February 28, 2019 — Much like playing an open world game, each of us approaches a new development challenge with different skill levels, knowledge, and philosophies. It may seem like a person starting their first coding project has very little in common with a seasoned developer, but in fact, we are all here because we see the value in using developer tools we have not written ourselves. We’ll discuss how we, as players of this game, choose from the tools available based on their strengths (value) and weaknesses (risk) relative to our own skills and ability to weild these tools. We’ll explore how these decisions change as players level up, or face different challenges. By discussing skill, value, and risk instead of code, we can gain empathy and understanding for the decisions of our fellow players.

February 28, 2019 — As a developer, access to debugging information is vital to troubleshooting your code or finding where performance bottlenecks are happening. By using the WordPress Debug Bar, and related add-ons, you’ll be able to track errors, SQL queries, access the query, and give get insight into what’s happening under the hood of your WordPress website.

February 28, 2019 — Setting up a local dev environment can be tougher than mandalorian armor! Lando simplifies this process by making it quick and easy to spin up local services and tools. Lando is so easy that even a scruffy nerf herder could use it.

Strap yourself in for a talk loaded with tips, cool ideas, and Star Wars jokes!

February 28, 2019 — Sustainability is critical as WordPress matures. Efficient implementations will thrive for years to come, while older WordPress projects are already obsolete. The building design and construction industry now embraces sustainability as a vital aspect of any successful project. In Portland, seismic resiliency is an increasing priority given greater awareness of our local earthquake hazards. Drawing experience from the built environment informs an efficient, sustainable, and resilient approach to creating WordPress sites and products. Through stories of both digital and physical projects, I’ll present a framework for maximizing the longevity of your work in the ever-evolving digital space.

Presentation Slides »

February 27, 2019 — Everyone wants to talk about The Future of stuff, but we don’t exactly have fusion reactors in the back of our flying cars yet, do we? Instead, I’m going to make realistic predictions about the truest and most obvious futures of WordPress, plugins, tools, and services – the things we will absolutely need to do together to make the next 15 years better than the first.

February 27, 2019 — Podcasts are a great way to build authority, brand awareness, and they are fun to create. But where do you begin? In this session, we will cover the equipment, software, hosting, and WordPress plugins needed to get your podcast recorded, edited, and launched!

February 27, 2019 — A sort of 101 on what GDPR means for developers and site owners alike and how to approach certain aspects of it.

February 27, 2019 — If you want to build an eCommerce site that converts well, speed is the name of the game. Come listen to tips and tricks to help you build a lightning fast WooCommerce store.

February 27, 2019 — How Gutenberg Will (Eventually) Empower WordPress End-Users AND Professionals
The new visual editor sure does inspire consternation in the WordPress community. As with any disruption, there will be winners and losers in professional world – but what about the end-user? Can the new editor make life easier for them? And for professionals, how will Gutenberg change theme development? What about page-builders – things of the past? Instead of focusing on launch and transition issues, I’ll describe how we think the fundamentals of the WordPress experience will change (for the better) for both the end-user AND the professional.

February 26, 2019 — We’re all pretty familiar with standard contact forms. But pour some rocket fuel on forms, and you’ll be surprised at all they can do! We’ll dive into the Gravity Forms plugin and talk about awesome features that will make your forms more useful or easier for website visitors to use.