Keep up to date with plans for this year’s WordCamp Rhode Island at https://rhodeisland.wordcamp.org/2015/
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WordCamp RI will be held at the New England Institute of Technology on Friday and Saturday September 25 and 26. Hope to see you there!
Providence WordCamp 2014 is now a happy memory and we look forward to our next WordCamp in 2015. 3 Media Web was a big part of the reason over 200 attendees at WordCamp learned new skills and enhanced existing ones. It’s no surprise 3 Media Web was a major sponsor of Providence WordCamp. The Massachusetts Web Design firm helps companies with website design, development and website hosting with a special focus on WordPress.
As 3 Media Web says, their mantra is “web sites any way you like.” That can-do and helpful attitude carried through in their underwriting of the Providence WordCamp.
Thank you 3 Media Web!
Once again Providence WordCamp was a resounding success. Over 200 attendees learned the latest in website security techniques, development ideas for WordPress, as well as strategies for adding content to their websites and blogs. It could not have been possible without our sponsors. So right here, right now, let’s give a great big shout out to the following businesses and organizations who helped make it all possible!
URI’s Harrington School of Communication and Media provided our location in downtown Providence. http://harrington.uri.edu/
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/URIHarringtonSchoolofCommunicationandMedia
Twitter – https://twitter.com/HarringtonURI
Linchpin Agency not only donated money but also designed the awesome logo! http://linchpinagency.com/
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/linchpinagency
Twitter – https://twitter.com/linchpin_agency
WeHeartHonda.com, sponsored by Herb Chambers Honda of Seekonk, has two loves Hondas ….and WordPress too!
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/herbchambershondaseekonk
Twitter – https://twitter.com/HondaSeekonk
ServerPress.com
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ServerPress
Ripple Fund.com
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ripple-Funding/286926078076847
Twitter – https://twitter.com/ripplefunding
Fahadstein.com
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/FahadStein1
Twitter – https://twitter.com/FahadStein
The Technology Therapy Group
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TechnologyTherapy
Twitter – https://twitter.com/techTherapist
bluehost WordPress web hosting
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/bluehost?sk=app_217146381660299
Twitter – https://twitter.com/bluehost
Media Temple
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Media-Temple/111704685512993
Twitter – https://twitter.com/mediatemple
Wired Tree
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WiredTree
Twitter – https://twitter.com/wiredtree/
DreamHost
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/DreamHost
Twitter – https://twitter.com/dreamhost
Jetpack
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jetpackme
Twitter – https://twitter.com/jetpack/
WPML – making WordPress multi-lingual
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WPMLcms
Twitter – https://twitter.com/wpml
Disqus
Follow them:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/disqus
Twitter – https://twitter.com/disqus
How can you get the most out of Providence WordCamp? Here are suggestions from the experts:
“Bring your laptop and lots of questions!” Daniella Norwood, Organizer
“My favorite part is the Happiness Bar. It is a great opportunity to give and receive one-on-one help with anything WordPress related.” Luke Gedeon, Organizer
“All WordCamp sessions are taped and available to watch online, so you can also go back and watch it again to really understand any specific session. But if you don’t go, you don’t know what you are missing!” Rachel Avery Conley, Organizer
Favorite part of WordCamp? “The networking, making friends, and working with others. The sessions are pretty sweet too.” Jesse Friedman, Lead Organizer
“Having so many different types of people helps expand everyone’s perspective, which is pretty cool.” Kay Belardinelli, Organizer
“I’ve taught people at WordCamps who can barely turn on their laptop. …you will learn a lot regardless of what your experience is.” Chris Wiegman, Speaker
“Bring a notebook and lots of business cards.” Rachel Avery Conley, Organizer
“Get off your devices and listen. Unless you’re in a workshop or the speaker is asking everyone to do some interactive stuff, you won’t fully absorb what they’re trying to teach you unless you put things down.” Jeff Golenski, Speaker
WordCamp is an opportunity to meet locals who use WordPress and also meet some of the most active WordPress enthusiasts from around the world.” Luke Gedeon, Organizer
“My favorite part of WordCamp is meeting new people in the community.” Daniella Norwood, Organizer
“Spend some time at the Happiness Bar (aka WordCamp Help Desk). The volunteers will help you with your WordPress questions.” Rachel Avery Conley, Organizer
“WordCamp is great because it caters to people who are at many different points of the web design technical spectrum.” Kay Belardinelli, Organizer
“In many cases it is the networking that is the most valuable aspect, especially when the camp attracts a number of out-of-town speakers and attendees you might not otherwise get to meet. Personally, even with considerable dev (website development) experience, I learn something, and meet someone new, at every WordCamp I attend.” Chris Wiegman, Speaker
One of the organizers of Providence WordCamp is JoyMarie Adamonis-Friedman. She shares her thoughts on WordPress.
“I am a mom and wife first, however writing keeps me grounded. It keeps me sane. It keeps me motivated. I started blogging about 4 years ago and started on a Bloglovin’ page. But being married to a WordPress genius, Jesse Friedman, I was quickly shown the “right” path to take and have since been rocking my words using WordPress. My love for WordPress grew, as I learned on my own site. Since switching over I have helped others jump ship to WordPress and am always up for learning more about how we can better our sites. If you are a blogger like me, I urge you to keep writing, even if you feel you don’t reach anyone. It’s your ART. And I urge you to learn more about what WordPress can do for you.”
Follow JoyMarie at
https://twitter.com/Joyousgirl19
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/joymarie-adamonis/2a/b05/aa4
http://mysensationalkid.com/
Rachel Avery Conley is one of the Providence WordCamp Organizers.
What inspires someone to devote the time and energy to being a WordCamp organizer? What insights can she offer?
Here’s a Q-and-A with Co-chair of Volunteers, Rachel Avery Conley.
What brings you back as one of the organizers this year?
Rachel- I love being involved in the WordPress community and the Providence WordCamp organizers are a great group of people.
What is your favorite part of WordCamp?
Rachel- The classes and the collaboration.
What do you get out of it?
Rachel- I have some introvert tendencies, so being able to help with the planning and connecting with people before the event allows me to feel more comfortable and able to absorb more information.
What is your level of comfort with creating and maintaining websites?
Rachel- I am very comfortable with WordPress, moderate level comfortable with changing CSS and HTML. I can work my way around a database too, but only if I have to!
What do you do with WordPress?
Rachel- I create content in the form of weekly blogs and website content for creative professionals on WordPress platforms.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about attending WordCamp, but says: “I know nothing about websites and will be totally overwhelmed.”
Rachel- I would suggest that you go and keep your ears open. 80% of it will not be absorbed (but that’s true for MOST attendees at any level), but it will introduce you to key ideas and people that you can then go back and follow on social media and take your learning to the next level. Also, all WordCamps are taped and available to watch online, so you can also go back and watch it again to really understand it. But if you don’t go, you don’t know what you are missing!
What would you say to someone who says: “I know so much about websites and WordPress there’s nothing I could get out of WordCamp.”
Rachel- The best part of WordCamps is the collaboration and core contribution. Also, maybe someone can learn something from you! Feel free to volunteer at the Happiness Bar (aka Help Desk) and give back to people who could benefit from your expertise!
What impressions do you come away with about the other speakers, volunteers, sponsors and the organizers?
Rachel- They’re awesome, but I’m biased.
Any advice for a first-time WordCamp attendee?
Rachel- Bring a notebook and lots of business cards.
Rachel Avery Conley is The Photographer’s Blogger, providing Regular Blogging Service and Content Creation for Creative Professionals on WordPress platforms. She has spoken on the topic of WordPress for Photographers before groups such as the 2013 Inspire Photo Retreat and before a CT Photography Users Group.
{the Photographer’s Blogger} http://blogforphotogs.com/
{twitter} https://twitter.com/rac_photoblog
{instagram} http://instagram.com/rac_photoblogger
Rachel Avery Conley and Daniella Norwood are the Co-Chairs of Volunteers for Providence WordCamp 2014.
Contact them if you would like to volunteer for all or part of the weekend of September 26 and 27!
Luke Gedeon has been behind every WordCamp held in Providence. He shares his thoughts on the experiences.
You were the very first Providence WordCamp organizer. What motivated you to start a WordCamp here in RI?
The monthly WordPress meet-ups had been going for a couple of years and we had a lot of people who were looking for classes on WordPress. I, and a few others, suggested that they go to the Boston or NYC WordCamp. They asked: why we didn’t have one here? One person in particular, who was really good with publicity, really wanted one in Providence. So I agreed that if she would help find 100 other people to come, we would do it. A few months later we had an organization team together and shortly after that we had our first WordCamp with nearly 200 people!
What were the obstacles and how did you overcome them?
The biggest obstacle the first year was finding a location. We contacted many local colleges and other organizations and met with quite a few. It was a full-team effort to find the right people and go talk to them.
What surprises (both good and challenging) awaited you?
I honestly didn’t know what to expect most of the time so very little surprised me. I figured, “I guess that’s just the way it is.”
Why do you think so many people volunteer their time: to organize, speak, work the day of WordCamp?
Many of us start using WordPress because it makes it possible to build a complete website all by ourselves. Then we continue to work all by ourselves until we realize all of the sudden that we need help with a particular project. It is at that point, if not earlier, that we start looking around for anyone who can help. WordCamp is an opportunity to meet locals who use WordPress and also meet some of the most active WordPress enthusiasts from around the world.
Speaking and organizing are two great ways to get to know more of the people who can help you most on your next project. It is also a great way to get name recognition and become know as an expert or leader in the community.
Another reason to volunteer is to help support the community that is building the next new feature in WordPress… that feature that you have been wanting for the last six months. WordCamps are where new features get designed and often built.
Where does the Rhode Island WordPress/WordCamp community fit in with the global picture?
Sitting right between Boston and NYC, we have an opportunity to connect with two of the largest WordPress communities in the world. But for WordCamp, the most important community is the local one. Take the time to meet everyone in you local area. Those contacts will prove invaluable over the next year.
Why do you think WordPress is such a popular platform among website owners/bloggers/developers?
Rapid setup. I am not going to say easy, because most platforms are “easy.” You can get started quickly, but the real magic is that you can keep learning and do ever more amazing things the more you learn. Most easy platforms have limited flexibility, and more powerful tools have a huge learning curve before you can even put “Hello World” on a page. WordPress does a great job of scaling to your learning level and has no “known” limits.
What is your favorite part of WordCamp?
My favorite part is the Happiness Bar. It is a great opportunity to give and receive one-on-one help with anything WordPress related.
What is your level of comfort with creating and maintaining websites? What do you do with WordPress?
I am very skilled at backend WordPress development in theme, plugins, and core. On the front-end, I am familiar with js and I can match any design. I am still working on developing a design sense that can detect client tastes and that will communicate client priorities.
How much coding/web development/other will an attendee need to know to get something out of WordCamp?
The more of the basics you can learn prior to WordCamp the more you will benefit from it, but really you can start from anywhere.
What would you say to someone who says: “I know nothing about websites and will be totally overwhelmed.”
Every time there is an opening in your Saturday schedule, visit the Happiness Bar for one-on-one help.
What would you say to someone who says: “I know so much about websites and WordPress there’s nothing I could get out of WordCamp.”
I really doubt it. The people who build WordPress are attending these camps on a regular basis. We use these events as a time to brainstorm ideas for future versions of WordPress and to work on code together.
Any advice for a first-time WordCamp attendee?
Meet people, ask a lot of questions, take notes on who said what, get contact info for follow-up.
Luke Gedeon is a Web and Business Developer specializing in pre-launch businesses, and non-profits. He is currently building several thousand free websites for churches.
| Time | Room 1 | Room 2 | Room 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 am | Registration | ||
| 10:30 am | Opening Remarks | ||
| 11:00 am | |||
| 12:00 pm | Lunch | ||
| 1:30 pm | |||
| 4:00 pm | End Day | ||
| Time | Room 1 | Room 2 | Room 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 am | Registration | ||
| 8:45 am | Opening Remarks | ||
| 9:15 am | |||
| 10:00 am | |||
| 10:45 am | |||
| 11:30 am | |||
| 12:30 pm | Lunch | ||
| 1:30 pm | |||
| 2:15 pm | |||
| 3:00 pm | Break | ||
| 3:30 pm | |||
| 4:15 pm | |||
| 5:00 pm | |||
| 6:00 pm | |||
Got a burning WordPress question you want answered? Having trouble with your site and want some expert help? Then the Happiness Bar is the place for you!
WordPress experts will be available to help you with your questions all day on Saturday.
Click here to see even more info.
Jeff Golenski is one of the presenters at the Providence WordCamp September 26 and 27. He took a few moments to answer our questions.
First and foremost, what is your topic going to be at WordCamp?
Jeff – The Tools & Methodologies of Working Remotely.
What type of person should attend your session?
Jeff – Any type of entrepreneur, designer, developer, business person, or marketer. Whether they’re freelance and have clients from all over, or they’re on a remote team in some larger organization. Everyone can get something from this talk.
What previous knowledge, if any, should they have to attend your session?
Jeff – Pretty basic. They just need to basically be alive and know how to use the internet. 😉
How much coding/web development/other will an attendee need to know to get something out of your talk?
Jeff – Nearly 0%
Why did you agree to speak at Providence WordCamp?
Jeff – I want to help others’ who have a desire to learn and better themselves, in order to make the web a better place.
What do you do with WordPress?
Jeff – We’ll leave it at… “Everything.”
For WordCamp as a whole: What would you say to someone who says: “I’m afraid to go. I know nothing about websites and would be totally overwhelmed.”
Jeff – That’s precisely why we have WordCamps – to learn. There are different level talks for everybody. I can go sit in some talks and be completely underwhelmed and bored, or I can go sit in talks and not know a thing about what the speaker is talking about (until they say “WordPress” and my eyes light up). We all have to start somewhere, so why not make it at a extremely affordable conference with passionate people, rather than paying thousands at a tech college. It’s easier than ever to dig in and get your hands dirty, so what are you waiting for?
What would you say to someone who says: “I know so much about websites and WordPress there’s nothing I could get out of WordCamp.”
Jeff – There’s always a bigger fish. And if they truly have that mentality then they’ve stopping trying to innovate. You can be good at a lot of things, but you can’t be the best at everything.
What impressions do you have about the other speakers/volunteers/sponsors/the organizers at WordCamp?
Jeff – I respect everyone. Whether it be 20 minutes, or dozens of hours, we’re all contributing to make a better WordPress community. Even if someone makes a mistake with logistics or whatnot, it’s not a big deal. They’re doing their best, with the best intentions.
Any advice for a first-time WordCamp attendee?
Jeff – Get off your devices and listen. Unless you’re in a workshop or the speaker is asking everyone to do some interactive stuff, you won’t fully absorb what they’re trying to teach you unless you put things down.
Jeff Golenski is a Design and Front-end Engineer at Automattic. He received degrees at Johnson & Wales University for Digital Media and Web Development. Jeff went to High School at Old Colony Technical High School in Rochester, MA.
Reach and/or follow him at:
website: webtactician.com
photography: http://500px.com/jeffgolenski
portfolio: http://behance.net/jeffgolenski
IG: http://instagram.com/jeffgolenski
Professional: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=30492135
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffgolenski
Dribbble: http://dribbble.com/jeffgolenski
Jesse Friedman is Lead Organizer for this year’s Providence WordCamp. He is also a frequent speaker at WordCamps around the country. Why did he agree to step into the Lead Organizer position for this year’s Providence WordCamp?
What motivates you to put the time and effort into WordCamp?
Jesse- I firmly believe in giving back to a community that has done so much for me.
What are the obstacles and how do you overcome them?
Jesse- The biggest obstacle is putting on a conference when it’s not your day job. Carving out that much time takes dedication. I’m lucky to have a really awesome team of organizers who help me stay on track.
Why do you think so many people volunteer their time: to organize, to speak, to work the day of WordCamp?
Jesse- From my experience most people who volunteer recognize that WordPress wouldn’t exist otherwise. It’s comprised of code written by volunteers.
People joke that Rhode Island is “a speed bump between NYC and Boston.” What are the advantages/disadvantages of hosting a WordCamp in a small state nestled between those cities?
Jesse – I agree people do say that, but Technology and our Community is not bound by state lines. New England has a great WordPress and Tech community and we plan to draw people from all over the area. Last year we had people flying across the country to our little state to enjoy WordCamp.
Where does the Rhode Island WordPress/WordCamp community fit in with the global picture?
Jesse- We are one piece of the puzzle. The bigger picture is a singular community that drives WordPress. We are a hub to the local members of that community.
What is your favorite part of WordCamp?
Jesse- The networking, making friends, and working with others. The sessions are pretty sweet too.
What do you get out of it?
Jesse- Other than the extensive knowledge I gain, I meet a lot of awesome people. It’s really great to get to work with everyone, and see our conference bring joy to others
What is your level of comfort with creating and maintaining websites?
Jesse- 100 out of 10
What do you do with WordPress?
Jesse- It’s easier to answer what I don’t do. I love pushing the envelope and seeing how far it will go. In the past I was strictly development but lately I have been spending far more time doing UX (User Experience) and User Advocacy work.
Jesse Friedman is an Internet Business Strategist, Marketer, Developer, Author, Speaker, and Educator.
{Jesse’s website} http://jes.se.com
{twitter} http://twitter.com/professor
{Facebook} http://facebook.com/wordpressandweb
WordCamp Providence is over. Check out the next edition!
