My first exposure to WordPress was when I signed up to write for an online publication called Daily Jesus, which has since gone inactive. I carefully followed a webinar tutorial that told how to log in to WordPress and how to update the blog, including all the theme-specific details that need to be handled.
I now manage several sites or participate with various publications that use WordPress to operate the site. Now, forgive me if you already know this, but I thought I’d share the basic definition of WordPress from Wikipedia:
WordPress is an open source blog tool and publishing platform powered by PHP and MySQL. It’s often customized into a Content Management System (CMS).
Essentially, that’s computer speak for WordPress is a tool that lets you run your blog or website. It’s what I use for Jamie’s Notebook.com and my personal blog, as well as several other sites.
When I first heard of WordCamp Fayetteville and was asked to help on the inaugural volunteer committee, I figured it would be a good experience to help build the event coordination side of my business, plus I’d learn a few tips on managing WordPress sites.
After all, what else would someone like me be thinking of when they decided to attend a technical conference like WordCamp? (WordCamps are held all over and are conferences for people who use WordPress.)
As it turns out, I’m exactly the kind of person who should attend WordCamp and I’m excited to be attending the second WordCamp Fayetteville coming July 30.
So why should someone who is not a programmer attend a technology conference like WordCamp? Because WordCamp … and WordPress… isn’t just for techie folk. That’s why I like it and promote its use to many different categories of people.
WordPress is one of those programs that can be comprehended by someone with basic computer skills. If you can figure out how to sign up for Facebook, you can figure out the basics of WordPress. But what’s interesting is, it doesn’t stop there. There’s an ever-increasing number of what I call proficiency layers…the deeper you get into WordPress, the more there is to learn. The more you can manipulate. The more you can develop. WordPress can be used for blogging, it can be used for websites. It can be used for personal, it can be used for business.
But that’s just the user side. There’s of course those people who can actually write code, create themes or are in some other way in on the behind the scenes of making WordPress function better.
WordCamp Fayetteville has something for each of these types of people. We’re going to have three tracks: for bloggers, business users and developers. This year’s lineup of speakers is outstanding. While last year I struggled to know where I belonged at WordCamp, this year I have at least one workshop I want to attend every session.
The amount of information I expect to come away with is both mind-boggling and exciting. The information will help me further develop my work at Jamie’s Notebook, help me as a staff writer at The Belford Group and encourage the growth of my personal blog. That’s quite a few proverbial birds with one conference!
So is WordCamp Fayetteville for you? I’d venture a guess and say “yes.” If you have a blog, might want a blog, have a website for a new business or nonprofit, or if you are wanting to learn more about the development side of WordPress, WordCamp Fayetteville has something for you.
Category : Blog