January 30, 2019 — Branding is not an option if you are a startup, a freelancer or a sole proprietor of a professional service business: it’s a necessity, and one that can yield rewards or create harm if not well tended. Building a brand goes far beyond having a logo – in fact, a logo is NOT a brand by any means – and it’s a practice rooted in data and science. In this workshop, we will understand the theory behind, follow the necessary procedures and emerge with a branding strategy that attendees will be able to implement in creating/revamping/establish their brand(s).

January 28, 2019 — There are many tools that help us understand and improve the state of web performance on our WordPress sites. But it’s not always obvious which tool is right for the job and how to use it. When would I use “field” data from real users? What is my “lab” testing tool trying to tell me? In this workshop, we will examine the landscape of tools at our disposal: WebPageTest, HTTP Archive, Google Analytics, and the Chrome User Experience Report. We will use these tools and real world examples to better understand how slow a website is, what is causing it, and how to fix it.

January 27, 2019 — (Hiss in Audio)

Since the introduction of the WordPress REST API, the potential for using it to power React applications has generated much excitement among developers. But what is an actual use-case for these technologies, and how can it improve the user experience? In this presentation we’ll show how WordPress was used as a foundation for building an in-gallery video kiosk for the Clyfford Still Museum.

We’ll begin by looking at the design process for a museum experience: How digital design can reflect the physical space in which it is installed, and how graphic and movement choices affect visitors’ sense of intimacy. We’ll show how the video kiosk platform was built to scale with the museum’s growing video library, how we made the videos accessible to people with hearing impairments, and how we designed the system to be content-managed from afar.

From there, we’ll demonstrate how content-management via WordPress combined with the REST API and a React front-end provide an intuitive experience for administrators and users, save development time, and provide a smooth native-app-like experience. We’ll finish by detailing the hardware used to present the system in-gallery.

January 27, 2019 — (Hiss in Audio)

Part 2

My goal is to free the audience from their fear of failure so they can either start posting content or so they can increase the amount and quality of content they are posting. I will do this by sharing past experiences that outline the value of taking the risk, facing your fears, and putting yourself out in the world. I will teach them to focus on what they can change and ignore the things they can’t change or that they can’t change right now. I will use the example of my first website at the midway marketplace, my first post as the blind blogger, and my successful Amtrak Writers In Residence Application. In the end I wil challenge them and remind them that if a guy like me can do it with all he has going against him, then what is their excuse.

January 27, 2019 — (Hiss in Audio)

Part One

My goal is to free the audience from their fear of failure so they can either start posting content or so they can increase the amount and quality of content they are posting. I will do this by sharing past experiences that outline the value of taking the risk, facing your fears, and putting yourself out in the world. I will teach them to focus on what they can change and ignore the things they can’t change or that they can’t change right now. I will use the example of my first website at the midway marketplace, my first post as the blind blogger, and my successful Amtrak Writers In Residence Application. In the end I wil challenge them and remind them that if a guy like me can do it with all he has going against him, then what is their excuse.

January 27, 2019 — (Hiss in Audio)

“Freelance to Agency: How To Make The Leap This talk is geared towards freelancers who are ready to turn their small business into a full agency. We will go over some of the basics and necessary steps to incorporate a business, and give some tips and advice for freelancers with the entrepreneur bug. This talk is a bit different from many “”how to start a business”” talks, as we will discuss some of the critical support systems needed, and mindset changes that need to take place, when shifting your company from a freelance business to a full agency. A quick rundown of what will be in the speech:

How to stop thinking like a freelancer.

Defining your staff.

Learning to delegate.

LLC vs S-Corp vs Corp: What you need to know, where to file, and how to find legal resources.

Finding the right support system of professionals to get your business started on the right foot.

Increasing prices to pay for your bottom line.

Find the right team members. An overview of how to hire, who to hire, and how to keep your employees happy.

Things to consider when seeking out an office, or location to headquarter your business.

Goal setting: think toward the future.”

January 27, 2019 — So, you’ve got a WordPress site, and keep hearing that you need to do some social media marketing. You’re probably wonder why you need both social media and a website, and if you do need social media, how to take advantage of social media. I’m going to tell why you need social media, how to hook your WordPress site up to social networks using specific plugins, and a few social media tips to get you going.

Presentation Slides »

January 27, 2019 — If you’ve ever watched a software tutorial on YouTube or a video explaining a company’s product or service, then you’re already familiar with screencasts and explainer videos. While they’re intended to promote a business, product or service by explaining what it is, how it works and how to use it, there’s a huge difference between the videos people love and the ones they turn off after 15 seconds. This session takes you into the world of creating screencasts and explainer videos. We’ll show you why the good ones are good and the bad ones are cringeworthy. We’ll cover topics like storyboarding, script formulas, animation software and sound tracks. When we’re done, you’ll know your options for creating your own screencasts and explainer videos and what to look for if you want to hire someone else to do it.

Presentation Slides »

January 26, 2019 — Adam left college with a degree in Advertising Design and went straight to work on the factory floor making office furniture. It wasn’t the life he’d imagined but having been raised in a blue-collar family, he was taught that a strong work ethic would make you invaluable to “the company” and “they” would provide the financial security and stability needed to raise a family and enjoy life. In other words, this meant working in the same stark metal building for 30 years with 20-minute lunch breaks and two weeks vacation in the summer.

In this session, Adam details how he discovered WordPress and the open source community, the many businesses that he’s started and failed at, and how he’s utilized these experiences to continually fuel his entrepreneurial spirit and create his own path to a work/life balance and how you can too.

No matter what your passion, WordPress can be an integral tool to helping you achieve your dreams and success in your own business.

January 25, 2019 — “Landing pages are one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to get a message to your target audience and a terrific tool to move prospects through the sales cycle. Done well, your landing page can generate high response rates and results including increased e-commerce sales and valuable sales leads.

We’ll discuss what makes a good landing page, with examples and the elements that make a landing page effective.”