Tag Archives: why wordcamp?

5 Reasons Bloggers Should NOT Attend WordCamp Birmingham 2018

By Javacia Harris Bowser

People often ask me why I still bother attending blogging conferences. “You’ve been blogging for a decade,” they say. “Don’t you know what the speakers are going to say before they say it?”

Oftentimes, yes. But not always.

The thing about blogging is it’s always changing. So as a blogger, if you want to keep growing you have to keep learning. And I always learn something new at WordCamp Birmingham.

I was a speaker at last year’s conference but I still attended several sessions, notebook in hand, and I filled the pages of that notebook with blogging strategies for the upcoming year.

This year I’ll be attending WordCamp Birmingham again. WordCamp Birmingham 2018 is set for August 4-5 and will be held at the Pelham Civic Complex. You can learn more and get your tickets at 2018.birmingham.wordcamp.org.

Buy My Ticket Now

If you’re eager to learn more about blogging in 2018 and beyond you should be there. But if you think you already know it all, you shouldn’t bother and here are five other reasons you should NOT attend.

You should NOT attend WordCamp if you enjoy breaking your website.

Because I know how to use WordPress and customize WordPress themes fairly well people think I’m a techie. Fake news! Just last week I broke my website trying to install my SSL certificate. And there was a time when I was intimidated by WordCamp events because I thought it was a conference just for website developers. But WordCamp Birmingham includes tracks of sessions on content (perfect for bloggers like me), business, and development.

This year’s conference will also include a WordPress 101 session for the blogging novice. This hands-on workshop will actually help you get started on building your WordPress site! And, of course, there’s the Happiness Bar where you can go get help from people who actually are techies, people who can keep you from breaking your website (or help you out after you do).

You should not attend WordCamp if you love being stuck in a blogging rut.

Are you having a hard time coming up with enough innovative content to update your blog a few times a week or even once a week? Well, Helen Rittersporn has been blogging every single day since February 26, 2015! Her WordCamp Birmingham session “12 Lessons from Daily Blogging” is sure to get your inspired and cure your blogger’s block. Also, Kathryn Lang will kick off the content track with a session on how to repurpose your content.

You should NOT attend WordCamp Birmingham is you’re perfectly OK with only three people reading your blog.

But if you would like someone other than your aunt, your mom, and your best friend to read your work, you might want to check out Bobby Kircher’s session on how to use Yoast to improve your SEO or Aida Correa’s session on how to leverage your WordCamp experience for better social media engagement or Chris Edwards’ session on Google Analytics or William Jackson’s talk on ways beyond SEO and Google to build your brand.

You should NOT attend WordCamp Birmingham if you have no desire to think outside the box.

If you don’t know what Gutenberg is and have no desire to find out, then attending the Gutenberg 101 session or learning how Gutenberg will empower WordPress users will mean nothing to you. If you’re not willing to think beyond your blog then you probably won’t be interested in Kathryn Lang’s workshop on how to start a podcast or Adam Silver’s session on how to use a podcast to grow your business. And you certainly have no use for Steve Schwartz’s session on video content and vlogging.

You should NOT attend WordCamp Birmingham if you hate meeting other bloggers.

Danielle LaPorte once said, “Find your tribe and love them hard.” But she doesn’t know what she’s talking about, right? Wrong.

Bloggers need community. You need people who get it, people who understand why you bother blogging in the first place. You need a blogging buddy to hold you accountable, to make sure you’re posting consistent content consistently. You need a tribe to help promote your work. You need a group of people to console you when you feel disappointed or discouraged and to break out in dance to help you celebrate your big wins.

In addition to all the great workshops, WordCamp Birmingham is a golden opportunity to meet other bloggers whether you do so during lunch, between sessions, or at the after party. Remember, teamwork makes the dream work.

See the Full Schedule

Hope to see you at WordCamp Birmingham 2018!

Javacia Harris Bowser is the founder and editor of See Jane Write, a website and community for women who write and blog.

How to Convince Your Boss to Send You to WordCamp

WordCamp Birmingham offers sessions and workshops for website owners, entrepreneurs, and bloggers, but what about businesses?

The internet has opened up a LITERAL world of possibilities for companies to grow their reach. The key is getting the decision makers to understand the value of sending you to the conference.

How do you justify your company sending you to WordCamp Birmingham 2018?
At a $40 price-point, it shouldn’t take much convincing! If you have other travel expenses to consider, here is a sample email that you could send to your manager, extolling the virtues and benefits of attendance. Customize it as needed to highlight the topics that are most important to your boss.

Sample Request Letter for WordCamp Birmingham

FROM: [your name]
TO: [your supervisor’s name]
RE: [Improvement of WordPress skills]

I understand our company needs to control its training costs and I know that it is looking for ways to get the most for the money it spends in every area. There is a cost-effective professional education conference featuring several seminars and workshops with professionals within the WordPress community. Here is a link to the schedule:
https://2018.birmingham.wordcamp.org/schedule

Notice it includes three tracts: Content, Business, and Development. Many of the topics are even relevant outside of the WordPress community–topics like SEO optimization, Google Analytics, Accessibility, and A/B User Testing. The Happiness Bar is available all weekend and consists of experienced developers providing free technical assistance to attendees for any WordPress issues they want to resolve during the conference.

I would like to attend WordCamp Birmingham 2018, August 4-5, 2018.
The registration fee is only $40 and includes registration, lunch both days, and lots of networking opportunities. The room rates at the available hotels are only $99/night, and transportation costs would be minimal with the option to either rent a car or use Uber.

The seminars will provide us with essential knowledge about creating new content, growing income streams through business development, increasing our virtual presence with SEO and Google Analytics, and learning how to implement emerging technologies from experienced developers to take WordPress to the next level.

Normally, an industry conference like this would cost hundreds of dollars! Fortunately, the WordPress community has tremendous support from volunteers, industry partners, and local businesses who have provided enough sponsorship to make this event ridiculously affordable! Please let me know as soon as possible since tickets are limited and there’s less than a month before the event. I can’t wait to share what I learn there!

# # #

It doesn’t hurt to ask your boss to send you to WordCamp, because, if you don’t ask, the answer is always “No.” Share the benefits of the conference and how you can bring those benefits back to the office.

Get your tickets!

Why Should You Attend WordCamp Birmingham?

“What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

You might be thinking to yourself right now, what does Shakespeare have to do with WordPress? Or even WordCamp? Well, the first time I heard the term WordCamp, I ignored it. I had launched a full-time writing career, and I had little left to invest in a conference that wouldn’t move me forward in that purpose.

The next time I heard the term WordCamp, it was from someone I had met through a local blogging group. He made it sound like something I should at least take time to look over – besides, the ticket came with lunch.

After attending my first WordCamp, I began an advocate. The people attending the event – those speaking and those that bought tickets – all wanted to be a help to each other. The engagement and connections went beyond any other conference I had attended.

I had to be more involved so that I could position myself to be more of a help to the others that had helped me so much.

Why WordCamp

WordCamp Birmingham provides something for everyone – no matter if you are about to launch your first website, you just love to write, or coding is your second language. The options go beyond the different tracks of sessions and move right into the community.

If you are new to WordPress or if you have only been USING WordPress, you might not realize the amazing community that drives the WordPress platform. WordCamp was born from this engaging community.

Everyone that is involved with the development of a WordCamp does it because he or she loves the platform and loves the people. Nobody gets paid. Nobody gets travel expenses. Each and every person has a deep passion for WordPress, for the community, and for you.

Anytime you can be involved with a group of people passionate about the community, it is an investment worth making.

Top Benefits from WordCamp

WordCamp will be the least expensive conference you will attend this year. Because WordPress believes in the community as much as the people in the community believe in the community, WordPress helps support the WordCamps which allows organizers to keep down the costs.

WordCamp offers valuable help and support. The Happiness Bar opens when the conference kicks off and provides the perfect place for you to get your questions answered or to get help with a WordPress issue. Be sure to bring your laptop with you so the volunteers will be able to guide you to your fix.

WordCamp offers some great food. Not only will there be snacks and a great lunch, but usually a fun surprise will show up. Last year at #WPYall, we all enjoyed a flavorful Frios pop!

WordCamp offers a chance to create lasting connections with other WordPress fans from all walks of life. Developers, content creators, business owners, and designers meet up to talk words, WordPress, and so much more.

You need to get your ticket today. WordCamp Birmingham is the one conference you don’t want to miss.

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