at the Fort Bend Chamber, this expanded version of the original presentation contains strategies for engaging using Social Media and a glossary at the end with tools to use when starting out.
As always, contact Lach Mullen if you have any questions.
Building Next Generation Applications With BuddyPressDavid Bisset
BuddyPress is a powerful plugin that adds a social network to your site. But as users who haven’t used BuddyPress much or at all, we might not realize it’s power and flexiblity. This talk will introduce you to BuddyPress. Then it will show you how to start seeing the possiblities BuddyPress can offer and how to creatively intergrate it into sites you’re building for agencies, small businesses, enterprise clients, higher-education, and even your own personal projects. When we’re done, your mind will be filled with exciting new ideas of how to build better and cooler websites for your clients and yourself… all thanks to BuddyPress!
Kubernetes & AI - Beauty and the Beast !?! @KCD Istanbul 2024Tobias Schneck
As AI technology is pushing into IT I was wondering myself, as an “infrastructure container kubernetes guy”, how get this fancy AI technology get managed from an infrastructure operational view? Is it possible to apply our lovely cloud native principals as well? What benefit’s both technologies could bring to each other?
Let me take this questions and provide you a short journey through existing deployment models and use cases for AI software. On practical examples, we discuss what cloud/on-premise strategy we may need for applying it to our own infrastructure to get it to work from an enterprise perspective. I want to give an overview about infrastructure requirements and technologies, what could be beneficial or limiting your AI use cases in an enterprise environment. An interactive Demo will give you some insides, what approaches I got already working for real.
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
13. HOW YOU CAN HELP TRANSLATE:
Visit https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/
TRANSLATE!
Weekly Meeting (On Slack):
Wednesdays at 06:00 UTC-4 in #polyglots
14. HOW YOU CAN HELP WITH VIDEO:
Visit https://make.wordpress.org/tv/
VIDEOS!
Weekly Meeting (On Slack):
Thursdays at13:00 UTC-4 in #wptv
15. HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Visit https://make.wordpress.org/accessibility/
ACCESSIBLE!
Weekly Meeting (On Slack):
Mondays at 19:00 UTC in #accessibility
Twitter: @WPaccessibility
27. HOW YOU CAN HELP TEST:
Beta Releases of WordPress are announced on the official blog:
https://wordpress.org/news/
HELP BETA TEST
WordPress Beta Tester Plugin:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/
Follow @WordPress on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/WordPress/
28. “I need to be an extrovert to get involved.”
MYTH #2
29. “I need to be an extrovert to get involved.”
MYTH #2
31. TAMPA AREA MEETUPS:
Tampa (Alison Foxall)
CoWork Tampa or Cowork Ybor
Brandon (Alphonso Montibello)
Bloomingdale Regional Library
St. Petersburg (Jim True)
The Iron Yard
New Tampa (Thomas Giella)
New Tampa Regional Library
New Port Richey (Thomas Townsend)
Gulf Coast Networking
Safety Harbor (Tony Leary)
Venue Varies Month-To-Month
ATTEND A MEETUP
http://www.meetup.com/
32. TAMPA AREA MEETUPS:
Tampa (Alison Foxall)
CoWork Tampa or Cowork Ybor
Brandon (Alphonso Montibello)
Bloomingdale Regional Library
St. Petersburg (Jim True)
The Iron Yard
New Tampa (Thomas Giella)
New Tampa Regional Library
New Port Richey (Thomas Townsend)
Gulf Coast Networking
Safety Harbor (Tony Leary)
Venue Varies Month-To-Month
GET INVOLVED
http://www.meetup.com/
33. IF YOU ARE READING THIS SLIDE
YOU CAN HELP
AT WORDCAMPS
37. HOW YOU CAN VOLUNTEER:
Sign Up On The Mailing List:
http://bit.ly/1Ku2sDu
http://wordcamp.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?
u=f577122059b99f24df6aa9b97&id=bb84c65d94
VOLUNTEER
40. APPLY TO SPEAK
SECONDARY BENEFITS:
Become An Authority On Your Topic
Provides Evidence You’re An Active
Member Of The Community
You Meet New People (Networking)
Represent Your Company
41. APPLY TO SPEAK
PRIMARY BENEFITS:
1. You Are Giving Back Knowledge To The WordPress Community
2. You Are Helping Out Event Organizer That Are Always
Looking To Keep Their Events Fresh and Diverse.
52. TAMPA AREA MEETUPS:
Tampa (Alison Foxall)
CoWork Tampa or Cowork Ybor
Brandon (Alphonso Montibello)
Bloomingdale Regional Library
St. Petersburg (Jim True)
The Iron Yard
New Tampa (Thomas Giella)
New Tampa Regional Library
New Port Richey (Thomas Townsend)
Gulf Coast Networking
Safety Harbor (Tony Leary)
Venue Varies Month-To-Month
Online Communities:
Meetup Group
www.meetup.com/Tampa-Bay-WordPress
Facebook Group
www.facebook.com/groups/wptpa
Slack Chat
http://tampabaywp.org/chat
Mailing List
http://eepurl.com/i1LsX
Early 2008, Helen was helping a friend with a Collaborative Piano Blog. They were using Blogger. But then she heard about WordPress. And after a one-click install, she took it for a test drive. Liked it. In fact liked it so much she was using WordPress on projects at work, and she was building sites that depending on features what weren’t officially released and polished yet.
Everything was good. But in 2011 she noticed something. A tiny UI bug. You know how it can bother some people that pictures hanging on the wall aren’t completely level or if bottles on a supermarket shelve aren’t equally spaced apart? Small thing right? That’s what Helen saw and she wanted to fix it. So she wanted to submit a patch (or a fix) for that in WordPress. But naturally she was afraid of doing something wrong, wary of making a decision that come back to haunt her or WordPress later, worried that she might conflict with others, and so on.
But she didn’t let those doubts stop her - after some support her patch made it into WordPress core. Not only was that fixed in WordPress but she got great feedback which gave her a wider understanding of how code works within WordPress.
That contribution was small but it started exposing Helen to the advantages of contributing to WordPress. She went from being a user to someone actively getting involved.
There Are Two Types Of People In The WordPress Community…. at least for the purposes of this talk… and i like to label them in a similar fashion that WordPress labels it’s user roles if you know anything about that.
These are the subscribers - these are the default user types in WordPress and often are how people start their association with the WordPress community. They user WordPress themselves, read blog posts, and even attend meetups and conferences. But basically just consuming information - kind of like joining Facebook but just reading every else’s posts and not commenting or interacting. And notice how i put it in my slides that THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS TYPE OF PERSON. I used to be this person - for years I would simply be a sole freelancer using WordPress and basically trying to get as much out of WordPress without interacting with anyone else. At first i didn’t know even if was going to stay w/ WordPress but even after years using it i had some fears - and we’ll talk about those later. But in contrast to subscribers there are….
But in contrast to subscribers there are…. CONTRIBUTORS. And if we want to try to continue the analogy to WordPress user roles you could also calls these authors and editors too. Even admins. This is the group that actively gives back to the WordPress Community. When i spent years just keeping to myself on the outskirts of the WordPress Community, i kept seeing more and more people benefiting from contrubing to WordPress. Not just financially or by becoming well known, but from that smile or the way they did it you could tell they liked giving back. So eventually I became part of this group of those that give back in some way to the community. So i’m here today to tell you how you can join that this group - why you would want to - and how it can benefit you greatly.
In order to do that we need to deny some myths. Here’s the first one:
So let’s cover our first myth. And I think it’s probably the most popular one i’ve heard.
This is understandable because … well… WordPress is software. Human beings need to code it. So when there’s a new version of WordPress get released, there’s contributors. Easily over 200 contributors on every major release. Because WordPress is open source, one of it’s greatest strengths is that practically anyone can join and help improve upon it’s code base.
And that’s where many people who aren’t developers, who aren’t coders - stop. I’m not a developer.
Each of you have a flyer. It’s yours, you can take it home, etc. But right now I want you to take a good look at it. Notice 12 different teams where people like you and me can get involved with WordPress. Out of these 12, only 3…maybe 4…deal with coding primarily. That would be themes, plugins, and core. So we won’t be touching on those, but leaves us about 9 other categories right? We’ll touch on a few of these in a second, but make sure to note the link at the bottom of the flyer - make.wordpress.org.
make.WordPress.Org is the central hub for people that actively contribute to WordPress. There are teams on this site that match those on your flyer. These teams communicate and meet virtually online on a regular basis just like a group in a company.
How many here know a language other than English? You can help translate parts of WordPress, plugins, or themes to that language. Over 50% of new WordPress installs are not english, so help is needed. Get in touch with the team and you might be able to help manage and validation translations.
In case you don’t already know, wordpress.tv has all the videos of WordCamp sessions. There’s a group that approves and publish all videos and help WordCamps with video post-production and captioning and subtitling. If video is a thing for you, this would be a great way to help out.
WordPress should be accessible to everyone. That includes people with disabilities. WordPress has been making huge strides in this area but there’s alot more to be done. If helping to audit and test various items sounds interesting to you, this is an area you can reach out.
Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a coder - and many times when people say that, they’re wrong on some level anyway - your feedback can still be valuable.
Here’s an example: in WordPress Core a contributor named Robert Chapin proposed a roadmap on overhauling WordPress shortcodes. Even it involved WordPress Core code there wasn’t a need to know code to participate in this discussion - only a minimum of a broad understanding of WordPress shortcodes…which happens to be something many regular users know. And if you didn’t know, you would be educated.
The point is that you can actively participate in discussions that will shape the features and structure of WordPress for years in advance.
Each of these teams have a channel on a chat program called Slack, which you can install on your phones and computer. This is where online chat meetings take place between the teams. So for example if you are helping with buddypress or have a question about it - there’s a channel you can access. If you haven’t used Slack, check out this url in my slides.
Now when you start getting involved with a new community, especially in areas where you’re not sure how much you know relative to the others - you might be afraid of this.
“Ok, but if i say something i’ll look stupid. I don’t know anything” - This is so common of a thought that my six year olds think this and 40 year olds think this exact same thing. I’ll give you three words: TAKE THE LEAP. Nobody in this forums is an einstein and helping people is what they do. Nobody knows everything and everyone is just helping everyone else. If there is a prerequisite is that once you know something, share it.
TAKE THE LEAP. Nobody in on these teams is an Einstein - but everyone is genuinely has similar goals. Nobody knows everything and everyone is just helping everyone else. If there is a prerequisite it’s this:
Once you know something, share it.
And this is a perfect transition to showcase one of the best ways that anyone with a computer can contribute to WordPress….
.. the WordPress Support Forums. This the most popular and best place people come to when they have questions about WordPress online is the WordPress forums. https://wordpress.org/support/ (how many people have asked a question or read a response?) Share your knowledge. We all have something to share, something we know. I’ve heard someone say this..
“If you can log into the WordPress dashboard, you already know enough to share and help people”.
And this is literally true. I’ve seen people helping others with logging in or even before that step - with installation or hosting.
Many times users have used this one plugin that someone else is having a problem with. Even if you aren’t a coder, you might have solved the issue before or could at least confirm that issue? Believe me you don’t know how much plugin authors appreciate that kind of help from the community.
The point is - don’t underestimate yourself - everyone has something to share.
All that it takes to get starting using the chat and participating in the make.wordpress.org site is to have a wordpress.org account. If you don’t have one, it’s easy to create one. Go to this url and in a few minutes you’ll have an account.
Another great way of contributing without coding but greatly helping those who do code is by helping beta test. If you have a site (not a client site, but perhaps a personal site or a test site) you can install the latest WordPress betas and report on any issues you encounter. There is no such things as too many beta testers.
Extroverts enjoy social situations and even seek them out and most of us might not be these people. i’m a forced extrovert. I never was really a social person, I still can’t be those cool hip social guys you see in those after parties (i’m serious, come tonight and i’ll demonstrate this perfectly for you). I mainly forced myself to be more social because i wanted to make sure I could put food on my table for my family, which means making sure my business is stable and grows, which means basically networking and being around people.
But why focus on this myth? Because some of the best ways to contribute is to your LOCAL community. And that many times requires walking out your front door or at least interacting with others. And many times this is overlooked as a way to contribute and give back, but i personally think that it’s pretty darn important.
In fact I firmly believe that without meetups, WordCamps, and the passionate people that teach others about WordPress in classrooms, etc. - we wouldn’t be at 24% of the web today.
So the first step to getting more involved locally would be attending a meetup. There’s a saying that if there isn’t a meetup in your area or one that meets at a convenient time, start one. Fortunately there are a few in the general area if you live in or around Tampa and here they are.
Some meetups might live stream, most don’t - so showing up in person is typically the norm.
Show up at one. But after a while… perhaps offer to help out. Help maybe with the food or setting up. And the best thing way to contribute is sharing. Everyone has a story. Your meetup organizers would DIE to have someone talk about something even if it’s for a few minutes. Trust me!!!!
The same can apply to WordCamps…
Now obviously you’re already attending a WordCamp, except for people on the livestream. So if you’re listening to me now and physically here, you can help at WordCamps.
Different ways you can volunteer at a WordCamp:
Registration
Happiness Bar
Helping With Food, Drinks, After Parties
Most of the help WordCamps need doesn’t involve any particular set of skills.
Different ways you can volunteer at a WordCamp:
Registration
Happiness Bar
Helping With Food, Drinks, After Parties
Most of the help WordCamps need doesn’t involve any particular set of skills.
Different ways you can volunteer at a WordCamp:
Registration
Happiness Bar
Helping With Food, Drinks, After Parties
Most of the help WordCamps need doesn’t involve any particular set of skills.
Here’s how you can volunteer for the next WordCamp Tampa.
There are also other WordCamps in the area that are coming up that will need your help.
Remember that WordCamps can never have enough volunteers. More volunteers mean less stress for the organizers and allows other volunteers to catch more of the program.
Another way to contribute to WordPress is applying to speak. If you speak at a WordCamp, you’re giving your time and usually some money to being able to share your knowledge to others.
It’s natural to think “what’s in it for me”. And you know what? I’ll touch on that briefly. But it can benefit you a great deal.
This second point is so valuable because many would agree that the tech conference scene isn’t diverse enough. The more people that can be encouraged to apply and share their knowledge, their stories - that’s a step in the right direction in terms of having an enjoyable and diverse program at WordCamps that a wider variety of people can enjoy.
1. this is probably the most understandable myth. many of us don’t have much if any free time. we have to make time. But what’s great about contributing is that you can usually do it when and how you want. how long does it take to answer a question on the forums? a few minutes? helping to translate WordPress? an hour a week or month? and the time you invest in will actually benefit you as well as we’ve talked about.
if you don’t have time to help, help someone else help. maybe there’s something you can do or help with that can give your local meetup organizer a break. help spread the word about your meetups and events in other local meetups.
money - there’s always money. Sponsoring WordCamps and meetups primarily. I know some people buy just that lowest “individual or small business”sponsorship at WordCamp Miami - which is I can’t remember maybe $100 or less - just because they want to give back because they make money off of WordPress. I know some people that just by paper plates to a meetup.
Newsflash: You don’t need to know how to code. Take this flyer with you and see if anything here seems interesting to you. And remember that giving feedback or testing new WordPress betas also helps a great deal.
Helping out at the wordpress.org forums is one of the best ways to share your knowledge. It’s something you can do for a few minutes at practically any time you want. The same logic goes for happiness bars at WordCamps as well.
By reaching out to speak at meetup and WordCamps you are helping the organizers and giving back knowledge to your community.
Consider helping your local meetup and WordCamps by attending, volunteering, and truly make an effort to speak at them as well.
So while’s there nothing wrong with being a subscriber, if you want to strengthen your bond with the WordPress community… consider being a contributor.
Remember Helen? She went from simply being a user to being a contributor. In fact she was made a lead developer for the WordPress project as a whole in February 2015. She told me: “Being able to work from anywhere, with a huge amount of flexibility, mostly reporting to myself, on something I really truly believe in - and get paid well for it! - is incredibly satisfying and almost impossible to believe sometimes. I've also made incredible friendships and been challenged intellectually.”
Her path isn’t that much different from that path others have taken.
These are some people that are at WordCamp Tampa this weekend that are contributors. Most are at the after party and will be here tomorrow. These people all contribute to WordPress in different ways. Some of these are code contributors, some organizers of events, and some are organizing their own unique projects. If you want to learn more about the different ways you can contribute… talk to them and they’ll tell you why they contribute. They don’t bite, good people and you have now something to talk about it’s up there on the slides.
If you live in the Tampa area please look at this slide for specific ways to get involved.
My Name is David Bisset. I’m a full-time WordPress freelancer. I write code but majority of my time contributing to WordPress is helping with meetups and events. My website is davidbisset.com, you can follow me on twitter at dimensionmedia, and if you have questions i’ll be at the after party these evening and here tomorrow. Thank you.
