On the weekend, I went to my first WordCamp on the Sunshine Coast.
WordCamp promised to take my WordPress skills to the next level … and it was only fifty bucks for a two day conference. I wanted to find out more, even though the event was on the Mother’s Day weekend (turns out that didn’t matter anyway, both my kids were working!).
Now perhaps you are wondering: what is WordPress? Well, this here blog has been built on it 🙂 .
But more than that – it is quite possibly the easiest, most powerful and popular blogging/website builder in the world today.
In addition to my blog, I use WordPress everyday with my work at Front Page Web Writing.
Heading to my first WordCamp, I wasn’t sure what to expect, and was a bit worried it would be way over my head. But having browsed the program, I felt confident there were quite a few sessions that I could benefit from. Turns out I was right!
What I Learned at My First WordCamp
There is so much info spinning round in my head, and so many notes on my iPad! Sometimes it’s just good to be exposed to new stuff, and to find out the things you didn’t know you didn’t know, if that makes sense. For example:
- I need to investigate a number of plugins, apps or tools – Stream, Zapier, Schema, Facebook Instant Articles – and websites, like www.answerthepublic.com.
- The importance of determining your audience/target market by research (and not just imagining!), and how creating brief characterisations of each, or maybe even a visual board on Pinterest can assist in that process. That way, I can market to my ideal client and repel the ones I don’t want!
- How to create an email newsletter in 17 minutes!
- How to attract and grow an audience using a specific Facebook advertising strategy.
My Favourite Sessions
I got something out of every session, even the odd one full of tech stuff and geek-speak (aimed more at developers, than users like me). But these were my favourite sessions:
- How We Disrupted the Way the Industry Makes Websites – Yvette Adams. Yvette has a truly inspirational and amazing story (she is a serial entrepreneur, having launched her first business at the tender age of 17), and gave lots of practical tips on how I can streamline the process when it comes to creating websites for clients.
- Finding Your Online Voice – Talia Carbis. I’m pretty happy with how my online voice has developed over the past three years, but loved the topic so much I just had to attend. And I *did* pick up some great new tips!
- How to Create an Email Newsletter in Just 17 Minutes – Nik Cree. Although I probably won’t use the exact process Nik shared, I gleaned lots of useful information which I am looking forward to utilising both here on my blog, and with various clients.
- How To Speed Up Your Website – Luke Humble. After Luke’s talk, I tested my website and discovered it takes several seconds to load – long enough to make a casual visitor click away! Now I just need to put all the tools he recommended, in place, so I can improve it.
But the best part about my first WordCamp (and I suspect any conference)? The networking! I met some lovely people, including some I will definitely be referring to in future with WordPress queries, design etc; while others were happy to meet a professional SEO copywriter (that’d be me!) for the same reason.
In fact, to prove how valuable networking can be – I nearly skipped the final session on Saturday as I was pretty exhausted. But I’m so glad I stayed, because it was at that session I met Tan from the Aussie Bloggers Podcast, and she is keen to have me on an upcoming program! 🙂
All this to say, it may have been my first WordCamp, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be my last!
Are you a WordPress fan? What was the last conference you attended?