As we receive slides from our speakers we will post them here:

• WordCamp Miami 2013 Session Slides

If you are at WordCamp Miami today, in each register bag, each attendee received random WordCamp cards. Most of these cards are of WordCamp Miami speakers. The object of this game is to collect as many unique cards as possible, or to collect a certain group of special cards. Those that do will have the chance to win prizes at the networking party on Saturday night.

Each card shows a person’s picture, bio, and some of their stats.

For example, this card shows David Bisset as a developer with these skills: BuddyPress, #wcmia, and HTML/CSS.

Here’s the list of the cards that exist:

Sponsors:
Blue Host
BuySellAds.com
Foo Plugins
MaxCDN
MediaTemple
WPBeginner.com
Woo Themes

Andi Graham
Andrew Norcross
Boone B Gorges
Bowe Frankema
brad williams
Brian Breslin
Brian Messenlehner
Chris Lema
David Bisset
Denise Jacobs
Diana Espino
Ernie Hsiung
Grant Landram
Jacqueline Jimenez
Jayvie Canono
Jen Mylo
John Jacoby
Justin Sainton
Lisa Sabin Wilson
Mark Jaquith
Mason James
Matt Mullenweg
Mauricia Ragland
Michael Chacon
Myke Bates
Paul Gibbs
Pippin Williamson
Ptah Dunbar
Randy Hoyt
Sam Grant
Shane Pearlman
Siobhan McKeown
Steve Zehngut
Suzette Franck
Syed Balkhi
Tammy Lister
Taylor Jasko
Tony Perez
Zac Gordon

You can get cards from most speakers and sponsors at the event.

Skies are Clearing and Saturday Will Be a Beautiful Day!

Thank you to our speakers, sponsors, volunteers and attendees who today made BuddyCamp and the Beginner’s Workshops rock! WordCamp Miami officially starts tomorrow but today was filled with lots of good learning and community goodwill.

Those who could not be in rain-soaked Miami today were treated to our first WordCamp Miami live stream. Click the link in the menu above to watch the live stream as WordCamp Miami continues on Saturday and Sunday.

For the first time ever, there will be a livestream of WordCamp Miami (and, as already announced, a livestream of BuddyCamp Miami as well). The livestream will be at no charge (free), and a link will be available on the WordCamp Miami website during that weekend (look for ‘live’ in the top navigation).

There are many factors that go into livestreaming. We have dedicated people devoted to delivering the live stream (and thanks to the WordPress Foundation we have equipment). However, since this is our first shot please bare with us if things go a little off path. In addition, as you would imagine, we are dependent on the internet bandwidth of the venues, and some things (like quality, etc.) are out of our control. But we reviewed things prior, and we feel confident we can pull it off.

So for all those who missed a chance to attend in person – or for those who at the last minute can’t come – please tune in during WordCamp Miami weekend to catch some great presentations.

WordCamp Miami this year for the first time is having two discussion panels. We are asking for questions ahead of time, so we can have a lively discussion on Saturday. We also want your questions for our BuddyCamp panel on April 5th (Friday). To make things interesting, we are going to be giving away a WordCamp Miami prize (from one of our key sponsors) to the person who submits the best or most interesting question. How will we determine that? No idea, but you can’t be in the running without asking a question!

Click here to send us your question(s).

Please check our schedule for the latest information on times and sessions.

Here are our panels:

Answers To Common WordPress Questions
Panel #1 (11:15am on Saturday)
Now is your chance to ask a question directed to an experienced panel of WordPress users and developers. Perhaps you are looking for a better plugin for something you want to do with a WordPress site? Maybe you are looking for the best ways to integrate social (like videos or Facebook) posts into your site? Maybe you are looking to advertise on your blog and you need some tips to get started.

The Future of WordPress
Panel #2 (2:45pm on Saturday)
Our panel of experienced WordPress developers and business owners – who know how far WordPress can be modified and themed – will answer questions about some of the challenges that WordPress has ahead of itself. Especially as it transitions from being used primarily as a blog platform to a CMS platform to a “web application” platform. Perhaps you want to know how the strengths and weaknesses of WordPress vs. other similar solutions. Or maybe you have an idea for a complex app, and want to see how WordPress can be the solution for that app. This panel is primarily for those who are experienced users and developers, looking to have a lively discussion on how people see WordPress outside the “WordPress bubble” – and see if these observations have any merit. If you have a question about the road ahead for WordPress, then this is your panel.

BuddyCamp Miami Panel
(Friday, April 5th)
BuddyCamp Miami will also have a panel on April 5th. We welcome ANY questions related to BuddyPress or social network design.

Again, click here to send us your question(s). We are looking forward to having some great discussions this year at WordCamp Miami.

Yeah, we hate top xxx lists too but screw it.

11. Happiness Bar. On Saturday, we will have a fully manned and ready to help those with any questions on WordPress.
10. BuddyCamp Miami. The first BuddyCamp in the United States (the first and only other one in Canada) bringing together many of the top BuddyPress core development team.
9. Beginner’s Workshops. The workshop in Davie, FL on March 23rd was a complete success and we got amazing feedback and appreciation. We were able to help people in a more intimate setting, and some people were helped one-on-one. The next workshop in Miami on April 5th will be the same format and expecting more people able to be educated as well. The two workshops in different locations enabled people to come to the one closest to them, and we saw many new faces as a result.
8. First Ever Business Track It’s our first WordCamp with a dedicated business track. Anyone including freelancers, small business owners, and those in an agency will benefit from experienced speakers – many of whom run their own businesses. They’ll be sharing tips and lessons learned, plus at the close on Sunday we’ll have a Q&A panel where you can ask any questions you might have.
7. Ice Cream Social on Sunday. We will be giving out some great Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream from chillnicecream.com. This is happening Sunday afternoon, and will be the chance for us to relax and network a bit. Not to mention talk about the past couple of days.
6. Our Sponsors. Big or small, our sponsors are completely awesome and enabled us to provide a great experience to our attendees this year. This includes some interesting games and entertainment during the event (it’s a surprise!).
5. BBQ Lunch on Saturday. If you don’t get it, it’s not worth explaining.
4. Networking After Party. Saturday night starting at 6:30pm, we will be having our after party at Finengans, sponsored in part by MediaTemple. This is where we can meet and network with others, enjoy dinner and drinks, and have some fun winning some very cool prizes from our sponsors. WE EVEN HAVE A PARTY BUS (thanks to GoDaddy) TO TAKE YOU THERE.
3. Volunteers. The support this year has been amazing, and we thank our volunteers ahead of time for giving their support and time in areas like registration, cleanup, and lunch. Without them, things wouldn’t go as smoothly.
2. Speakers. Over 40 speakers giving awesome presentations this year. Many speakers are local, but others are from California, Texas, and as far as the United Kingdom.
1. You. And 450 of your fellow WordPress community members. Community has been one of the top reasons why WordCamps are so successful.

See you in less than two weeks.

Andy Vitale @andyvitale

Andy Vitale a UX Designer specializing in emerging technology and digital media, for web, mobile and software starting before the terms UI/UX were common to the industry. He has gained professional experience from designing and maintaining National and International brands to teaching design practices and theories on the collegiate level, spending five years as the Graphic Design Program Department Chair at a regionally accredited University. Staying on top of the latest trends, Andy has had strategic roles in managing branding and marketing projects across various platforms from traditional to interactive media.

Andy will be talking about “Using WordPress in an Agile Environment” on Saturday morning in the designer track.