January 24, 2018 — Her talk will be for the developers to understand the real power of WordPress to write non-obtrusive, extensible, secure and developer friendly functionalities on WordPress.

WordPress code is poetry and not a stand up comedy!

January 24, 2018 — This talk will explore my experience being married to open source. I will also explore the ways the communities support each other through initiatives such as CMS Garden (An initiative to promote all major open source CMS projects). I will also share the top things I learned about myself and the combined future of an open source web.

January 24, 2018 — Google Data Studio is the reporting tool Google Analytics has always needed. This talk will show you how to use Data Studio to gain actionable insights into your online presence.

You’ll learn:
* What Data Studio is (and isn’t)
* The advantages of using Data Studio reports
* How to set up a typical website monthly analytics report in Data Studio
* Insider tips & tricks

January 24, 2018 — You know security is important and want your site to be secure, but what will actually help? There’s so much information to be found on securing your site, but what are the myths and what actually helps? Find out how to avoid the myths and implement real security.

January 24, 2018 — Get real-world SEO insights and grow your WordPress site in 2017 and beyond. This presentation will help you become familiar with industry leading tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, Majestic, Screaming Frog and give you confidence to approach in your content strategy in a competitive landscape.

January 24, 2018 — In this panel we’ll explore processes, tools, procedures and lessons from stakeholders throughout the product chain. In particular what’s helped their businesses and customers succeed, how can partners in the chain help each other and ways to identify which practices are the best fit for different scenarios.

January 24, 2018 — Let’s be honest… We are not, nor will we ever be, Beyoncé. But, mere mortals can learn from Queen Bee’s impeccable social media marketing strategy and use WordPress to get it done. With 10.6 million likes and counting on Instagram, Beyoncé knows how to connect with her followers by sharing glimpses of her life in photos or in short videos. In order to build your following for your brand or business, you must engage your audience, but let’s do it like Beyoncé! We’ll take a look at the importance of proper and timely engagement, as well as what the average WordPress user can utilize in order to create seamless and streamlined avenues for engagement, right now! We’ll even take a step further and discuss what the average developer can implement in order to make engagement much easier for their users to engage properly. Because ‘Yoncé certainly did not build her empire of 14 million Twitter followers by sporadically sharing (or oversharing) on social media. Yet, the greater question is, “Is there a formula for social media success when promoting a business brand?” YES!

January 24, 2018 — The WordPress REST API has the potential to put a familiar face on the content management of a whole world of front-ends. Imagine a campus tour app that uses the same content infrastructure as the event kiosk in the student union and the .edu site. Then come see how to build it.

January 24, 2018 — What if I told you that writer’s block can be a thing of the past?

With some data-driven content marketing tools and tricks, you’re never gonna run out of ideas. Better, I’ll talk about a process you can use to get those ideas to the screen–from developing a content calendar, to researching keyword opportunities, to writing about topics that your potential readers are already desperately looking for.

The data is there. Let’s use it.

January 24, 2018 — Many great projects, products, and companies have grown out of side projects or hobbies. Apple, Twitter, and even Gmail exist because someone dedicated their spare time to testing the waters. Most of your favorite WordPress themes, plugins, and websites were brought to life during someone’s day off.

But not all side projects need to be huge, life-altering excursions. Whether it’s building a WordPress plugin, learning a new software package, or building an entire website, they can be whatever you need them to be; from developing a new skill to bringing in extra income to simply having a little fun. Side projects can also be a great way to learn what you’re made of, try new avenues, and build relationships with other web professionals.

Join Rachel to discuss the pros (and cons) of side projects, learn about a few projects that turned into so much more, and hopefully leave with a few ideas of your own.