June 2, 2019 — This talk will cover how JavaScript has been used with WordPress in the past, and how it will be used going forward. Instead of proposing one single method or framework to use when coding JavaScript, we will go through a few different combinations you’ll see in the wild in both older and more forward-looking WordPress plugins. Examples will cover AJAX with jQuery, ES6, the Heartbeat API, REACT, and Gutenberg blocks.

After this talk, attendees should feel more comfortable opening up any JS file they come across in the WordPress world and knowing a bit more about how to work with the various frameworks and patterns in use.

Presentation Slides »

June 2, 2019 — If you are new to WordPress or have just been using it “out of the box,” you may want to learn about some easy ways to add useful functionality to your website using popular WordPress Plugins. This talk will briefly review what plugins are, and how to select and install them. Tara will share her “go to” plugins for adding things like forms, events, and image galleries to your WordPress site, as well as go over plugins which will help your website perform better.

This talk is designed for WordPress Beginners.

Presentation Slides »

June 2, 2019 — The internet is the single most effective information sharing tool in all of history. We can build on the work and progress of others in a completely unprecedented way. The implications for the progress of humanity are both serious and exciting!
But it’s also in danger. Find out why Aaron thinks open systems and the open web will steer our future or how the lack of them will ruin it.

Presentation Slides »

May 23, 2019 — Google wants to capture the user experience end to end. Much of that starts with Google My Business. More than 50% of businesses have not claimed their Google My Business account and that is a problem. This talk will educate on the importance, how to leverage it, and how to integrate it into your SEO Strategy.

May 23, 2019 — When your website collects personal information, it’s essential that you be a good steward of your users’ data. How you manage that data is under increasing scrutiny. With GDPR in Europe, CCPA in California, and anticipated privacy legislation at the federal level, it’s time to start working on that privacy statement you’ve been putting off.

In this session, we will focus on how to make the plugins you build work with the privacy features added to WordPress core in 2018. Along the way, we will examine key concepts from the “Privacy by Design” framework and discuss easy best practices to keep in mind as you write your code.

The session will have a technical focus rather than a legal focus. It will feature practical examples in which we will build a plugin that supports personal data export and erasure. Code examples will be simple, but will assume some baseline knowledge of PHP.

May 23, 2019 — Meditation is a powerful tool and can be used to calm the mind, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and pain. While anyone can benefit from regular meditation, it is especially useful and important for those who work remotely, are faced with stressful situations or deadlines, or whom struggle with depression, anxiety, or imposter syndrome.

This talk will introduce the concept of daily meditation, tips and best practices for getting the most out of your practice, and how to avoid common obstacles and pitfalls. The session will conclude with a short, 5-minute guided meditation.

May 21, 2019 — Let’s face it, the technical solution from one WordPress provider is probably going to look a lot like the next one. There will be a theme, plugins, maybe some custom css or a little coding – but generally, the proposed solutions will be similar. So how do you set yourself above your competition when your technical skills and solution are fairly equal?

What if you were able to tell your client that:
– you have a way of estimating the project so that there are NO surprises along the way
– you have a way to plan for and manage change that does not include an arbitrary “pad” amount added to the estimate
– you have a way of defining the website and gathering the content that reduces the chance for scope creep
– you have a way to ensure that the project gets completed on time and within budget

In this presentation, I will show attendees how to craft these sections of of their project management methodology and use it as a unique value proposition when presenting to a client.

May 21, 2019 — Whether it is for re-using the same code, experimenting with your code quickly and efficiently, or just for better document management, one of the most important leaps any site builder will ever take in their path towards becoming a developer is learning a version control system, or VCS. Since Git is the standard VCS over 80% of developers, lets roll up our sleeves and dive in. The benefits far outweigh the efforts needed to learn this tooling. Once you start, you will wonder why it took you so long to unleash the power of this awesome tech.

This talk will briefly explore the need for git, the history and use cases. Then we will jump into how to get started and the basic organizational concepts. We will also examine Github, the web based Git hosting service. Bring your laptops to play along at home and get started before you leave the room.

May 17, 2019 — We’ll talk WordPress with one of its brightest stars, Community Leader, WordCamp Organizer & Speaker, Verious B Smith III, about his journey in WordPress and growing his business.

May 17, 2019 — We’ll talk WordPress with one of its brightest stars, Community Leader, WordCamp Organizer & Speaker, Verious B Smith III, about his journey in WordPress and growing his business.