November 6, 2024 — Being a part of a community member and contributing to several programs and events can help you bring new opportunities.

I will share my experience regarding my contribution to establishing a community and making it bigger in a small city in Nepal where you find limited resources and a small number of people involved in this field.

Additionally, I will express the feelings from building the first tech communities in my town to successfully organizing the event with over 500 attendees, which also opened endless doors for my career.

November 6, 2024 — Join veteran business leader Cory Miller as he delves into his personal journey of encountering severe burnout, culminating in a ‘forced’ six-month sabbatical from his career. This candid talk reveals the depths of burnout’s impact, the critical turning point leading to a necessary pause, and the ongoing process of recovery and discovery. Cory will share the lessons learned during this challenging period and the wisdom he continues to gain on his path to well-being and balance. Cory offers his experiences as a case study in burnout so others know they are not alone and can also make their own best decisions to navigate their paths. 

November 6, 2024 — More and more of us work remotely and often work with people across multiple timezones. I’ve been working remotely for over a decade now and have honed a good routine for doing so while still adapting as situations, teams, and timezones change.

The talk will cover tips and tricks for working remotely, asynchronous communication etiquette, and tools and apps that make technical collaboration easier remotely.

November 6, 2024 — As WordPress celebrates its 21st anniversary this year, it stands as a testament to unmatched growth, claiming the platform of choice for over 40% of all websites globally (give or take). Such a dominant presence in the digital space, coupled with decades of evolution, naturally brings its own set of challenges.

In this session, I plan to conduct a candid exploration of the current issues plaguing WordPress. Far from a solitary rant, this discussion draws on the diverse experiences and insights from the WordPress Community, underscoring the collective desire for improvement. By leveraging shared critiques and suggestions, we aim to not just spotlight problems but also to foster solutions that resonate with the WordPress Community as a whole.

The idea is to spark thoughtful dialogue and drive productive engagement that will elevate WordPress beyond its current limitations.

November 6, 2024 — Take a journey with Lucas Rodriguez, a down-to-earth entrepreneur, as he shares his story of making websites for business owners in small towns in rural Ontario. Lucas, a Latino designer, talks about the ups and downs he faced and how he’s using the magic of WordPress to help communities that often get overlooked.

In this talk, Lucas shows how simple website tools, like WordPress, can do big things for communities that usually don’t get much attention. He’ll tell stories about specific projects where websites have helped bring people together and make positive changes.

Learn about the real-life impact of Lucas’ work. Hear about how his clients and their towns have seen better opportunities and more attention, all thanks to the websites he builds using WordPress.

Lucas doesn’t just talk about success stories – he’s also sharing the struggles that small communities face. But here’s the exciting part: Lucas will explain how WordPress is helping these communities overcome challenges and grow.

Canada is a mix of many cultures, and Lucas, being Latino, brings a unique flavor to the tech world. He’ll talk about why having different voices in the tech industry is essential and how it leads to cool and inclusive ideas in the WordPress community.

But this talk isn’t just about Lucas – it’s about inspiring you to do something too. Lucas encourages everyone, whether they know a lot about websites or just a little, to use their skills to make a positive impact. He’ll share simple ideas about how you can help small towns and diverse communities with your own website projects, making the digital world a better place for everyone.

Join Lucas Rodriguez in this welcoming chat about “Empowering the Underserved in Rural Ontario” Get ready to be inspired to use your skills and be a part of the WordPress community’s journey to make a real impact in the lives of everyday people.

November 6, 2024 — Two years ago, I stepped into the team manager role for the customer success group focused on WooCommerce. At different times, our team has spanned people in Serbia, Greece, Spain, and across US, including Hawaii.

With the world embracing remote and distributed work more than ever, organizations are exploring different ways to adapt. Join me as I share some effective practices our group (previously, the SkyVerge team) has adopted to keep the remote work mojo alive.

We’ll dive into how we champion remote work culture and things that make distributed teams tick – through simple things like having cameras on in meetings, to not so simple practices like working publicly in Slack. Remote work is more than just getting work done from home.

November 6, 2024 — In today’s dynamic digital landscape, the convergence of WordPress, immersive technologies, and the influx of traditionally marginalized individuals into the WP space presents a thrilling opportunity for proactive engagement and inclusive growth.

Let’s embark on a journey together to navigate through the vibrant realm of WordPress, a cornerstone of online presence, creation, and management. We’ll uncover the transformative potential it holds for individuals and organizations alike, empowering them to tell their own digital stories.

But the excitement doesn’t end there. We’ll delve into immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and AI, envisioning a future where digital interactions transcend boundaries and captivate audiences like never before. These technologies can not only revolutionize communication but also pave the way for enhanced user engagement across diverse communities.

Yet, as we embrace this technological revolution, it’s imperative to shine a light on those who have historically been sidelined. We’ll shed light on emerging minorities, encompassing marginalized communities and underrepresented voices, and discuss the vital importance of amplifying their narratives. By addressing the challenges and barriers they face in accessing and utilizing technology, we can create a more inclusive digital landscape.

Through WordPress and immersive technologies, we have the power to bridge this gap, ushering in an era where every voice is heard and every story matters. By the end of our discussion, attendees will be equipped with not just inspiration but also practical tools to champion inclusivity within the WordPress ecosystem, ultimately contributing to the democratization of the web. Let’s pivot towards a future where everyone has a seat at the table.

November 6, 2024 — Currently, it isn’t easy to translate your WordPress into different languages. Many plugins have various ways of solving Multilingualism, and even the core has something in store for us in the future. We dive into the differences between the most used plugins and things to be aware of when translating websites

November 6, 2024 — WordPress provides flexibility, ease of use, customization options, and the ability to integrate with other tools, making it a strong choice as an eLearning platform. Content published in a WordPress Learning Management System (LMS) needs to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). However, following WCAG is not enough. We want to make sure that students have a great experience. To build a great learning experience, we need to do more than follow the rules.

With so many themes and plugins, how do you choose which are accessible, robust and produce engaging interactions that meet your intended learning objectives?

In this session, we’ll talk about ways to go beyond checklists, explore Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and accessibility best practices to evaluate WordPress tools and create digital learning content that is accessible and easy to use.

November 6, 2024 — Discover the inspiring journey of how a simple free WordPress plugin was transformed into a seven-figure enterprise in just two years, without spending a single dollar on advertisements. In this talk, I will share the strategic insights and pivotal decisions that catapulted my plugin from a free offering to a robust, money-making machine. Attendees will learn about leveraging organic growth, community building, value-driven enhancements, and innovative monetization strategies that defy conventional digital marketing wisdom.

I will delve into the challenges faced, the milestones reached, and the crucial do’s and don’ts that shaped my entrepreneurial voyage. This session will offer practical advice on product development, market positioning, customer engagement, and scaling a business sustainably. Whether you’re a developer, a business owner, or a digital enthusiast, this talk will equip you with actionable tactics and real-world lessons to help you navigate your own path to success in the competitive world of WordPress plugins.