Author: David Bisset

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Join Us! Be a WordCamp Miami 2019 Organizer/Volunteer Leader!

It’s that time of the year again – time to start thinking about WordCamp Miami 2019 (at least in terms of organization and support). During our last WordPress meetup in Davie, FL we invited people to signup to help out and become involved. We got a dozen names along that night!

We are actively seeking those interesting in being a high-level volunteer or organizer for WordCamp Miami 2019, which is slated to be at FIU in March 2019. It doesn’t matter what you can do or how you can help – we need all the help we can get! Especially if you can help out in these categories:

– Logo, print, and branding design
– Maintaining a WordPress site (updating content)
– Helping with hotels
– Helping with after-party planning
– Helping with communicating with sponsors and speakers (via email before the event)
– Volunteer coordination
– Registration and help desk coordination
– Help with making/designing swag
– Youth Camp volunteering and organization (WordCamp Miami has one of the largest kid’s camps at a WordCamp!)
– Advertising, Word of Mouth (for sponsors, speakers, and inviting new people and youths)

If you are interested we would like to hear from you as soon as possible, as we are filling some spots by September 30th, 2018.

It’s really simple. Here’s a google form that asks you a few questions:

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Impact Of WordCamps

For our 10th anniversary, we asked attendees during the ticket registration process this question:

Has WordCamp Miami made an impact in your life (professional or personal)? Please let us know – we would love to include your testimonials, quotes, and stories in our 10th anniversary special events.

We got an overwhelming number of responses. The ones listed below (and made anonymous due to our privacy policy) are just a sampling. These kinds of comments are evidence that WordCamps – regardless of where they are located – are an important source of education, inspiration, and support for their local communities.

  • “I have been inspired to organized my local WordCamp Managua 2017 and help local WP community in Nicaragua.”
  • “Attended 2017 for the first time and it ignited my passion for WordPress, ecommerce and overall working with websites. It redefined my career.”
  • “It has offered my students a professional perspective on this environment.”
  • “Enjoyed it very much last year, and helped me understand the importance of accessibility in building websites. “
  • “Given me more confidence as I try to develop my website. I always learn something new. My fellow attendees are so positive and euthusiastic.”
  • “I attended the first when it was part of RefreshMiami. I presented on the UM campus in 2009 or 2010 and met some cool folks. Most of my WordPress work has been for corporations, but the stuff I learned and people I met were great influences. I just wish I had more time to contribute back.”
  • “I attended Wordcamp last year for the first time and walked away with copious notes and dozens of connections. Definitely worth the time spent… and the investment was happily affordable.”
  • “I’ve loved the community down here and the enthusiasm. It’s one of my favorite activities I go to since I don’t go to many conferences a year.”
  • “I’ve meet amazing people, and have networked so much at WordCamp! There really is something for everyone! Always so much to see, learn about, and network!”
  • “Met some of the most generous tech professionals at WordCamp Miami, everyone is willing to help you out and teach you what they know. It’s like a family reunion every year. “
  • “Opened a whole new world of opportunities for me. It’s great to help people who think their own website is out of reach for them.”
  • “The information is important to keep up with changes in the industry.”
  • “WordCamp assisted me in building a professional and personal network of colleagues, clients, and friends. It is great to see so many people give their time and expertise to assist each other. The atmosphere of collaboration is fantastic.”
  • “Wordcamp has helped me gain information on marketing & SEO from fellow community members out working in the industry that would have taken me a ton of time to research myself!”
  • “WordCamp is amazing I use everything I’ve learned for private clients and have met excellent contacts. I can not thank you enough 😍”
  • “WordCamp is one of the events that I go to every year and each time I get something completely different out of it. Whether it is tech, marketing or business, there are people there who have the experience.”
  • “WordCamp validated my knowledge. I always was unsure how much I really know. But when I went 2017, it was clear I know more than the average user which made me much happier at work.”
  • “WordCamp was an eye opening experience for a novice like me. I had no idea the world I stepped into, when I FINALLY decided to use WordPress for my site. The people I meet, the contacts I made, the stories/experiences we shared openly, the knowledge I picked up ‘@ last years event helped me advance leaps and bounds on my site.. One thing is for certain, you cant go wrong by attending. But DONT be a fly on the wall. Stick your hand out and introduce yourself, this is not a time to be shy at all! You’ll never get anywhere that way! My site although still not finished, because its ALOT more robust than I ever imagined, Ive discovered I need help and am back to find some front end development and marketing help. VERY much looking forward to picking up even MORE knowledge and contacts in this amazing new world! THANK YOU “
  • “It frees me from the confused and overwhelming feeling that internet can bring on us.”
  • “If it wasn’t for connections I made at WordCamp Miami I wouldn’t have built Better WP Security to the level it hit before I sold it, I would never have moved to Sarasota (bought my house sight unseen thanks to a trusted friend I met at WordCamp Miami) and I would not be working for the University of Florida.”
  • “2017 WordCamp Miami was my first WordCamp experience. I enjoyed the community, the wealth and sharing of knowledge and the overall attitude of attendees and staff. How has WPMIA impacted my life? Professionally it has allowed me access to some great thinkers. Personally, I have joined a community that let’s me share what I know, to benefit one another.”
  • “As a fellow WordCamp organizer, I am humbled every time I attend WCMIA. It’s such a well-oiled machine and every year things get bigger, better, and there are STILL surprises to be had every time! There is a real sense of community among the crowd, and even though there are 700+ of us, you get to really know your fellow attendees. “
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WordCamp Miami Contests!

Ever since we introduced speaker cards back in 2013, we’ve had a number of contests to keep both young and old energized throughout the conference. This year, because we have SO much going on, we wanted to let you know about most of our contests EARLY so you can prepare.

Speaker And Sponsor Cards

Speaker cards are found in attendee bags and given to speakers themselves. Your goal is to collect as many unique cards as possible during the conference – the people with the most cards (tied) will be entered into a random instant drawing at Sunday’s closing remarks.

Sponsors in the sponsor area (in the CBC Lobby) have their OWN cards. You’ll have to approach and ask them to get one. The people with the most cards (tied) will be entered into a random instant drawing at Sunday’s closing remarks.

WPBINGO

Yep, it’s bingo time at WordCamp Miami this year! Here’s how to play:

Visit WPBingo.com to generate a random bingo board. Tap on any squares you see/hear to win a bingo. Play for fun all weekend long, starting now, and tweet screenshots of your wins using the hashtags #WPBingo and #WCMIA!

If you want to win some prizes, be sure to play during the Matt Mullenweg Q&A/Keynote at 4:40pm. You’ll see a special link for that board appear at the top of the page starting at 4:30pm. You *have to* tweet a winning screenshot for a chance to win a prize, and include the #WCMIA and #WPBingo hashtags.

Trivia

Prepare to be quizzed in 80s, 90s, WordCamp, WordPress, and WCMIA trivia during our gameshow hour on Saturday and also a few rounds during our closing remarks on Sunday.

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WordCamp Miami Community Mini-Bazaar

Inspired by WordCamp US’s community bazaar, WordCamp Miami has chosen five local communities to feature this year that have been helpful in the organization, promotion, or quality of our event over the years. There will be posters at various points in the conference venue, and we encourage you to check them out and thank them (on Twitter and in person) for their help with WordCamp Miami. Thank them for helping us get to 10 years!

Foundation Of Excellence (@FndnExcellence)
IronHack (@ironhackmia)
Refresh Miami (@refreshmiami)
Miami Ed Tech (@miamiedtech)
Outspeaken Women (@outspoken_women)

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All Tickets Sold Out! Get On The Waitlist!

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Once again WordCamp Miami has sold out completely. Thank you to all of those who purchased tickets – and thank you to of course to volunteers and sponsors who made this possible.

We had available late admission tickets for the past week or so but those are sold out as well. Workshop and Kids tickets are sold out too. A waitlist is up right now. There are a few cancelations before the event and when a spot opens up we will let waitlisters now in the order they entered their names on the list.

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Kid’s Camp Schedule Information

Kid’s Camp for both younger (6-13yr) and older groups (13-18yr) is going to be jam packed with information that will allow a young person to be able to create and publish online. For those that have signed up and would like to take a sneak peak of our schedule, it’s below. (Note the schedule is subject to change at any time without notice.)

Older Track (13yr-18yr) Saturday March 17th

Welcome and Intro Sandy Edwards Saturday 9:00-9:15
Building a Future with WordPress Sam Smith Saturday 9:15-9:30
Setting Up a Site Paul Champeau Saturday 9:30-10:15
Design points Angelica Yarde Saturday 10:15-10:30
Install Theme, Page Builder, etc Chris Christoff Saturday 10:30-11:00
Lunch Saturday 11:00-12:15
Setting Up Woo Right Andrew Wikel Saturday 12:15-12:30
Setup WooCommerce Chris Christoff Saturday 12:30-1:15
Finish Woo Setup Chris Christoff Saturday 1:15-1:30
Forms and why they matter Josh Pollock Saturday 1:30-1:45
Choosing the Right Plugin David L Saturday 1:45-2:00
Security and Updates Adam Warner Saturday 2:00-2:15
Brain Storm Session Sandy Edwards Saturday 2:15-3:00

Older Track (13yr-18yr) Sunday March 18th

Greeting Sandy Edwards Sunday 10:00-10:15
Time Management and Workflow Brian Richards Sunday 10:15-10:30
Setting Up Google Analytics Chris Edwards Sunday 10:30-10:45
Setup Analytics Chris Christoff Sunday 10:45-11:00
Lunch Sunday 11:00-12:15
Open Working Time Sunday 12:15-12:30
Marketing that works Beka Rice Sunday 12:30-12:45
Getting Hired Matt Cromwell Sunday 1:15-1:30
Open Working Time Sunday 1:30-2:00
Why Social Media Matters Dr Nancy Richmond Sunday 2:00-2:15
Wrap Up Sandy Edwards Sunday 2:15-3:00

Younger Track (6yr-13yr) Saturday March 17th

Welcome, Introductions, and How To Stay Safe Online Saturday 9:00-9:15
WordPress.com Introduction/Recap Saturday 9:15-10:00
Brainstorm Activity (What do I Blog About?) Saturday 10:00-10:15
Brain Break Saturday 10:15-10:30
Setting up Your Blog Saturday 10:30-11:00
Lunch Saturday 11:00-12:15
Setting up Your Blog Saturday 12:15-1:15
Build out a Page Saturday 1:15-1:45
Build out a post Saturday 1:45-2:15
Share Your Blog Saturday 2:15-3:00

Younger Track (6yr-13yr) Sunday March 18th
Sunday will be focused on STEM and STEAM education opportunities. The full schedule is TBA, but you do not want to miss this day of fun activities.

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WordCamp Miami 2018 Kid’s Panel

WordCamp Miami is proud to have our third year with our Kid’s Panel.  This panel is an insightful interview with several youths ages 6-14. The focus? How they publish on the web in 2018.

What tools do they use? What are their friends using, and why? Do they publish with WordPress?

Why are these questions important to the larger WordPress community? Because it’s vital for current WordPress users, developers, and product maker to know what the next generation is using. When it comes to technology, you don’t adapt – you die. And getting an insight to how youth is publishing on the web is one way to figure that out.

Aleyna Harris (Age 16) Junior- Lauderhill 6-12 High School

Aleyna was introduced to coding in 7th grade and continued on through Highschool. She had the opportunity to volunteer with oracle where she was able to learn web development. 

She has taken part in competitions in which she was able to be on teams with her friend. With the help of the oracle coaches and Codecademy Aleyna now knows HTML, HTML5, CSS and SQL. 

Aleyna is originally from Jamaica and her future aspirations are to go to Universty where she will be able to study computer Programming.

Alyssa Harris (Age 16) Junior Lauderhill 6-12

“Hello, my name is Alyssa Harris I am 16 years old and I am a Junior at Lauderhill 6-12. I started coding in seventh grade I have learned a variety of codling languages including HTML CSS PYTHON and just recently SQL (Structured Query Language) which is used for database programming.  I was introduced to WordPress about a year and a half ago and have used it since then to enter various competitions.“

Edward Pratt (Age 16) Junior Lauderhill 6-12

Edward began learning how to use WordPress his tenth grade year. He attended many WordPress workshops which was sponsored by his Oracle club at school. He was then able to use his knowledge with WordPress during a summer internship he had with the Yeager Companies. He also participated in a competition within his Oracle club where he was placed in a team and had to develop a website, a WordPress powered blog and an application using the Agile Process(Scrum). Edward describes his WordPress experience as interesting and fun.

During his learning, Edward has successfully learned how to use HTML, CSS, SQL, Java Script and Python. Prior to him joining the Oracle club, he was learning make animations and has also participated in a Drone Competition FAU High School. Edward is also a very active person and takes part in his school’s activities. He is a member of his school’s Yearbook club, T.V Production club, NHS, L.I.N.K.S club, and T.U.G.A.

On his days off, Edward can be seen reading, drawing, playing music, hanging out with friends, going to the gym or writing a poem. He also enjoys going for walks and admiring nature’s beauty. He aspires to travel the world and enjoy life.

Aiden Lucayo 5th Grade Manatee Bay Elementary School

Aidan enjoys playing soccer and the guitar and his favorite subject in school is math.  Aidan enjoys traveling and visiting National Parks where he has earned Junior Ranger badges from the parks he has visited.  He also enjoys cooking, robotics, reading and video games.

Jayda Washington-Boothe 4th grade Honor-Roll Student at Manatee Bay Elementary

This is Jayda’s 2nd year at WordCamp Miami 2018. The experiences she gained at last year’s event has thrusted her into the local, state, and national spotlight as a girl who loves STEM. Currently, she is learning more features in WordPress, and continues using Microsoft Office 365 ‘s SWAY, Minecraft, Code.org. and was introduced to the MIT AI2 App Companion. Jayda is a member of Black Girls Code- Miami Chapter, Manatee Bay Elementary Student Council Secretary and the US Track and Field Association. She volunteers at Dare to Care Outreach, The Faith Center Ministries Youth Department, The Mayors Chess Challenge of Broward County, and loves dancing Hip-Hop!Her future career path is to become an engineer.

Victoria Dameus (Age 16) Junior at Lauderhill 6-12 STEM-MED magnet school

Victoria Dameus has become a role model, a coach, an entrepreneur, and a leader.  Arriving from Haiti in 2013, Victoria was faced with the challenges of many new immigrants, who would have thought that her inability to speak a word of English was going to be her key motivator for her early academic and leadership success?

Victoria managed to develop her leadership role as an active member of the National Honor Society’s Lauderhill 6-12 chapter (current Secretary), a student member of the North Broward County Chapter of The Links. A lead anchor and writer of the school’s television production studio, Yearbook Copy Editor, and a founding member of the Oracle Coding group. It was her active involvement in the coding group that propelled Victoria forward. As if learning English as a second language was not enough to keep her occupied, Victoria found the time to learn HTML, HTML5, CSS, CSS+,  Bootstrap, Python, SQL, and JavaScript. This opened a new world for her. Identifying problems and developing computer science solutions came naturally for Victoria, her work has gained the attention of the South Florida community and she has already made a footprint of her unique user experience web style. As a web coder and designer, she applied her programming knowledge to recreate a website for Doris Canady, this was her first exposure to web development for the community. CSS and JavaScript were new languages for Victoria and she was quite fluent- creating buttons and layouts improved page management resulting in an upgraded and gorgeous page.  This was the first out of a class project and many others have followed, such as five web pages created using WordPress.

Victoria’s determination to lead by example has provided Victoria with 1st place recognition for Human Capital Management Jr. End of the Year competition and the Yaeger Redesign Project.  Her community involvement led her to present at the 9th annual WordCamp Miami where as part of a panel discussion she shared her insights on web tools and publishing in the 21st century.  She parlayed these experiences into a summer job atConceptual Communications, a marketing, branding, public relations and social media company in Ft. Lauderdale. She was also nominated for a Leaders recognizing Leaders award. She is currently working with industry professional in making the web a friendlier place.  Her efforts to improve herself has impacted all those that work with her-both personally and professionally.

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Matt Mullenweg, Co-Founder of WordPress, Comes To Miami

WordCamp Miami is proud to have Matt Mullenweg as a speaker at WordCamp Miami for our 10th anniversary.

Matt Mullenweg is the co-founder of the open-source blogging platform, WordPress, the most popular publishing platform on the web, and the founder & CEO of Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, and Jetpack. Additionally, Matt runs Audrey Capital, an investment and research company.

He has been recognized for his leadership and success by Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, Inc Magazine, TechCrunch, Fortune, Fast Company, Wired, University Philosophical Society, and Vanity Fair.

John James Jacoby will be doing a live interview with Matt at the closing of our session on Saturday, March 17th. All are invited, and we will have a backup room in case our primary auditorium is full.

 

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Qualpay

Qualpay provides a modern REST API based payments platform, paired with a merchant account, that is easily adaptable to the unique needs of your business. Store Builders, Developers and ISV’s can join our Partner Program and provide value to your customers while enjoying a competitive revenue share.

We help merchants find the right pricing that is best for their business by offering either the typical fixed-rate market pricing or a variety of options including interchange pass-through. In 24 hours we can provide a cost savings analysis that can usually save a merchant over 30% off their processing costs.

Use our free extension or create your own and support Embedded Fields, Payment Gateway, and Checkout or refer our ready-to-use Virtual Terminal, Customer Vault, Recurring Billing and Account Updater. We support business-to-business customers, foreign currency processing as well as convenience and surcharge fees. All available to you at zero cost. Alternatively use a third-party payment gateway or offer plugins and extensions to a variety of e-commerce platforms and shopping carts, all integrated with our merchant account.

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Meet the WordCamp Miami 2018 Sponsors: DreamHost

Miami is an amazing town full of diversity, incredible food, and – most importantly – some of the best and brightest WordPress talent in the world!  That’s why we’re headed your way!

DreamHost is proud to be a sponsor of WordCamp Miami 2018!

Here’s a crazy statistic! On average we have 1.8 WordPress installations for every single customer at DreamHost. That’s a whole lot of WordPress all over our servers. With WordPress powering over a quarter of all sites on the web, it’s hard to see why anyone wouldn’t get excited about its incredible ability to give voices to the voiceless through lovingly-crafted lines of poetic code.

DreamHost supports WordPress with our time, with our talent, and with our technology. We’ve built incredible managed WordPress hosting options like DreamPress that make it run like lightning!

WordPress brings the creativity of people and the power of computers together in a way that few platforms have been able to accomplish. The WordPress community is incredible and never ceases to amaze us! It’s full of thousands of helpful people, all focused as much on improving the core platform as it is to ensuring that anyone who wants their voice heard online gets that chance.

WordCamps take the best of the WordPress community and bring it offline. WordPress users, designers, and developers of all skill levels gather together for two days of learning and networking in one of the most supportive environments you’ll find in the tech world.

We’re thrilled to be sponsoring WordCamp Miami this year and can’t wait to hear your stories!

WordCamp Miami 2018 is over. Check out the next edition!