On this Flash Back Friday, we re-visit a talk from WordCamp RI 2015 given by Adam Lamagna. His session’s title references the movie Glengarry Glen Ross. This WordCamp seminar outlines a business process for those who develop WordPress websites. The straight-forward tips Adam gives apply to big agencies as well as entrepreneurs.
This year WordCamp RI will once again be at New England Tech in East Greenwich. Save the dates: September 30 and October 1.
Meanwhile, enjoy this flash back moment:
Anthony “Ajay” Coletta is an Assistant Professor for Graphics/Multimedia/Web at the New England Institute of Technology. He was also very instrumental in getting WordCamp RI to the NEIT campus. He shares his thoughts on the collaboration between New England Tech and WordCamp RI.
Q: Professor you have been active in getting WordCamp RI to the East Greenwich campus of the New England Institute of Technology. Why is this a win-win situation for both NEIT and WordCamp RI?
A: 2015 was the first year that Word Camp was held at New England Tech and the response was fantastic. I spoke to many Word Campers who said that the accommodations at New England Tech were just what they needed. The college was clean and spacious, the infrastructure, especially the wifi, was supported well, and the ability to park securely right on campus was very convenient.
New England Tech is really astute at understanding that in order to help students fully prepare for their careers, students need to engage with people in their industries. Word Camp brings such a diverse group of people interested in learning and collaborating that hosting the event is tremendous opportunity and honor for New England Tech.
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Q: In your professional life, when you’re not helping to organize WordCamp RI, what do you do? What role does WordPress play? What role does WordPress have with NEIT’s academics?
A: I teach in the Graphics, Multimedia & Web design department and in both the Associate and Bachelor degree programs, we offer courses in WordPress development and students really enjoying building their personal portfolios using the platform.
Personally I use WordPress for a couple of different activities, the most frequently visited site is for a band I perform with called “Hey Nineteen,” a Tribute to Steely Dan, http://hey19band.com/ and I also manage some commercial sites for clients. I have been developing websites since the late 1980s and the WordPress platform (and extensive community) has been the best solution for web development and content management by far.
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Q: One topic you teach is how to customize WordPress themes. What’s the advantage to doing that when WordPress comes ready-to-use right from the start?
A: One of the things I really love about WordPress is the level of customization the platform offers. You can use the built-in customizer and change many design items in the theme just with a click of a button, or if you are interested in working with code and want to make more advanced modifications, the open source platform also allows you to do that. WordPress accommodates all types of users & designers. Brilliant!
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Q: Is there any follow-up that makes sense once WordCamp RI is over?
A: Once Word Camp has concluded, be sure to check out the excellent RI WordPress Meetup group that keeps the conversations rolling all year long, http://www.meetup.com/WordPressRI/
Many of the folks who organize and participate in Word Camp are often at these meetups and share the newest, latest and greatest things happening that influence how we use the web.
Ajay is on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hey19
For today’s Flash Back Friday, a replay from WordCamp RI 2015. Kerch McConlogue spoke on “New Users – 10 Tips to Make WordPress Your Friend.”
She gives useful advice, such as why copying-and-pasting content can hurt your SEO (search engine optimization).
As you get ready for a great series of sessions this coming WordCamp RI (September 30 and October 1) take some time to enjoy this memory.
For today’s Flash Back Friday look, we turn to Tony Mazzarella who spoke at last year’s WordCamp RI. Tony gives personal examples of how to professionally ensure a client clearly understands what will happen with their project. Sit back and enjoy some realistic advice.
Have you noticed that visitors to your website don’t view your information on just one platform? They’re on smart phones, tablets, desk tops, huge screens, mini screens, and… Well you get the idea. How do you get your information in a format everyone can view?
Elizabeth Cagen addressed designing WordPress websites last year at WordCamp RI. Sit back and soak up some great ideas.
Hope you are planning to come to WordCamp RI 2016! Once again we’ll be at New England Tech Institute in East Greenwich. The dates are September 30 and October 1. Can’t wait? Here’s a trip down memory lane with New England Tech Assistant Professor Ajay Coletta. His talk at last year’s WordCamp RI was Child Themes.
Content may be King, but do you have to be a serf? Here are some great tips from Aileen McDonough in her talk at WordCamp RI last year. This might be the best stress relief you have all day!
Come back to WordCamp RI this year for more great sessions. Once again our host is New England Tech Institute at their East Greenwich campus. The dates are Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.
Some have expressed an interest in applying to WordCampRI to be a speaker in 2016, but are not sure what we want.
Here’s some help for you! First, check out our blog post with general topic ideas.
Secondly, look at what was presented last year. Do you have added information? A new angle on a topic? Or maybe we need to run the same session again this year!
WordCampRI 2015 ran a day-long boot camp for those who wanted help setting up their website.
There was a day-long session to advance the skills of coders.
Website administrators concerned with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) found this seminar of great value.
There was even a valuable people-skills session on managing expectations.
Does that have the wheels in your brain turning? Check out the complete schedule from WordCamp RI 2015 to come up with ideas how to bring this year’s WordCamp RI to the next level! Then apply to be a speaker!
WordPress has grown and with that growth has come the need for people with varying skills. On this Throw Back Thursday, gain a new appreciation for the different ways so many people contribute to WordPress. Here’s a video of Colin Murphy’s talk at WordCamp RI 2015:
WordCamp RI is accepting applications from potential speakers for WordCamp RI 2016. What are we looking for?
Talks of interest to:
On Friday September 30 we’ll be running day-long training for those who want an in-depth look at a topic. That’s about six-hours of training.
On Saturday October 1 we’ll have a series of 45-minute sessions.
Apply for either or both. The bullet list applies to both days also. Every year we have all-day tracks that are geared to beginners and to advanced users.
WordPress is used by more than one-fifth of the websites in the world. That means a lot of different people would like to learn a lot of different things!
If you’d like to submit an idea for a talk, go to the speakers page. We’d love to hear from you!
WordCamp Rhode Island is over. Check out the next edition!