For anyone who has not already heard, I will be speaking at the WordCamp Chicago during June 5th and 6th, 2010. This is my second time attending a WordCamp. There are a lot of benefits in attending a this event.
However, what is a WordCamp? It is a convention that is WordPress related. Speakers cover topics like social media, WordPress for beginners, WordPress for developers, and much more. Some WordCamps include special “ask the expert” sessions where users can ask anything.
A lot of great things happen at each WordCamp. It is a time to listen, learn, share stories, and take it all home to use.
Some of the benefits include:
- 1. Meeting new contacts and maybe a few friends.
- 2. Possibly gain a few potential clients (especially if you are a web designer.)
- 3. New and loyal readers on your website.
- 4. Learning new techniques to apply to your WordPress powered site both technical and also social media marketing related.
- 5. Bounce ideas off of peers to improve your website.
- 6. Getting WordPress and website related questioned answered that you have always been itching to ask.
It is important for anyone attending, no matter your status to be open-minded and come prepared with questions. It might be a bit intimidating to be in a room with several hundred people, but the WordPress community is a friendly and welcoming one. Your question is never stupid. In fact, you would meet some great people. For example, I met Matt Mullenweg, Liz Strauss, Lisa Sabin-Wilson, Micah Baldwin, David Dalka, Jim Turner, Brian Gardner, and a lot more.
As the WordPress community has grown and many talented designers and developers have popped up, it is a great opportunity to talk with these amazing people. The great thing is that the convention is cheap, not costing any more than $50. Most people pay 3 to 10 times more for social media or tech focused conventions. This convention is a learning opportunity and I wanted to share a little bit here at Famous Bloggers on what people can expect when attending a WordCamp.
Have you attended a WordCamp? How was it- did you have a fun? Who did you meet? Did you learn a lot?