December 12, 2016 — In this talk, I will go through what a lot of developers haven’t thought about: what happens when you actually get customers. Sure, you’ve worked on your product very hard and you’re sure that it’s going to be very good for a lot of people, but have you considered how to respond to complaints? Do you have a crisis plan ready, or are you winging it? Doing customer support well is down to preparation, and I’ll be telling you how.

I’ll mainly discuss the importance of synchronous communication across platforms, and how to achieve this. It comes down to three different areas:

1. Tone of voice
2. Choice of platform
3. Rules of engagement (how do we, as a company, deal with things)

Presentation Slides »

December 12, 2016 — You want to learn how to build an accessible website or plugin and have no idea what is important or where to start? In this talk Rian will explain the most important issues and where to get help and documentation.
Also she will show you how to test your work and how to read the rest results.

Presentation Slides »

December 12, 2016 — Anil Gupta is a developer and resides in Ahmedabad, India. Anil and Aslam Multani started a company called Multidots in a rented apartment, two old computers, bad internet service and turned it into a company that now employs over 100 people worldwide that delivers professional web and mobile solutions.

December 11, 2016 — This is a talk about the people of WordPress, intentionally showcasing diversity in as many ways as possible. Location, culture, gender; we’re a cross section of humanity. We’ll talk about some of the stories that have been published on HeroPress.com as well as some that have not.

December 11, 2016 — Instant Articles fills the gap for the information revolution we are living and how WordPress leverages this from single person companies to really huge corporations.

Comparison Web vs Instant Articles

A detailed structure on how any web link shared on Facebook platform differs from an Instant Article ready link. It goes into details of web browsers and how Instant Articles solves this kind of problems. Opportunity of having content centered to readers, enriching even more the web experience.

How WordPress links the Solution

Most of nowadays publishers are single or small companies, with small or even NO engineering resources. The WordPress platform helped leverage this platform with small or no engineering support, making Instant Articles possible for these companies. WordPress helped to publish the content on more channels and also the open source ecosystem is boosting how the Instant Articles platform is evolving.

Lessons Learned

A small part of how things go on the open source community and how Facebook is listening thru this channel and making improvements to accomplish the most important asks of community on this awesome project that brings

December 11, 2016 — Public libraries have become hubs for digital literacy training, but did you know that we also teach more advanced computer skills? The Queens Library Job & Business Academy has implemented a WordPress course aimed at turning library patrons with basic computer skills into WordPress power users. We cover everything from how a server stack works to setting up plugins, security, and content strategies. I’ll talk about what worked, what flopped and lessons for teaching public audiences about building websites.

December 11, 2016 — In this talk, I will deliver a detailed case study on how WordPress can be used to deliver online education courses and build highly engaged communities of students.

Most online courses achieve student completion rates of around 2% – 10% according to this MOOCS research study.

We have achieved 65% completion rates of our online courses by building incredibly engaging courses and a world class learning environment built on WordPress. The best part of this talk is that the online courses and community we have built are all for WordPress developers and freelancers so this is truly a WordPress showcase piece.

The online education market is worth over US$100BN and WordPress provides a great platform for all online educators to improve the quality of their courses and deliver better student outcomes.

The core technology covered will include WordPress, BuddyPress, bbPress, BadgeOS and the LearnDash Learning Management System. I will also talk about the psychology and strategy of delivering an online course to maximize student engagement and completion rates.’

December 11, 2016 — When opportunity knocks, it doesn’t always take the form you would expect. In August of 2016, I left a decade-long career as a professional chef to become the COO and part-owner of a digital agency. This talk is for would-be entrepreneurs, career changers, and just about anyone else that is thinking about taking a leap. It’s about preparing for the worst, expecting the best and trying to break free of the future we write for ourselves.

This talk is more than just a personal story. It’s a step-by-step guide through the transition of “employed,” to “self-employed,” and finally to “employer.” I’m not leaving anything out.

December 11, 2016 — At Montreal’s first WordCamp, only four women spoke throughout the two-day, two-track event. People noticed. It didn’t feel right. Something had to change. By 2016, we’d had two straight WordCamps with at least 50% women speakers. How did we get from there to here? I’ll look at some of the strategies we used to #changetheratio.

Presentation Slides »

December 11, 2016 — China is the largest community of Internet users in the world. However, a complex network of bureaucrats, paid trolls, and digital blockades known as the Great Firewall of China has made it difficult for those on the outside to reach the Middle Kingdom. With knowledge and stories from his experiences working with WordPress for many years in Shanghai, John will explain how WordPress gets censored in China and the considerations required for your site to reach the world’s second largest economy.