BuddyCamp Miami sold out quickly, and we realize that alot of people wanted to come (both locally and from other countries). So we are planning on broadcasting BuddyCamp Miami via livestream on April 5th starting around 9am EST.

The livestream will be completely FREE and you’ll be able to view it by clicking the ‘live’ link on the WordCamp Miami page that morning. Please follow updates closely on our twitter account (@buddycampmia) for the latest updates. Remember – you get what you pay for, but we are hoping things go off relatively without a hitch. And you will be able to hear some great presentations from the likes of John James Jacoby, Emilio Cueto, Bowe Frankema, Tammie Lister, Paul Gibbs, Boone B Gorges, and Brian Messenlehner. Please view the BuddyCamp Miami schedule (scroll all the way to the bottom) for our proposed schedule.

See you on the interwebs!

We are very excited about hosting the first BuddyCamp in the United States (well, to be fair, it’s only the second one ever – first one was in Canada). Since tickets for BuddyCamp is extremely limited this year, we wanted to give you a quick preview so you can get excited and grab your ticket as soon as possible.

What Is BuddyCamp?

BuddyCamp is a mini-conference before WordCamp Miami. It’s happening on April 5th in downtown Miami. It’s a conference focused on BuddyPress (a social networking plugin for WordPress that can do alot) and designing for social sites and networks.

Who Should Attend BuddyCamp?

If you want to learn more about BuddyPress and walk away as a BuddyPress power user, then BuddyCamp is perfect for you. If you are a designer or developer of social/community sites in general, you’ll benefit greatly from the coding, design, and UX/UI presentations being given.

Who Is Speaking At BuddyCamp?

We’ve been lucky to have several great speakers and presenters at BuddyCamp, including some of the core contributors of BuddyPress. Here’s a quick rundown of a few:

Brian Messenlehner (@bmess) – Brian will be giving one of the first presentations of BuddyCamp – “BuddyPress 101” to bring everyone up to speed on BuddyPress’s current capabilities and where/how to use it. Don’t miss this one.

Paul Gibbs (@pgibbs) – Travelling from the United Kingdom, Paul is a BuddyPress Lead Developer and will be giving a session about “Scaling your BuddyPress site Without Tears”. If you wanted to build a WordPress + BuddyPress site that could scale, you’ll want to listen in on that.

Tammie Lister (@karmatosed) – Traveling from the United Kingdom for BuddyCamp, Tammie is a full-time designer and has deep experience in designing for social and community sites – BuddyPress in particular. “BuddyPress Design Matters” will be an excellant session for designers and UX/UI folks.

John James Jacoby (@JJJ) – Traveling from across the country, John is a BuddyPress Project Lead and will be talking about “Using BuddyPress to Grow a Community”. This will be a great session of those newer to BuddyPress and those seasoned veterans looking to expand a community and social network on their site.

Boone B Gorges (@boone) – Happy to have Boone joining us at BuddyCamp Miami this year (we hope the feeling is also mutual). He’s another BuddyPress Lead Developer, and his session will be on “BuddyPressifying a WordPress Plugin using the Group Extension API”. Lots of interesting things you can do with the BuddyPress Group API, so that one will no doubt be a favorite.

What Will The Day Be Like?

In the morning, we are planning on a single track of sessions from our speakers. After a lunch break, we might split off into smaller groups to focus on addressing subjects and answering questions that will benefit the group. Throw in a BuddyPress panel, and that’s a day full of BuddyPress goodness.

What Are You Waiting For?

That’s just a quick look at BuddyCamp Miami and just four out of the many speakers and experts that will be on hand on April 5th. This event will be limited in attendance to about 90, so make sure to secure your ticket as soon as possible. Tickets for BuddyCamp (as part of WordCamp Miami) are now available. Click here to purchase a WordCamp + BuddyCamp ticket.

Big news for Miami – BuddyCamp is coming to South Florida!

Yes, you heard that right! The second ever BuddyCamp (and the first one in the United States) is taking place in Miami, Florida on Friday, April 5th. The schedule should follow a traditional WordCamp format, with beginner sessions in the morning with designer and developer presentations in the afternoon. John James Jacoby (@JJJ on Twitter), a core contributor to BuddyPress and bbPress, will be down for a session and update us on the latest.

BuddyCamp will be partnering with WordCamp Miami, which is being held on Saturday, April 6th and Sunday, April 7th, at Ai Miami International University of Art & Design. So for the first time in the history of WordCamp Miami, we will be holding a THREE day event filled with WordPress and BuddyPress knowledge.

Looking for Speakers!

Are you be interested in being a presenter at BuddyCamp? Applications are open! Full details are available on our speaker submission page. Although the deadline for WordCamp Miami speaker submissions is Feb. 6th, 2013 we will be making exceptions for applications to speak at BuddyCamp. We are playing this by ear, so the sooner you submit BuddyPress or social network related sessions the better we can plan.

Be a BuddyCamp sponsor!

BuddyCamp, is a not-for-profit, community organized event that relies on the generosity of the community to bring it to life. If you’re interested in supporting BuddyCamp Miami, please see our sponsors page.

Tickets coming soon!

BuddyCamp tickets will be sold at the same time WordCamp Miami tickets are available. Watch this site (or jump on our mailing list) for ticket announcements in the upcoming days. You can also follow us on Twitter at @wordcampmiami for more details.

Please spread the word, and we look forward to seeing many of you at BuddyCamp!

Thanks,
The BuddyCamp Miami planning team