WordCamp SLC 2011 Videos Online

November 8, 2011 by Joseph Scott • 1 Comment

Some of you have already noticed that WordPress.tv has started publishing videos of presentations from WordCamp SLC 2011.

Up so far are:

Another big thank you to Pole Vault Media for taking care of the recording and editing of the videos.

Keep an eye on WordPress.tv for the rest of the presentations.

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The Wrap Up

September 12, 2011 by Joseph Scott • 4 Comments
WordPress Sauce

WordPress Sauce

After one busy day and a late afternoon rain storm WordCamp SLC 2011 is officially done. I talked with many of you through out the day and heard lots of positive reports about the sessions, the speakers and lunch. It feels like this was a successful event.

I want to put out one more huge thank you to our sponsors, having so many wonderful people and companies support this event is terrific. A huge part of this event is keeping the ticket prices low enough so that pretty much anyone who wants to come, can. Our sponsors make that possible.

And of course none of this would have happened without our amazing speakers, who donated their time to come and present on a variety of topics. I’ve talked with some of the presenters after the event and they have been getting some great feedback from people who attended their sessions. It isn’t easy to give up a whole Saturday and speak in front of a crowd, I appreciate their willingness to do that.

Finally, thank you to everyone who came out to attend WordCamp SLC 2011. I mentioned at the beginning of the day a challenge to meet three new people by the end of the day. We have some amazing people come out for this event, and I meet new people every year. That is one of things that makes this event special for me.

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Parking at the University

September 9, 2011 by Joseph Scott • Comments Off on Parking at the University

Being on a university campus it is worth checking out the parking situation ahead of time. First thing to check out is our location page. The Skaggs Biology Building is in red on the first map, with the recommended nearby parking lot in yellow.

More details on parking permits is available at http://www.parking.utah.edu/parking/ which points out:

Parking areas are designated by signs specifying the type of parking allowed and the hours of enforcement. Unless otherwise stated, permit lots are enforced year round, from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Some lots require permits until 10:00 p.m. and some individual spaces are reserved all day every day. A parking permit is not a guarantee of a parking space in a specific lot. Parking is available on a first come, first served basis. Lot designations change and availability is often impacted by a variety of events.

I recommend giving yourself a few extra minutes on Saturday morning to navigate the campus and find a good parking spot.

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Thanking Our Sponsors: Jetpack

September 8, 2011 by Joseph Scott • Comments Off on Thanking Our Sponsors: Jetpack

Next in our line of totally awesome sponsors is Jetpack. For people running WordPress sites powered by the WordPress.org software this is a great opportunity to have some of the features from the WordPress.com hosted service:

With Jetpack…
* you can get better feedback on your site’s popularity with WordPress.com Stats
* never publish a typo again with After The Deadline
* readers will love the social features from Sharedaddy (including
sharing posts on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon and many others)
* Twitter Widget lets people know your latest 140-character thoughts

Over time additional features will be coming to Jetpack that leverage the hosting power of WordPress.com.

If you see Pete Davies from Automattic around be sure to tell him thank you for having Jetpack sponsor WordCamp SLC 2011.

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Thanking Our Sponsors: Event Espresso

September 7, 2011 by Joseph Scott • Comments Off on Thanking Our Sponsors: Event Espresso

For anyone who has used online event management services you may have asked yourself, why can’t I do this as part of my WordPress site? Turns out you can. And this is where another one of our sponsors comes in, Event Espresso.

I particularly like this part:

Event Espresso events are created from within the WordPress admin. The plugin even creates registration forms so attendees can sign up right on your website.

Where is the registration information stored? Attendee information is stored right in the WordPress database, allowing you to have access at any time.

This is the second year in a row that they’ve sponsored this event and we appreciate their support. If you see Seth Shoultes from Event Espresso around be sure to tell him thank you.

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Thanking Our Sponsors: Storefrontthemes.com

September 7, 2011 by Joseph Scott • 2 Comments

I’ve said this so many times people are probably getting tired of hearing it. Every year for the local WordCamp I discover more people and companies based in Utah that are specializing in WordPress. This year is no different and one of those companies I hadn’t come across before is storefrontthemes.com, and they are a sponsor of WordCamp SLC 2011.

The speciality at storefrontthemes.com? WordPress themes that go hand in hand with the WP E-Commerce plugin. The front page of their site says it pretty well:

Take the hassle out of E-Commerce! Build your site on WordPress & the WP E-Commerce plugin and showcase your products using one of our themes. Each of our themes offer outstanding design, broad functionality and fantastic support.

If you are using the WP E-Commerce plugin (or considering it) then these guys are definitely worth checking out. And if you see Matt Jones from storefrontthemes.com be sure to say thank you for being a sponsor.

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Thanking Our Sponsors: Bluehost

September 6, 2011 by Joseph Scott • Comments Off on Thanking Our Sponsors: Bluehost

Food can be down right magical when it comes to bringing people together. For an all day event like this it is a great break from the regular session schedule.

Lunch at WordCamp SLC 2011 is once again sponsored by Bluehost. This is the third time they’ve taken care of paying for lunch, which has been a huge help in keeping our costs down.

In addition to generally being a large hosting provider, Bluehost has a focus on WordPress hosting. Their one click install makes it very easy to get a new WordPress site up and going. And beyond the initial install you can easily upgrade your WordPress install as well. Bluehost is also listed as one of the recommended hosting providers on get.wp.com.

If you see James Grierson from Bluehost be sure to say thank you for the lunch. They’ve been a great support to WordCamp SLC.

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Thanking Our Sponsors: The University of Utah

September 1, 2011 by Joseph Scott • Comments Off on Thanking Our Sponsors: The University of Utah

Finding a good location for a WordCamp event is never easy. Reliable Internet access is a must, and plenty of power outlets to charge all those devices doing the connecting. And to keep ticket prices low the cost of the location is big concern as well.

When I came across the Skaggs Biology building auditorium rooms while hunting for a location last year I new that is where I wanted to be. And it worked out great. Lots of power outlets, good amount of seating and wifi that worked the whole day. Hard to ask for much more than that.

As planning for WordCamp SLC 2011 started one of the very first things I did was ask if we could use that same space again. I can’t say thank you enough to The University of Utah for saying yes.

If you see John Levandowski at WordCamp SLC be sure to say thanks for getting the space reservations taken care of. He worked with the various departments on campus to secure scheduling of this location, and made it an all around smooth process for us to be there again this year.

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Speakers: Thom Allen and Sheri Bigelow

September 1, 2011 by Joseph Scott • Comments Off on Speakers: Thom Allen and Sheri Bigelow

Happy to announce our final two speakers for WordCamp SLC 2011: Thom Allen and Sheri Bigelow.

Sheri will be talking about Getting Started With WordPress. If you are a new WordPress user, or want a review of the basics this is a great session for you to be at.

Thom is covering 10 Widgets To Rock Your WordPress. Widgets are a very flexible and powerful feature of WordPress, Thom will discuss using widgets to take your WordPress site to the next level.

Registration is still open, so if you haven’t signed up, now is the time.

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The Session Schedule

August 30, 2011 by Joseph Scott • Comments Off on The Session Schedule

I’m happy to announce that the session schedule for WordCamp SLC 2011 is now live on the site.

There will be two keynote sessions, first in the morning with Pete Davies from Automattic. Then after lunch with Rachael Herrscher, founder of TodaysMama.com.

Lunch is coming in from Sugar House BBQ and is sponsored by Bluehost. It looks like the weather is going to be on our side and we’ll be able to sit outside again.

After WordCamp SLC head on over to the Rio Grande Cafe (just south of The Gateway) to hang out and eat dinner. It is not a sponsored event, so you will have to pay your own way. This is a great time to chat with more people from the event in a casual setting.

A big thank you to all of our presenters this year and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone next week on September 10th for the big day.

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