November 21, 2023 — WordPress is known for its famous 5-minute install. We’ll explore the WordPress Playground and how you can use it to spin up sites in less than 5 seconds!

What is WordPress Playground? WordPress Playground makes WordPress instantly accessible for users, learners, extenders, and contributors.

Topics we’ll explore:
– Understanding Web Assembly, the technology behind Playground
– How to use the Playground to test themes, plugins, and PHP versions quickly
– How to save Playground configurations so other people can use them easily
– Using the VS Code integration for a local version of the Playground

November 21, 2023 — Web professionals play a crucial role in building websites that not only perform effectively but also adhere to ethical and legal standards, especially regarding privacy. This presentation aims to equip web professionals with a comprehensive understanding of privacy-related topics so they can guide their clients effectively. We will explore three key subtopics:

1. The Significance of Privacy in Web Development

– Discuss the evolving landscape of privacy concerns on the internet.
– Explore the ethical and legal implications of collecting personal information on websites.
– Highlight the importance of building trust with users through privacy-conscious practices.

2. Necessity of Privacy Policies

– Explain why most websites collecting Personal Information (PI) require a Privacy Policy.
– Explore the elements and best practices for creating an effective Privacy Policy.
– Provide insights into staying compliant with various privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).

3. Web Professionals as Privacy Advocates

– Empower web professionals to proactively address privacy concerns with their clients.
– Discuss strategies for integrating privacy considerations into web development projects.
– Share resources and tools to help web professionals stay up-to-date with evolving privacy regulations.

By delving into these subtopics, this presentation will enable web professionals to not only answer their clients’ questions about the necessity of a Privacy Policy but also become advocates for privacy and data protection in the digital realm.

November 21, 2023 — Build it and they will come is not as an effective marketing strategy as maybe it once was. Outreach and brand awareness are essential to getting eyeballs on your content. You may be tempted to spend thousands on paid ads, or even go to a marketing agency, but there’s a lot of organic unpaid marketing you can do first to get the word out there.

If you are a product maker, content creator, writer, photographer, or anyone with a unique service offering that deserves more attention, then this is for you.

In this session, you will get my formula for generating your first traffic organically, without spending a cent on advertising.

November 21, 2023 — Start the process of getting off of the roller coaster revenue of custom design and convert you freelance business or agency to building monthly recurring revenue through websites-as-a-service.

We’ll walk through the fundamentals of building a website service agency and start the process of choosing a target audience for your agency with lots of laughs and opportunities for questions.

November 21, 2023 — Exploring the Markdown Journey

In this captivating presentation, AmyJune will guide attendees through the essence of Markdown. The focus will be on unraveling its syntax, making it accessible for immediate implementation. Participants will gain profound insights into the following:

1. The Transformation to HTML

AmyJune will demonstrate how Markdown can seamlessly metamorphose into HTML, unlocking a plethora of formatting possibilities.

2. Universality of Markdown

Attendees will learn how Markdown text seamlessly integrates across diverse platforms and environments, reaffirming its relevance in varied contexts.

3. Gentle Learning Curve

With AmyJune’s guidance, the seemingly intricate world of Markdown will appear more approachable than ever before. Its gentle learning curve empowers beginners and experts alike.

November 21, 2023 — Being Human: In today’s digital age, businesses often lose the personal touch that was once a cornerstone of customer satisfaction. Michelle emphasizes the importance of maintaining a human connection with customers. This involves genuine communication, avoiding impersonal email-only interactions, and allowing customers to connect with real people. Being human builds strong customer relationships and fosters loyalty.

Investing in Tools and People: Modern technology offers various tools to support customer success without the need for traditional phone systems. Michelle suggests investing in tools like Aircall.io to enable efficient communication between customers and customer success experts. These tools help maintain accessibility, automation, and personalized support.

Choosing Words Carefully: Michelle advises against overusing generic phrases like « thank you, » which can go unnoticed. Instead, she suggests using language that inspires and reinforces the customer’s decision to work with your company. Crafting messages that convey excitement and enthusiasm can help build a lasting relationship with customers.

Apologizing Appropriately: While apologizing is essential when necessary, Michelle suggests using nuanced language when addressing issues with customers. Instead of a simple « I’m sorry, » she recommends phrases like « it’s unfortunate, » which express empathy without necessarily admitting fault. This approach helps maintain professionalism while addressing customer concerns.

The core message of Michelle Frechette’s presentation is that by focusing on customer success and loyalty, businesses can reap numerous benefits, including easier sales, stronger client relationships, smoother renewals, more recommendations, and improved bottom-line results. To achieve this, it’s crucial to create valuable products, be genuinely human in interactions, invest in the right tools and people, carefully choose your words, and apologize appropriately when needed. Ultimately, dedicating a team to customer success can contribute significantly to the overall success of an organization.

November 21, 2023 — The WordPress Site Editor is not only used to build websites but also to meet and work with one of the most interesting communities you can find.
You can learn a little about the teams that make up the WordPress community after reviewing the work and business opportunities that can arise from creating sites with this platform.
When trying to build a site and keep track of the community, you will likely come across designers, programmers, translators, marketing and learning teams, among others.
I’ll take you by the hand with specific examples so that you know what each team is working on to awaken and increase your interest in this way of collaborating.

Presentation Slides »

November 20, 2023 — The rapid pace of innovation and the relentless demands of the tech industry often come at a hidden cost: our mental well-being. This talk delves into the unique psychological challenges faced by tech professionals, from the burnout of constant deployment cycles and the isolation of remote work to the ever-looming shadow of impostor syndrome. More than just identifying problems, we’ll explore practical strategies for fostering healthier digital habitats and understanding when and how to seek professional help. This session will equip audience with insights and tools to prioritise mental health in an industry that often operates at the intersection of cutting-edge progress and human vulnerability.

November 20, 2023 — WordPress 6.4 is targeted to be released in early November 2023, and should be full of a plethora of exciting new features and enhancements. Let’s dive in and explore the beta features of WordPress 6.4 and all that it has to offer.

Presentation Slides »

November 20, 2023 — Prepare to make the journey from endpoint to endpoint of the WordPress REST API. All thru-hikers must make the proper preparations for their hike so we will go through some general basics of APIs, fill the proper permits (authentication), explore the trail and stop at several WordPress endpoints along the way, and learn how to blaze our own trail by creating custom API endpoints for your own use. This intermediate level hike assumes you have a basic understanding of development and what an API is. See you on the trail!

Presentation Slides »