Free Uber promo codes available to/from the WCLAX After Party

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uber

Heading to the WCLAX After Party on Saturday? We’ve got your transportation covered – with a load of Uber promo codes to get you there on time and in style.

Getting there

Starting at 4PM on Saturday, use the promo code WCLAXEVENT when you’re nearby the Cal State Golden Eagle Ballroom and you’ll get up to $10 off your ride. Without surge, the ride should be around $7-$8, which means you’ll be getting there for free.

Apply this promo code by pressing the menu button, “Promotions”, then “Add Promo Code.” You can only apply this code starting at 4PM.

This code expires at 10PM on Saturday, so be sure to get to the After Party on time! Only 50 codes will be available, so keep the networking going and carpool with your favorite fellow attendees.

Heading back

When you’re ready to head out for the night and leave the after party, use the promo code WCLAXPOSTEVENT when you’re nearby Angel City Brewery. You’ll get up to $10 off your ride to head back to Cal State or your hotel.

Apply this promo code by pressing the menu button, “Promotions”, then “Add Promo Code.” You can only apply this code starting at 4PM.

This code expires at 1AM the next day. Only 50 codes will be available, but you can fit up to four people in one UberX ride.

Never used Uber before?

If you’ve never used Uber before, you’re in luck – you can get another ride for free! Once you’ve downloaded the app from the iOS App Store or Android Play Store, create an account, then following these instructions for a free ride up to $15:

  • Press on the menu button on the top left
  • Press on “Promotions” then “Add Promo Code”
  • Enter the promo code uberswb1192

That’s it! The promo code will be applied to your next ride. You can use all three promo codes for a bevy of free rides during the event.

Prefer to drive instead?

If you’d like to drive to the After Party instead, there are plenty of parking lots & garages nearby:

ACB-Parking-Map

Speaker Interview with Rachel Carden

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Rachel Carden is a Senior Software Engineer for The Walt Disney Company with over ten years experience in back and front-end web development and digital design.

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Before Disney, she founded WPCampus: Where WordPress Meets Higher Education and spent over nine years working in higher education. Rachel enjoys building an accessible, open web using numerous, and ever changing, languages, frameworks, and APIs.

What should we know about you that you haven’t included in your brief, third-person, professional biography?

Earlier this year, I moved across the country from Alabama to California to work for The Walt Disney Company. Exploring Los Angeles and California has been a blast. There’s so much to see and do! I’m so grateful that I had friends in California who have been making sure I never want for a new adventure. And you know how we met? WordPress, of course. 🙂

 

Which Disney movie is objectively the greatest and why?

Objectively, The Lion King. You just can’t beat that combination of storytelling and music. Unobjectively, I could watch the animated Robin Hood every day for the rest of my life.

 

What initially sparked your interest in web accessibility?

My passion for web accessibility sparked when I worked in higher education. Higher education institutions, at least those who receive federal funding, are required by law (Section 508) to meet a certain standard of technology accessibility. When you work in higher ed, accessibility is required by law to be a part of your daily workflow.

And while the legal nature of accessibility plays a big role, the human element should be what drives us as web professionals to ensure our information is accessible. Data shows 1 in 5 people have a disability. If your site is inaccessible, you could be excluding 20% 
of your potential users, 
customers, students, 
etc. You could be restricting your information from 20% of the world. That’s a huge number.

If you place importance on web accessibility, you’re saying that you want your information, products, and services to be available to everyone. And not just those who can see, or who can hear, or can control a keyboard and mouse.

People matter. And once you realize the impact good accessibility can have on making your information available to everyone, you can’t help but become passionate about its growth.

 

Could you tell us a little about WPCampus, it’s origin, and how the first conference went?

WPCampus is a community and conference for web professionals, educators and people dedicated to the confluence of WordPress in higher education. Its mission is to advance higher education by providing a support structure and wealth of knowledge for anyone who uses, or is interested in using, WordPress in the world of higher education.

WPCampus was founded in August 2015. The idea came to me from a tweet but it was no surprise that it caught on and grew so quickly. Before WPCampus, there was no organized collaboration or discussion for those using WordPress in the world of education. We knew we were on to something special.

The WPCampus community, and its events, are open to faculty, staff, students, and even those outside full time education. We have lots of individuals from the WordPress community at large who want to be involved and help out in whatever way possible. What’s more, our member base includes folks from all over the world. It’s been amazing to see how passionate our members are about what we’re doing and what we can achieve.

We organized our first conference this year, which took place July 15-16, 2016 at The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee in Sarasota, Florida. The event was amazing and we consider it a huge success. We had over 150 attendees, from 60+ educational institutions in the U.S. and Canada, join us for a knowledge-filled two-day event. Videos from most of our 38 sessions can be found on the event website at https://2016.wpcampus.org/.

If you work at a university, and would like to bring the awesome of WordPress in higher ed to your campus, WPCampus is accepting applications to host our conference for 2017. The application will close Friday, October 28, 2016. You can learn more at https://wpcampus.org/apply-to-host/.

If you would like to get involved with the WPCampus community, you can do so at https://wpcampus.org/get-involved/.

 

What’s an easy step WordPresser’s can take today to start making their sites more accessible?

The best way to get started with accessibility is to evaluate your website. There are a multitude of tools that will scan your website and, what’s more, will explain how to address any issues that are found. This is an easy, first step that will give you a good overview of how to take care of existing issues and will educate you on how to build sites going forward.

If you download my recent WordPress plugin, Wa11y, you will have access to two of my recommended tools: tota11y and WAVE. I also recommend HTML_CodeSniffer, which comes with a handy dandy bookmarklet for quick in browser testing. Most of these tools can be used without loading software to a website. This can really come in handy if you’re considering purchasing a WordPress theme or plugin and would like to evaluate their demos beforehand.

If you’d like to learn more about accessibility, and the available tools and resources, join me at WordCamp LA on Sunday at 1:30. We can work together to make the Internet more accessible, one website at a time.

Head over to the Dunbar at 1:30pm on Sunday September 11 at WordCamp Los Angeles 2016 to catch Rachel’s presentation, Tools and Techniques for Evaluating Accessibility.

FREE Parking at WCLAX – Remember Your Parking Pass

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WCLAX is next weekend!

We can’t wait to see your smiling faces next weekend at Cal State LA! To ensure those smiles, WordCamp parking is FREE to attendees. Please park in Lot 5 and the lower levels of Structure C (not the top level) with your special parking pass.

WCLAX Parking Pass

You will need to DOWNLOAD and PRINT your parking pass, found here, and present it to receive FREE parking both days. Without it, you will be ticketed.

Please park on the lower levels of Structure C or in Lot 5, enter both through Lot 5, as shown on the attached map. View the campus as a whole, find designated parking areas and join us at WCLAX, just past the Student Union, in the Golden Eagle building. If you need directions to the campus, please click here.

DOWNLOAD YOUR PARKING PASS HERE.

Libby Barker SCRUMs to Survive a Desert Island

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Today we chat with WCLAX speaker Libby Barker, a Project Manager at Human Made, a global WordPress agency based in the UK.

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Facilitating creative teams has always been a passion for Libby. After receiving her BFA in Film & TV, she worked for several years in media and communications for organizations such as as The Food Network, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Whitewall Magazine, and the Office of Nelson Rockefeller, Jr. In 2014, she took a job as a PM at WordPress agency Union Street Media and never looked back. In 2015, she received her Certification as a Scrum Product Owner. As a PM at Human Made, Libby works with a remote team to deliver outstanding sites for clients around the globe and actively seeks to implement Scrum and Agile methodologies tailor made to their workflow. When not working, she enjoys running, writing, and hiking with her husband in Vermont’s Green Mountains.

What should we know about you that you haven’t included in your brief, third-person, professional biography?

I’m a sucker for puns. The worse, the better. It’s almost compulsive. Maybe I’ll have an opportunity elicit some cringes while I’m visiting LA.

 

You’re stuck on a desert island with a small group of friendlies and your vast knowledge of all things SCRUM. What do you do first to ensure you your group survives?

Uh oh! First, we’d need to have a Backlog Refinement meeting. On a desert island, this would mean assessing our individual strengths, compiling a list of all tasks we need to accomplish in order to survive, and prioritizing the tasks. Launch critical issues (shelter, finding water and food sources, finding fuel for fire) would be right at the top of the list followed by ongoing tasks. The team would self-select tasks based on their strengths, and I would work with the team to identify obstacles (I imagine there would be a few!) to accomplishing their tasks. After this first meeting, we’d move forward daily stand-ups, of course, and weekly retrospectives to iterate on our survival strategy.

 

What’s one common mistake or pitfall you’ve seen teams new to SCRUM make and how can those teams avoid that mistake moving forward?

A common pitfall is that teams new to SCRUM (or other Agile methodologies) tend to get sidetracked with the aesthetics of Agile. By the aesthetics of Agile, I mean debating which Agile methodology to use, which Agile software to use, how to apply SCRUM roles to team members, how long sprints should be, etc. At the end of the day, this is not what makes a team Agile. Agile is a philosophy about empowering teams, not imposing alternate frameworks. If your team wants to become Agile, take some time to absorb the Agile Manifesto and Agile principles. For managers, be prepared to step back and think of your role as one of facilitator and let your team direct the transition. Use the Manifesto as your compass and everything else will begin to take shape.

 

If I were to do one day hike in Vermont, where would it be and why? 

I would love to hike Camel’s Hump! This is one of the most distinctive peaks in Vermont (it really looks like a camel’s hump!) and one of the highest.

 

Many teams have heard of SCRUM and see the benefits but maybe know where or how to get started. How’d you get started with SCRUM and what can we learn from your beginnings?

I was introduced to SCRUM by a colleague in my first role as a Project Manager. At the time, the team was suffering from major pain-points with communications as a result of a silo’d production process, which can be common in Waterfall workflows. I began researching ways to bring transparency to production using Agile techniques and made some progress based on my self-education, but participating in the SCRUM Product Owner Certification was a major breakthrough because I was able to get practical experience that I could bring back to the team.

There are so many resources available, it can be overwhelming to determine which is most appropriate for your team. The Agile Alliance and the SCRUM Alliance are the go-to organizations for the Agile community, but nothing compares with hands on experience. Meetups or User Groups are a great place to start but certification programs are helpful if you want to really understand the fundamentals. If you are willing to make a serious investment in the transition, hiring a coach to work with your team is also an option.

 

Head over to Club Alabam at 2:50pm on Sunday, September 11 at WordCamp Los Angeles 2016 to catch Libby’s puns and Agile Power: Agile Methodology for WordPress Development presentation and stick around for the Afternoon Business Panel (Moderated by Steve Zehngut) with Libby, Matt Cromwell, and Alex Vasquez in the same room at 3:30pm.

Please Don’t Throw Peas at Speaker Matt Cromwell

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In today’s speaker interview, meet Matt Cromwell, head of Support and Community Outreach at WordImpress.com.

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Matt is the author of many free WordPress plugins, a popular blogger at his website (mattcromwell.com), an admin of the Advanced WordPress Facebook group, co-organizer of the San Diego WordPress Meetup, and a WordCamp speaker and frequent attender.

What should we know about you that you haven’t included in your brief, third-person, professional biography?

People really should know that I’m deathly allergic to green peas — like go to hospital kind of allergic. So throwing tomatos during the presentation is fine — I get that, but throwing green peas is like throwing knives at me. Resist the urge to throw peas… PLEASE!!

 

As an organizer, speaker, and attendee or WordCamps, you’ve certainly seen a little bit of everything WordCamp. What’s your favorite thing about these events?

My favorite part of WordCamps is the certainty that you’ll make new fast friends. WordCamps are big family reunions, while still totally accessible for the uninitiated. Folks really want to connect with those they already know well, but are simultaneously really receptive to new faces.

But this brings up another thing people really should know. It’s some sort of running joke to say I’m a WordCamp organizer. I’m NOT. I’ve never organized a WordCamp. Bless your hearts all you WordCamp organizers. You’re amazing folks, but that’s one part of WP Community I don’t have plans to join.

 

What are the key symptoms a support team should look for that would suggest the team is struggling to scale?

Churn. If you’re losing your front-end support folks regularly then they’re probably overworked and unhappy and not feeling like they have a future in your company. Secondly, unhappy customers. Thirdly, sagging sales. When Support suffers everything else follows suit. Support is the glue of your organization and if the glue cracks, things start to fall apart quickly

 

Tell us a little more about WordImpress! What are you all about and how’d you get involved?

Devin Walker is the founder of WordImpress. He started it in order to have an umbrella to put his premium plugins under as a side-job to his thriving freelance work. At one point he wanted to level up WordImpress, so he reached out to me to join as a partner. Together, with our Business partner Jason Knill, we’ve seen we’ve seen the existing WordImpress plugins grow leaps and bounds, and we rolled out our pride and joy: The Give Donation plugin. It’s seriously an absolute pleasure to work on that plugin, to support these customers and to see a real international community growing up around the project. We love it.

 

What’s one small thing support teams can start doing today to provide better support?

Small support teams (like my own) have to start collecting data on their support. You can’t understand the effectiveness of your support team without data, and you can’t know the importance of when to hire new folks without data. So if you are providing support on a system that doesn’t make tracking your support data easy — find a new system, today.

Matt will be presenting on Scaling Your WordPress Support for Growth at WordCamp Los Angeles on Sunday, September 11 at 2:10pm in Club Alabam and stick around for the Afternoon Business Panel (Moderated by Steve Zehngut) with Matt, Libby Barker, and Alex Vasquez in the same room at 3:30pm.

Speaker Interview: Cody Landefeld

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Today we’re talking with Cody Landefeld, Senior web strategist and founder at modeeffect. Modeeffect helps technology companies & non-profits build powerful web solutions on WordPress.

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What should we know about you that you haven’t included in your brief, third-person, professional biography?

I am a husband and father of 3.  I enjoy music, sports, and comics.  I started dabbling in WordPress around 2007 because all other CMS options at the time were awful.  Was a fan of WordPress and was pleasantly surprised to find it was and is suitable for most small business websites.

 

You’re on a desert island and your only hope of survival is launching a WooCommerce store, what’s your goto secret tactic?

Setup Stripe first thing so we can get the money we need to pay the rescue boat to come and get us!

 

Tell us a little more about Modeeffect.

codyL is a WordPress consultancy I started around 2005. In 2013 we re-branded to become Mode Effect. The name choice was nice so I didn’t appear to be such an ego maniac 😉

I moonlighted up until 2010 when I was able to fulfill the dream of focusing on our company full time. It’s been quite a journey. One of the things I am most excited about is leading and nurturing a team who can help our clients grow their business and reach their goals.

 

With so many e-commerce solutions — even within WordPress — why choose WooCommerce?

We’ve used other e-commerce systems such as Magento and even other solutions built on WordPress. We started using WooCommerce in 2013 due to it being the most useful and well built e-commerce system we had used for WordPress.

 

What have you learned about working with non-profits that you wouldn’t have known otherwise or was surprising to you?

How much they value their web presence. Non profits are fantastic organizations and certainly have their shares of challenges but they definitely are organized when it comes to funding a resource that’s important to their core funding and existence.

 

Cody’s talk at WordCamp Los Angeles, Build a WooCommerce store that can rival Amazon, will be in The Dunbar on Sunday, September 11, 2016 at 3:30pm.

WordCamp Los Angeles Overview and Schedule

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WordCamp Los Angeles officially begins at 8:45 a.m., but plan to come early to grab swag, make some friends and help us stay on track. With more than 400 attendees, registration can take some time. We will be ready at 7:45a.m. on Saturday and Sunday to welcome you (with coffee) to WordCamp Los Angeles. Our venue remains at Cal State University Los Angeles, in the Golden Eagle Ballroom, located at 5151 State University Dr. in Los Angeles, CA.

Saturday Session Schedule

Once you arrive, you’ll note that we have planned two tracks, Lighthouse and Blue Whale, with classes scheduled on the hour all day on Saturday. Saturday is also the time for our special developer workshop series, known as Jam Sessions. Lunch on both days is scheduled from 12 to 1:30 p.m., giving you plenty of time to socialize! Closing remarks will be given at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and the After Party starts at 7 p.m. at Angel City Brewery, located at 216 Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. View Directions.

Sunday Session Schedule

Sunday’s schedule features two tracks. The Dunbar Track follows the same format as Saturday, with classes scheduled each hour on topics spanning website structure and tools to accessibility and eCommerce. The business track, Club Alabam, will be slightly different. Moderated by Steve Zehngut, this track is geared for those who run WordPress businesses and showcases 30 minute presentations on topics covering automation, scaling, project management and client/team interaction in WordPress companies. Following the tracks, WordCamp will conclude with closing remarks at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Review WordCamp Los Angeles schedule specifics to see the lineup of your favorite speakers.

Sarah Wefald Solves Problems and Likes to Knit

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Start your week with Sarah Wefald in today’s speaker interview.

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Sarah Wefald came to Zeek the long way. She started out as a project manager at a major record label – the sort of job she had wanted since she had first thought it would be cool to work with musicians, a decision made back when she was president of her high school drama club. However, that dream was soon met with reality in the music industry: half the company worldwide was laid off after the label was purchased and privatized. Determined that her career would not be over at 23, she went back to school while working temp jobs to learn web development and design.

After finishing the program, Sarah started transitioning from her marketing career to more technical work within the music industry, handling social media and webmaster duties for bands. Finding Steve Zehngut’s WordPress meetup group in Orange County allowed her to take her knowledge of PHP and apply it to WordPress web development. As a result, she has created and launched dozens of websites for brands and small businesses on her own, and runs the OC WordPress Web Designer’s meetup at Zeek’s offices on the first Monday of each month. She has presented at WordCamp Los Angeles (2013 and 2014) and WordCamp Orange County (2014), and served on the organizing committee for WordCamp Orange County in 2015 and 2016. She’s very happy that Zeek has allowed her to unite her original love of project management with her enthusiasm for WordPress.

 

 
What should we know about you that you haven’t included in your brief, third-person, professional biography?

That pretty much covers it, I think. I like my job and music and the usual stuff like hanging out with friends, and also fun. I guess you could include that I like to knit and crochet? Not terribly rock and roll, but it’s relaxing.

 

What is the most significant way your career in the music industry (which we are all totes jelly of, btw) prepared you for what you’re doing today?

It taught me how to explain technical things to non-technical people – a typical musician may have trouble figuring out Twitter, let alone WordPress. Breaking it all down into steps that actually have bearing in their daily life of keeping their fans engaged and informed was vital. I also learned how to deal with a lot of big personalities, both in business and in creative.

 

What was your favorite production from your high school drama club days?

Probably Jane Eyre. It was my first lead role, so of course I loved it, but it was a tough one. Jane had me onstage for 95% of the two-hour showtime, so for the 8 or so weeks of the production, I didn’t do anything but rehearse after school while everyone else who wasn’t in the scene we were running got to socialize. The more informal shows with our improv troupe were more loose and fun.

 

We’ve all had impossible clients, and stereotypes say musicians/bands are the worst. How do you approach difficult requests from your clients, like non-specific feature requests, plugins that don’t exist, features that are unnecessarily complex, and so on?

Believe it or not, musicians are among the easiest, because they just want you to handle it. They would rather focus on their craft, so you just have to get their (or, more likely, their manager’s) sign-off on the site structure and look and feel matching their album artwork, then go build however you need. The only problem is when you get someone that changes their mind a lot, but even then, it’s not that bad. They get it when you say “I can’t do this within the budget we have, so let’s save this feature for right now and come back to it.”

When we get non-specific or otherwise confusing requests from clients now, I try to back them away from the technological request and into the problem they’re trying to solve. I once spoke to someone who asked me for what would have been a massive multiple-week-long database restructuring, but when we talked about the problem they needed solved instead, it turns out all they needed was to have one default search radius adjusted. The job was done in less than an hour.

 

What’s the most rewarding part about running the OC WordPress meetup?

Giving back is the most rewarding part. I had some formal design and development training, but for the most part, I’m self-taught. I started going to Steve Zehngut’s general WordPress meetup 5 years ago to learn how to apply what I knew about PHP to this CMS I’d heard so much about. Not long after, I started going to OCWP dev night as well, even though I didn’t understand anything I heard. I just kept coming back and taking notes, and eventually I started making sites: first a stock theme, then a child theme, then a completely custom theme. I asked a lot of questions and got a lot of amazing answers. People were incredibly generous with their time and knowledge, and I tried to keep myself worthy of it by continually getting better at what I was doing, and then doing more of it. Being a meetup host myself is the perfect way to help ensure other people are able to learn the way I was.

Catch Sarah’s presentation, “Yes, and…”: Using improv comedy for project management success, at WordCamp Los Angeles 2016 in Club Alabam at 10:20 AM on Sunday, September 11, 2016 and again at 11:00 AM during the Morning Business Panel (Moderated by Steve Zehngut).

Making the Most Of WordCamp Los Angeles

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It doesn’t matter whether you journey to WordCamp Los Angeles as an organizer, volunteer, attendee, speaker, or sponsor, you are sure to have some questions. You may be curious about the speaker schedule or after party location. Perhaps you are wondering if you’ll find a topic that matches your skill level or maybe you aren’t quite sure what to bring. Making the most of WordCamp Los Angeles requires only two components: a ticket and the desire to WordPress.

WCLAX-Attendee WCLAX-Speaker WCLAX-Sponsor

What is WordCamp and What Should I Expect from WordCamp Los Angeles?

WordCamps are volunteer-run tech conferences built around the open source WordPress platform. These “camps” are created so you can dive into the world of WordPress, discussing and learning in a community. WordCamp Los Angeles allows designers, developers, business owners, artists, writers, SEO and IT consultants and those new to WordPress to gather and brainstorm how they can use WordPress more effectively. This event is created to provide you with a unique WordPress opportunity in Los Angeles. It’s your job to create an unforgettable experience!

How Can I Prepare? What Should I Bring?

  • Dress for Comfort – Keep in mind that WordCamp Los Angeles is a professional networking event. Plan on polished, business casual and you’ll fit right in. If you have questions on your attire, reference the WordCamp Code of Conduct to refrain from causing offense. 
  • Bring a Buddy – Nervous about WordCamp? Arrange to meet a friend there or sign up with a friend. Watch the #WCLAX hashtag and reach out to those who post. Look for them when you arrive and grow your new connection in person. Too time consuming? Force yourself to meet 10 new people as soon as you arrive. In no time you’ll have more new friends than you can track!
  • Bring a Small Bag or Backpack – You’ll find a ton of swag at these events, plus you’ll need a place to put your water bottle, wallet, business cards, phone (for contact exchange and selfies), preferred tech device (tablets are less bulky) and backup power source.
  • Review the Attendee List – Read about the people who will be there. You may discover you use their products, read their blog, or have something else, such as a love for schnauzers in common. Check the list! 
  • Review the Schedule – Make note of your “must” and “maybe” sessions. Build time for “hallway track” into your schedule as this is an unofficial opportunity to collaborate on ideas with other attendees while sessions are in full swing. 
  • Use Social Media – Follow the WordCamp Twitter hashtag #WCLAX to see last minute changes, read about speakers and retweet what others post. Follow speakers so you can tag them as you mention their talks and share gratitude for their willingness to speak along with funny and helpful quotes. 
  • Plan on the After Party – WordCamp LAX just isn’t the same without it. Trust me, it’s a time investment you’ll want to make. You’ll find new friends and go deep in conversation (and possibly song) in a way that can’t happen between traditional sessions. It’s a time to let your hair down and enjoy being part of the WordPress community. Plus, the photo booth memories will remind you of the fun you had forever.
  • Come with Issues and Questions. Every WordCamp has a group of dedicated “expert” volunteers slated to help answer your needs. At WCLAX we call it the Happiness Bar and we guarantee to make you smile, even if we can’t find you a quick fix.

What’s It Really Like? How Can I Make the Most of It?

  • Be Early – Show your session speaker that you are interested by getting to class before it starts and sitting close to the front. Smile and help the speaker to feel at ease, knowing they can count on a friendly face in the crowd.
  • Open Yourself to Learning – Discover something new or build on what you already know. Take notes. Embrace track cross-over; being a dev doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy and learn from a session on business management or copywriting. The reverse is true, as well.
  • Note Taking vs. Scrambling to Keep Up – Take sparse memory-jarring notes and record your aha moments, the speaker’s contact info and any shared urls that seem interesting to you. Type up a few quotes if you’ll be writing a recap post. The key here is to capture the essence of the session and learn how you can enhance your current process.
  • Speak Loudly – Most speakers have time for questions, use this chance to go deeper. Taking notes makes it easier to ask a related question and stand out from the crowd.
  • Burst Bubbles – Reach out to those around you. You already know the tech crowd is filled with introverts (you may even be one). If you’re willing to take a chance and introduce yourself to your seatmates, you will find that you have a lot in common with most people in the room.
  • Connect Easily – This is your chance! If you have been wanting to meet a speaker, vendor, or another audience member, WordCamp Los Angeles is an ideal place to make small chat or seek clarification. Speakers often provide time for one-on-one conversation after their talks. Get in line or send a tweet letting the person know you’d like a few minutes of their time and then follow up. Bring your business cards, even if you think you won’t use them. You don’t want to be the one who is empty handed if the time to share arrives.
  • Discover New Tools – WordCamp talks are chock full of free recommended WordPress resources and  plugins. Chances are that anything mentioned has been well-vetted by those in attendance, so make a note to try it out and see if it’s a good fit for you.

I Love WordCamp Los Angeles – How Can I Share My Experience?

  • Share photos of you and your day, from selfies to swag! Be sure to tag the people and companies represented and share how you feel. Follow up with a blog post or capture moments of your day with a live or follow up video.
  • Express gratitude! People love to be thanked in social media and through the mail. Do what works for you, but remember that WordCamp Los Angeles has many sponsors, contributors, organizers and volunteers dedicated efforts on your behalf. Make their day by showing your appreciation. 
  • Keep track of who you met and solidify the interaction in social media or with a phone call or email referencing how you met in the weeks to follow WordCamp. Things and people transition pretty fast in Los Angeles and if too much time passes, you may be forgotten.
  • Make sure you meet the organizers while at WordCamp Los Angeles so you can thank them in the months that follow WordCamp Los Angeles. These people gave of their time, talents and energy to create an unforgettable weekend for you. Help them understand how they have made a difference in your life and share the value of the weekend with others who may benefit in years to follow. 

WordCamp Los Angeles - Making the Most of it!

Have more suggestions on making the most of your WordCamp Los Angeles experience? Comment below with tips and tricks you recommend so we can see you putting them into play on September 10-11, 2016.

Adam Bell

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Get to know Adam Bell in today’s speaker interview.

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For the past two decades, Adam has run an independent web design / development and branding studio in the San Fernando Valley called dataTV (http://datatv.com/). Adam has worked with a wide variety of clients in the Entertainment, Hospitality and E-Commerce space including Ovation TV, Estrella TV, Ford Motor Company and Tender Greens. Adam has worked with WordPress since 2005 when he saw the potential for it to become more than just blogging software and a true Content Management System. In addition to running his own shop, Adam also manages the Los Angeles Adobe User Group (http://laadug.org/), which runs free monthly meetings across Southern California for people in the Creative Tech scene. This includes WordPress topics, on occasion.

What should we know about you that you haven’t included in your brief, third-person, professional biography?

Probably that I’m the only presenter ever in the history of WordCamp LA who ever migrated to Los Angeles from a natural disaster. In my case, Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In fact, the day I present, September 11, just so happens to be the 11th Anniversary of when I signed my first lease to officially live in LA-the city from migrating from LA-the state. Somehow I’m still here!

 

Your firm, dataTV, has been around for a little while, what’s the biggest change you’ve seen in the industry in the last 20 years?

Mobile. Limited CMS’ we’re already starting to occur 20 years ago, but who was thinking about designing for a phone? Almost nobody.

 

What did dataTV do in the face of this change that younger firms can learn from?

Always learn to adapt and stay ahead of the curve as much as you can. I started designing for mobile in 2003. On a Palm Treo. And I was doing a ton of Flash at the time. Sure I missed it, but other things took their place, so I simply worked at excelling at those.

 

What’s your ideal Tender Greens meal look like and why?

Hmmmm…. the pics of their ribs looked really good on Instagram lately but honestly, anything at TG works with a great local craft beer on one of their taps. Well, unless it’s a super hoppy IPA. Not a fan of those.

 

What’s one or two things about the development of the CulturePop that made it worthy of a WordCamp presentation?

The fact I was able to add features into the site without adding free or cheap plugins (not that there weren’t plugins) and having a client willing to allow me and my developers to incorporate custom code to make sure things work exactly the way they want. Also, the ability to try out newer ideas and concepts I hadn’t done on a WP site until that point.

 

Catch Adam’s presentation Anatomy of a Website: CulturePop at WordCamp Los Angeles at 10am in The Dunbar on Sunday, September 11, 2016.