January 19, 2019 — What does the future hold for WordPress, as a platform and as a community?

Will we see continued growth, from ~24% of the web to 50%? Will the REST API enable a whole new generation of powerful interfaces to content stored and managed by WordPress? Will Skynet become self-aware as a side effect of the introduction of Emoji? Will the customizer lead to a totalitarian state? Will we all join hands and sing “I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony”?

Through the lens of various 19th, 20th, and 21st century utopias and dystopias, we’ll look at what the future has in store for WordPress, and what you can do to make it happen (or stop it).

January 18, 2019 — This talk is for you – even if you haven’t attended a contributor day before. The session will highlight benefits of contributing, provide recommendations on how to find your spot and build trust, and give insights on which traits are particularly valuable to have or pick up. You will furthermore learn how contributing to core is by far not only about writing code. The goal of this session is to prepare you for a beneficial long-term relationship as a core contributor so that you can make a significant impact over time.

January 18, 2019 — A quick talk about how Debug can be really helpful in identifying issues with your WordPress site and how it can help even beginner developers fix problems with their code.

January 18, 2019 — I didn’t think I needed a business plan, I only needed clients, tons of clients. Even though my title was web designer, I took every job that was asked of me: web sites, of course, but also graphics, print, social media management, training, basically anything!

January 18, 2019 — How to be a successful WordPress freelancer or agency owner while living a full life. In our fast pace world it can sometimes be difficult to have it all, but unlike popular believe it’s definitely doable.

Presentation Slides »

January 17, 2019 — This talk will discuss approaches to diversity and inclusion at distributed companies. One potential
of a distributed company is that of global diversity. What is the reality? How are distributed companies
working to increase workforce diversity, grow internal talent, increase internal engagement, and set new standards for cultural leadership?

In this talk I’ll take a deep dive into efforts at Automattic (the company behind WordPress.com) and also look
at efforts at companies such as Github.

January 17, 2019 — “Overview of some processes used at an agency level. Version control, code standards, database migrations, environment aware config files and automated deployments. From local development setup to multiple environments, version control to automated deployments, content migration to modular mentalities. With some how-to talk and some how-not-to talk, we’ll discuss some ways to “soup up” our process to work for us when it comes to web development and WordPress.”

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January 17, 2019 — “True, successful freelancers convert leads into clients by getting to know their prospects’ biggest issues, and proving themselves to be expert problem-solvers. But the real secret to netting new clients?
Following up.
Studies show that 80% of prospective clients say “no” before they say “yes.” 90% of sales are lost when no
second contact is made!
I will teach you to create a client pipeline that pays.
Ensure interested leads are the real-deal (no tire-kickers!)
Tailor your marketing efforts to proven lead sources
Develop a client relationship management (CRM) system that doesn’t let you miss an opportunity to connect.
Win new business and customer loyalty with this workshop.”

January 17, 2019 — “Podcasting – it’s not just for podcasters anymore!

Many podcasts are interview based.

The host is just a curator of knowledge and craves experts. Enter you (or your client) that not only wants a great foundation on the web, but access to the ears, hearts, and minds of ideal consumers.

In this talk, Mark Deal of the Podcast Atlanta group will outline how to be the go to expert in your field. He will cover.

1) How to reach out and get booked on podcasts.
2) The simplest way to deliver high quality audio.
3) Essential elements to craft compelling stories about what you do.
4) WordPress elements to showcase interviews from various shows on your website.

While demonstrating audio engagement incentives that you should use – Mark frequently gives out equipment during his talk.“

January 17, 2019 — WordPress’ new text editor is awesome, but many people are still trying to learn how create their own blocks in Gutenberg. While there is certainly more to creating your own blocks than writing a simple shortcode, there are also some significant benefits. We’ll cover the basics of creating a Gutenberg block, how to use Gutenberg to create predefined page layouts, and how to make your blocks dynamic on the front end of the site!

Presentation Slides »