You’re getting ready for WordCamp RI. How can you get the most out of your two days? Here’s a round-up of advice from WordCamp experts.
Joy Adamonis, Lead Organizer
Follow Joy on Twitter: @Joyousgirl19
To truly benefit from WordCamp, each WordCamper must bring these 3 things (IMO).
- Empty notebook
- A pen/pencil to jot down all the important stuff you learn in said notebook
- An open mind and willingness to learn and ask questions
Of course, a laptop & business cards are a plus as well! But if you have those three things covered, you will be fine!
Catherine Cilcius, Training and Events Coordinator for the Center for Technology and Industry
Follow New England Tech on Twitter: @NEInstituteTech
My advice to attendees is to go to the workshops that interest them and use this incredible opportunity to meet other users, share their experience, have a great lunch, learn and have fun! Personally, I don’t know of any other event that we (NEIT) host that is more enjoyable!
Jesse Friedman, Speaker and Sponsor Wrangler
Follow Jesse on Twitter: @professor
Don’t try to do it all, set some goals before you come and focus on reaching those. There are a lot of opportunities to network, learn, get hired, but if you try to do everything you might miss out on just enjoying the conference.
WordCamp Rhode Island helps people reach their online goals through education, and advisement, and it’s amazing to be a part of that.
Daniella Norwood, Volunteer Wrangler
Follow Daniella Norwood on Twitter: @ellajdesigns
First, check out the final online schedule a few days before WordCamp RI. Decide what seminars you want to attend. Make a note of any sessions you’re unsure about and then on the days of WordCamp RI ask a volunteer or organizer to help you narrow down your choices.
Pace yourself. You know yourself best. Maybe you want to attend every session and maybe you would rather schedule some quiet time when you can take your laptop off to a corner and experiment with something you’ve just learned.
Do you have a question that you wish you could ask someone? Go to the Happiness Bar! You’ll get one-on-one help from a WordCamp RI volunteer. If your question has them stumped, they’ll help you seek out someone else who may have an answer. Sometimes a five-minute conversation at the Happiness Bar can ease hours of stress or aggravation.
Finally, network. Everyone at WordCamp RI has some connection to WordPress. You’ll bump into them in the seminars, see them at lunch, meet them at the reception, and chat with them in the vendor display area. A person you meet might have an answer to a question, a job lead for you, the ability to match a client with a developer, or provide a resource for any other aspect of our everyday lives. You never know who you are rubbing shoulders with until you stop and say “hi.”
Mary Beth Amaral, Lead Designer at Linchpin, WordCamp RI Organizer, WordPress RI Co-Organizer
Follow Mary Beth on Twitter: @maryelizabeth55
Take a look at the schedule before hand to plan out your day. You may find time between sessions or during breaks to take advantage of networking with other attendees or get some one on one help from the Happiness Bar. If you find yourself in a session that you’re not interested in, or isn’t what you anticipated, don’t be afraid to move on to a different talk, chat with sponsors, or peruse the swag area instead. Keep in mind that the Welcome Soiree is also a great opportunity for networking.
What supplies would you suggest an attendee bring?
Business cards! You’ll meet so many new people – having some business cards or contact information on hand will help build connections beyond WordCamp.
Something to jot down notes on is always good to have too. As someone who is on the computer all day just about every day, I’m a little old school in that I still like to take handwritten notes. Come Monday morning when I’m back in the office, I’ll take a look through all the valuable resources and information I gathered from WCRI and start implemeting these new processes or tools into my own workflow.
Kaitlyn Pescatello, Client Coordinator at Linchpin and one of the organizers of WordCamp RI
Don’t just go home after WordCamp – there’s an after-party on Friday night – GO! Also…bring plenty of business cards or company STICKERS! They make a great ice breaker! It’s easy to meet new people if you have some cool stickers to lure them in with.
I love the social aspect of WordCamp and I have met some amazing people at these events.
There are so many parts to WordCamp RI.
An attendee can make the best use of their time by simply bringing their laptop and attending. WordCamp provides a friendly opportunity to get questions answered and make new WordPress friends. I’ve taken away something from every session I’ve attended, even if some parts are reinforcement of the principles that I already know. It’s always good to be reminded of best practices.
Advice from the top: WordCamp Central
WordPress has information about what to expect from WordCamp, no matter where in the world it is held.