High Performance WordPress (WP_Query Performance and Best Practices)

WordPress websites are more then simple blogs these days, and building complex features may mean complex queries. Once upon a time, it was simple enough to install WP Super Cache and call it good, but with Javascript front ends, and lots of dynamic content, caching objects WordPress objects is a lot more important.

Jake is a developer for Condé Nast where he works on the technology team for Wired Magazine. He has been working with WordPress since the good ol’ days, and when he has some free time, he enjoys basking in the sunlight, evening walks with his family, spending time outdoors, skiing and biking.

It’s All About the Benjamins: Using WordPress for E-commerce

Thanks to Woocommerce, WordPress is quickly becoming the preferred platform for small to medium sized e-commerce sites. Designing and building a website for a business can be complicated enough, but adding e-commerce takes it to a whole new level of complexity. I’ll be sharing tips and tricks to make this process less stressful and more profitable for you and your clients.

Nearly 20 years ago, Dave took Computing 101 because he kept hearing about this thing called the “interwebs.” From the moment he pulled up his first website, he was hooked, and he’s been working in the industry ever since. Currently, he works for Boostability as a WordPress developer, trainer, and e-commerce specialist. When not playing in cyberspace, he loves working with Cub Scouts, spending time with his wife, and watching Batman cartoons with his son who is 9 months old.

Podcasting made easy with WordPress

Podcasting enables everyone to be a broadcaster. Whether you want to build your business or just promote your hobby, podcasting lets you get your message out. This presentation is delivered from a novice WordPress user’s perspective. He’ll provide step-by-step instructions explaining his experience moving from a simple blog to hosting a podcast on iTunes.

John Pugliano is the founder and money manager of Investable Wealth, LLC a licensed investment advisory firm. He is a novice WordPress user that has successfully launched the Wealthsteading Podcast to promote his business and broadcast his unique message of how to build wealth.

Taking Your Site From Useful to Usable

We all think that we know what is best. We build our sites and applications the way we think it should be. But let’s admit it, we are not our users. So, in what ways can we create a better experience for our users? During this session, you will learn how to help make your site or application a better user experience through a few simple steps like interactions, typography, and testing.

Tony Naccarato is a user experience designer currently working for AtTask. He has been a designer for over 12 years, the past 6 years focused on user experience and interactions. He also runs his own freelance design business where he helps small businesses and startups. His focus as a designer is to make things simple and easy to use.

Creating a website that works from the start. Planning the ‘Architecture’ of your site.

When creating a website, whether it’s about telling your story or selling your products, there’s more to it than the 5 minute WordPress install.
I’ll talk about what you need to plan for when building your site. As a designer, I find these are common elements that clients have not even considered before starting their blog or online storefront.Copy, layout, photos… it’s all part of the planning.

Rebecka Hathaway is a designer and creator of WordPress web and e-commerce sites since 2007 or so. As an artist, she loves integrating original illustrations and hand lettering into her designs and sells her work utilizing WordPress and WooCommerce. She happily works from her home studio where there’s always coffee and shoes are optional. Find her at monkeyslovedonuts.com

5 Reasons to Utilize a Theme Framework: Minimize Hassle & Maximize Profits

You’ve probably heard the catchphrase, “work smarter, not harder.” Building a WordPress website with a theme framework can help you do just that. During this talk, I’ll share how I’ve leveraged the Genesis Framework to save me time and increase my revenue.

Jessica Barnard is the Designer & Developer behind The Pixelista, a creative agency specializing in business branding and WordPress web development. Jessica has been making the internet attractive since 2008, and her passion is working with small, women-owned businesses.

Our next “Big Cottonwood” sponsor is MOJO Marketplace. They offer WordPress themes, services and one-click installs. One of the advantages of MOJO Marketplace is direct integration with many of the world’s leading hosting providers like Bluehost and HostGator. These providers trust MOJO Marketplace, making it a great place for developers to sell their products. They not only sponsor our WordCamp but help the community year-round by hosting the WPSLC meetup.

Find Your Voice, Find Your Audience

If you own a website you likely want to be remembered. But finding the balance between getting found and sounding human seems impossible. In this session, explore what it means to sound like yourself on your blog without sacrificing your visibility online.

Missy Oveson is a blog coach and writer. While not helping bloggers take control of their blog, she spends her time in fairy tales, young adult novels, and twitter. Check her out at www.missybunnie.com.

Our First “Big Cottonwood” sponsor is WP Site Care. WP Site Care provides backup, security, performance improvements and support. They are also entering the WordPress theme space with their new product Flagship. They are bridging the gap between developers, users and their hosts. Working with WP Site Care is an investment for the future of your WordPress site. When it came to this years WordCamp, WP Site Care immediately expressed their interest to support the local community and our event.

Best practices in JavaScript and jQuery for WordPress

We’ll cover a range of common JS/jQuery pitfalls and best practices, including variable/function declaration and scope, closures, caching, naming conventions, and code linting. Whether you’re looking to get familiar with JavaScript in preparation for using the new WordPress JSON REST API (to be released in early 2015), or if you’re just starting out with front-end jQuery, this talk will provide you with some helpful tips and useful links for further learning.

Vasken has been working with WordPress professionally since 2007. Most recently, at 10up, a leading WordPress full-service design and development agency, as VP of Strategic Engineering. His experience with WordPress ranges from custom integrations with higher education user management systems to building sites for some of the world’s largest publishers and corporations.

Additionally you can find him

On Twitter : @vaskenhauri
Company Website: 10up
Blog: neverblog.net