Category: WordCamp News

WordCamps don’t happen without valiant efforts from a whole slew of folks. From camp sponsors and volunteers, all the way up to the long-term planning team and the support team at WordCamp central, hundreds, if not thousands, of hours are poured into making local camps a reality.

As the centralized infrastructure for WordCamps has grown, our ability at the local level to connect to WordPress.org has gotten a lot sleeker. One of the first things we ask of our speakers & organizers is to provide their .org username. That’s how we can identify someone as the same person across all the various sites that exist – the camp website, the community site, and gravatar.

When we add a .org username into the profile of a speaker or organizer, it automatically pulls in helpful information, like a profile picture.

If you created your .org login a long time ago, you may or may not know that

your .org username comes with a profile!
If you’ve never taken a look at one, check out Matt Mullenweg’s for a really rich example. Your profile connects to your gravatar account, collects all of your .org activity (like reviews of plugins, or things you’ve favorited), and has a place for your gravatar image, contact information and a short bio.

As you get more involved in the various areas of WordPress over time, you’ll find that your .org profile grows! If you favorite a plugin, write a post on a community or camp site, or participate in the community in some significant way,

it appears on your profile. There are even some pretty badges that show up at the top right that signify your involvement in different areas.

Not that we need an excuse to get more involved with our favorite CMS, but .org profiles make our involvement more visible.

And there’s a bit of a thrill to knowing that all the hard work we put into making WordPress awesome – no matter what form that work takes – is recognized and recorded for the entire community to see.

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Want to get a speaker badge? We’re still accepting session submissions through midnight on August 14, so sign up now! Speakers get a yellow megaphone badge. This is a great year to throw your hat in the ring for the first time, because you have the option to give a 20-minute “lightning” talk; there’s nothing special about that, they’re just meant for shorter topics or for folks who might not want to commit to a full 50.

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Not feeling up to speaking? Our volunteer team could use you! Find out more or sign right up!

Calling all WordPress users and fans – especially those from the middle Tennessee region (we count Southern Kentucky and Northern Alabama) – we need your help to make 2016 amazing!

If you’ve ever attended a WordCamp before and thought “I can do that!” or “Why doesn’t someone talk about ____” this is your year to submit. New submitters are welcome and encouraged – the speaker team is here to help you if you’re unsure. And, of course, veteran speakers are always wanted. WordCamp Nashville is soliciting proposals for three tracks – User, Super User and Developer  (criteria for these are loosely defined below).

We are accepting proposals for 20-minute and 50-minute sessions this year, so get creative! Your session doesn’t have to be an in-depth how-to guide; although folks do love those, we want to expand the idea of a session to include content that inspires others to do awesome stuff with WordPress. If you’ve done something cool with WordPress recently – solved an interesting problem, discovered an as-yet-unconquered challenge, built something elegant, made someone’s life easier – this is the perfect opportunity to share that something cool with your WordPress neighbors.

Following WordCamp Central Guidelines, the Nashville organizing team aims to have 80 percent of presenters from this region. We’d love to see new topics and likely won’t select a speaker and session presented at another WordCamp in the last six months.

Ideas to get you thinking

 

WordCamp Nashville speakers have eager, friendly audiences wanting to learn. {Photo 2015 Chelsie Goodwin.}

At past Nashville WordCamps, some of the most popular sessions have been on using a specific tool (like Gravity Forms) with WordPress or scaling a product into a WordPress-focused business (Ninja Forms). Security concerns haven’t gone away. Our WP devs are all chatting about Jetty and the REST API. Subscription sites are a big deal these days, as is WordPress and marketing integration. And WP users who aren’t developers always want to know what plugins they should use and how to figure out what is going on when stuff stops working.

We know you have ideas – so do it! Feel free to submit more than one proposal. Submission deadline is Sunday, August 14, because we want the schedule set well before we ring the bell to start WordCamp Nashville. Okay, we don’t really ring a bell, but WordCamp Nashville is happening on September 17 and 18.

People as well as topics will fall along a spectrum so don’t worry too much about where your proposed track might fit. We help with that. To get some ideas, check out sessions from prior Nashville WordCamps:

WordCamp Nashville 2015

WordCamp Nashville 2014

And here’s a look at upcoming sessions in New Orleans and Columbus, Ohio, both of which take place August 2016.

WordCamp New Orleans

WordCamp Columbus

Submit already. You know you want to.

How we loosely define user levels

Generally, we want users to define their own level of knowledge by reading into the text for themselves.The definitions for the terms User, Super User & Developer should imply an area of interest rather than a level of required knowledge. All WordCamp attendees are invited to attend any session, regardless of skill level, and can switch back and forth between tracks at any time. Still, we put together these guidelines to help both attendees and speakers pinpoint where they’ll get the most out of their WordCamp experience.

 

User (Beginner)

A user can input text and upload media to construct a post. The user probably does not yet feel comfortable modifying code (CSS, HTML, etc.) yet to customize the available settings of a theme or a plugin. Is comfortable or getting comfortable within the admin and publishing content. Interested in learning how to use WordPress on a functional level. Functional level is defined as the following:

• Publishing content: pages and posts
• Adding a widget, a theme, a plugin
• Uploading images
• Adding a user
• Other

 

Super User (Intermediate)

A super user is very comfortable with the wp-admin. They probably ‘knows just enough to be dangerous’ – that is they are comfortable enough with WordPress to make modifications to their project, but also to troubleshoot when things may go awry through experimenting. Has installed plugins and themes. Has an understanding of the pitfalls surrounding plugin and theme compatibility. Interested in learning complex uses of WordPress:

• Utilizing specific combinations of plugins and theme for a target use.
• In-depth understanding of large plugins: caching, ecommerce, galleries, SEO, forms, etc.
• WordPress as an application.
• Other

Developer (Advanced)

A developer is comfortable with all of the skills of a ‘super user’ and is interested in or currently is utilizing WordPress to build themes, plugins, and entire projects from scratch. Has an interest in learning about following, on any level, as they directly apply to WordPress:

• Scripting languages: HTML, CSS, PHP and/ or JavaScript
• Theme and/or plugin development
• Third party integrations
• WordPress as an application
• Other

WordPress users at all levels want to learn new skills. So step up!

Session submissions for WordCamp Nashville 2016 are closed.

As we continue to build the Middle Tennessee WordPress community, we want to highlight more members in our popular “Faces of WordPress” feature on the WordCamp website. The requirements for being featured are simple:

 

(1.) Are you working with WordPress?

(2.) Do you live in the Middle Tennessee area?

 

Maybe you write plug-ins? Or perhaps you showcase your photography on your own WordPress website? Are you a teacher who uses your WordPress site to tutor students? Do you hack themes? Or maybe you design and code your themes from scratch?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, we want to feature you and your story of how WordPress makes your work awesome. Submit your story here.

 

The question isn’t why would you want to be a WordCamp Nashville sponsor. The question is why wouldn’t you?

Dozens of agencies in Middle Tennessee use WordPress to build websites for clients large and small. Such companies benefit greatly from a free and open source software like WordPress, plus the vast support ecosystem that surround it, and WordCamp sponsorships are a great way to give back to project that’s helped build their business.

2016 Sponsorship levels

Sponsorship comes with goodies, which grow with the size of the contribution. We created several levels of financial support ($1000, $750, $500, $250, $100) to make sponsorship more widely available. Take a look:

After-Party Host +$750

For any Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum sponsor, we are offering the opportunity to connect with our attendees during the Saturday afternoon “after-party” event. The After-Party host has the opportunity to connect with attendees in a more relaxed atmosphere that encourages camaraderie and fellowship among all ‘pressers. In addition to all of the benefits of the base sponsorship level, the After-Party host will also enjoy a dedicated table for promotional materials at the after-party event where camp attendees will meet to network and unwind from the exciting first day of programming.

Platinum $1000

For local and regional businesses who are looking for maximum exposure to our audience during our promotion and execution of the event, the Platinum level offers the chance to be exposed to our audience multiple times throughout the process and a dedicated table at the event. Included in this level is 8 comped tickets to the event, a mention on the sponsorship page of our website with a 300×300 space for a logo or image, inclusion of their logo in the sidebar of our website, inclusion in our list of sponsors in all email newsletter communications to our audience of over 300, inclusion in our twitter list, two thank-you tweets with a mention of the sponsor’s account, two blog posts on our event website, one email to our audience promoting the blog post of the sponsor’s choice, and dedicated space in the atrium at redpepper where attendees will enter and network throughout the first day of the event.

Gold $750

For local and regional businesses who are looking to support our event as well as connect with our audience consistently during our promotion and execution of the event, the Gold level offers the chance to be exposed to our audience multiple times throughout the process. Included in this level is six comped tickets to the event, a mention on the sponsorship page of our website with a 300×300 space for a logo or image, inclusion of their logo in the sidebar of our website, inclusion in our list of sponsors in all email newsletter communications to our audience of over 300, inclusion in our twitter list, two thank-you tweets with a mention of the sponsor’s account, two blog posts on our event website, and shared pace in the atrium at redpepper where attendees will enter and network throughout the first day of the event.

Silver $500

For local  businesses who are looking to support our event, connect with our audience online about their products and services and have a substantial visual presence at the event itself, the Silver level offers the chance to connect in-person with our audience digitally and on the weekend of the event. Included in this level is four comped tickets to the event, a mention on the sponsorship page of our website with a 250×250 space for a logo or image, inclusion of their logo in the sidebar of our website, inclusion in our list of sponsors in all email newsletter communications to our audience of over 300, inclusion in our twitter list, one thank-you tweet with a mention of the sponsor’s account, a blog post on our event website, and shared space in the atrium at redpepper where attendees will enter and network throughout the first day of the event.

Bronze $250

For local small businesses who are looking to support our event as well connect with our audience about their products and services, the Bronze level offers the chance for more than just a visual presence to our audience. Included in this level is two comped tickets to the event, a mention on the sponsorship page of our website with a 150×150 space for a logo or image, inclusion of their logo in the sidebar of our website, inclusion in our list of sponsors in all email newsletter communications to our audience of over 300, inclusion in our twitter list, one thank-you tweet with a mention of the sponsor’s account, and a blog post on our event website.

Community $150

This sponsorship level is for individuals and small business in the community who want to show their support for our event beyond volunteering and attending. Included in this level is one comped ticket to the event, a mention on our website with a 75×75 space for a logo or image, inclusion of their logo in the sidebar of our website, inclusion in our list of sponsors in all email newsletter communications to our audience of over 300, inclusion in our twitter list, and one thank-you tweet with a mention of the sponsor’s account.

In-Kind

This sponsorship level is specifically for individuals and businesses who have provided tools or content that help us make the event happen. Included in this level is one comped ticket to the event, a mention on the sponsorship page of our website with a 100×100 space for a logo or image, inclusion of their logo in the sidebar of our website, inclusion in our list of sponsors in all email newsletter communications to our audience of over 300, inclusion in our twitter list, and one thank-you tweet with a mention of the sponsor’s account.

Benefits beyond good karma

Digital marketing, design and development agencies that use WordPress support WordCamps as a way to help grow an even stronger local community. Companies that sponsor WordCamp also get their brand in front of hundreds of attendees, including a ton of awesome developers, and prime exposure on this very website.

Technology companies have used other community-organized camps in Nashville as a way to recruit talent. We’ve even heard a few reports of local WordCamp sponsors getting new gigs or clients because of the extra visibility.

And don’t forget – additional sponsorship opportunities exist for the WordCamp Speaker Dinner and the after-party on Saturday, May 16. Hashtag beer.

Become a sponsor!

It’s Official: WordCamp Nashville 2016 is September 17 & 18

Book it! WordCamp Nashville 2016 is set for Saturday AND Sunday, September 17 and 18, at redpepper and Deavor.

We believe WordCamp Nashville 2016 will be the best one yet. This two-day event, organized by members of the Nashville WordPress MeetUp, will have something for everybody. As past years, we will have three “tracks” to accommodate users of various skill sets. We also plan an expanded Help Desk on Saturday, where people can receive one-on-one assistance, and small hands-on classes that require advance sign-up. Day 2 on Sunday will be small classes and 1 track with community sessions.

You may attend any session, regardless of experience level, but we will break sessions into three general categories. Tickets, $40 each, are scheduled to go on sale at a later date and will include admission to both days of the conference, lunch on Saturday, a t-shirt and admission to the Saturday night after party.

Subscribe to our mailing list to stay in the loop ticket sales and other announcements, including lodging options, speaker submission deadlines, speaker selection and schedule updates.

This is the first year we will hold the event at redpepper and Deavor, 305 Jefferson Street, Nashville, TN 37208. The venue has awesome rooms, ample parking and easy access from both Interstates 65 and 24. So mark the date. September 17 & 18. Nashville WordCamp returns.

Build A Better WordCamp: Volunteer!

Without volunteers we are nothing!

Months of planning and preparation come down to one weekend in September, and a cadre of awesome volunteers makes the event happen. With enough volunteers, we can plan a fantastic event. We still need planning crew volunteers, so if you want to get involved – even if you’ve never been a part of the team before, we can use your help.

Sign me up to volunteer!

BECOME PART OF IT

Stay informed about ticket sales, deadlines, session lineups and other great stuff.

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