July 18, 2016 — There are many popular page builders out there—CornerStone, Beaver Builder, Site Origin’s “Page Builder,” Velocity Page, Themify, Divi, and more. Some are free. Others have multiple price tiers. This session won’t get into the ins and outs of which are best for production code, but I’ll demo a couple I’ve found helpful for quick turnaround projects.

In this talk, I’ll take a couple of my favorite page builders and show you why I like them, why I feel they’re good for your clients, and how to use them as a foundation for your own UI prototyping library.

Take aways:
The benefits of using theme builders outside of the typical development process.
How to get started and what to focus on.
How to build a reusable toolkit to save time on future projects.

Presentation Slides »

July 14, 2016 — Pinterest is more than a fun addiction — it’s a proven traffic driver, especially if your target demographic is women. In this lightning round you’ll get 15 solid tips on how to transform your Pinterest activity from being a passive pinner to a strategic pinning machine! Pinterest will be your new secret weapon in your marketing arsenal that will drive traffic and increase sales.

Take aways:

– Current tips to maximize your Pins.
– Do you need to use hashtags on Pinterest?
– How many times a day do you need to pin?

Presentation Slides »

July 11, 2016 — oEmbed has been around for a while and most people take them for granted. Just typing or pasting a YouTube URL in your post results in an embedded video on their website but there is to this. In this talk we’ll be explaining how oEmbed works, how you can make one of changes or global changed that affect all embeds on your website.

July 11, 2016 — WordPress upgrades, they bring us new features, faster sites, and better security. But pushing that upgrade button can be a scary moment, unless you’ve ensured your site is ready and compatible. I’ll show you the best practices for ensuring your site is ready including a simple strategy that works whether you manage one site or hundreds.

July 11, 2016 — How to apply the lessons I learned in project management.

July 11, 2016 — We’re all enamored with the minimalist websites that employ only the most essential use of color, images, and space. But what happens when the volume of information can’t be boiled down to something that simple? We’ll explore how to use design principles to organize and display elaborate user experiences like mega-menus, massive news sites, high-information catalog pages, and multi-level interactions.

Presentation Slides »

July 11, 2016 — Forms comparison (Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms & Contact Form 7).

July 8, 2016 — Naoko is interviewed by WordPress TV where she talks about various WordCamps, the WordPress Community and the Globalization of WordPress.

July 7, 2016 — Content Marketing: Building a relationship of trust by Laura Lynch (@darjeelingblend)

Have ever imagined to get more readers, followers, leads, prospect, clients, writing content on your blog?

With the right type of content, paying attention to SEO, and following a few rules, you can positively impact your business in a few easy steps. And WordPress is the best platform for it!

Laura Lynch is a freelance copywriter, content marketer, and researcher for several agencies in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan. She creates and edits content for four different blogs, and is getting ready to publish an ebook on social media marketing for small businesses. She has been a speaker for Michigan Marketing Minds, and is a recent devotee of WordPress.

Laura will help us answer key questions, including:

• Which numbers matter on social media?
• How big is your audience?
• What is your engagement rate?

And many more!

Presentation Slides »

July 5, 2016 — The Unconference was a unique opportunity to get on stage and share your stories and experiences with WCEU attendees!