Your WordCamp Ticket’s True Value

About 10 gallons of gas is what $20 will get you these days, if you’re lucky.

Earlier this week. we mentioned on our Facebook page what 20 smackers will get you at WordCamp this year: food, swag and admission.

A fabulous deal to be sure.

But after an incredible experience as a speaker and attendant at last year’s WordCamp, “admission” doesn’t quite seem to cover your ticket’s worth. Here are a few other things you will get for $20.

Beyond “Networking”: That word has been used so much, it seems a bit passe. Yes, you’ll get to shake hands, get acquainted with like-minded folks and exchange business cards.

But where will that lead you? It could mean life-changing relationships or future opportunities to get more involved with WordPress (which, let’s face it, can be pretty amazing).

More Than Just an Application: Keynote speaker Jake Goldman is a web developer and always will be passionate about his craft. But he knows WordPress isn’t just a nice application or content management system.

It’s about being a part of a greater mission, a community of people with similar passions and the opportunity to see a great system reach many more people.

Attending WordCamp Birmingham validates its importance to the city and to the WordPress community as a whole.

Get More Out of Workshops: Sometimes we attend conferences a bit mindlessly. We go, take a few notes, say hi to folks and leave.

But I encourage you to note at least one action item from every session. Use the Genius Bar. I did last year, after getting over my fear a bit and learned concepts about CSS that made my site even better. I’m not as nervous going into the editor section of my site.

So what are you most looking forward to this year? Let us know in the comments after checking out this year’s sessions and grabbing a ticket