WordCamp Seattle is happening this weekend! We want you to have an amazing WordCamp experience, so we’re sharing some tips for navigating your way to a perfect WordCamp Seattle schedule.
Buy your ticket to WordCamp Seattle
TIP #1: CTRL/CMD + P!
In Chrome and Firefox, hit Print on the Schedule page to get a one-page front-and-back schedule with checkboxes next to each session to pick sessions to attend! (Thanks to our awesome webmaster, Teri for putting that together.)
(And we just added a PDF version to that same page that you can download and print if the native print doesn’t work.)
TIP #2: It’s Up to You
We don’t categorize our sessions into tracks. Here’s why.
- Designers can benefit by learning about recent advances in responsive design coding techniques.
- Developers shouldn’t overlook the importance of social media and blogging and could use some design tips themselves.
- The most beginning WordPresser should pay attention to the WordPress project security and the future of WordPress.
- Regardless of your skillset and current work status, freelancers and fulltime staff should have good job search skills.
- Nonprofits should learn how businesses do pricing for their projects and businesses could certainly benefit from nonprofit marketing techniques.
- Everyone should always keep mobile accessibility and theme accessibility in mind.
Spend some time with the schedule before you come! Click on session titles to view the full topic description and presenter bio. Keep an open mind and look at every session that sounds even a little interesting.
TIP #3: Push Yourself and “Level Up”
The speaker team’s unofficial motto this year was “level up”! We want you to take your skills and networks to the next level with the WordPress community.
How do you do that?
- Push yourself to go to sessions that are a little outside your comfort zone.
- Learn from someone you admire and start building the skills that make you admire them!
- Go to a session on something you might want to learn later.
- Follow someone you just met to the next session they’re excited about.
Learning anything takes time! Don’t worry if a topic feels out of reach. A first exposure to a subject gives a broad lay of the land. Your second time learning, you start to put the pieces together. Your third time with information, things really start to click. You can get all of those at WordCamp!
TIP #4: Serendipity & the Hallway Track
The WordCamp Seattle schedule looks jam-packed but barely shows half of what you can do! The best WordCamp experience includes unexpected conversations, giving help, and getting some free advice. This is the “hallway track,” and it’s many people’s favorite part of WordCamp.
To get the most from your time at WordCamp:
- Strike up a conversation at the end of a session with the person seated next to you.
- Ask a question of the speaker during Q&A or in the lounge after a presentation.
- Visit with a sponsor and walk away with some awesome swag.
- Look for an empty seat at a table during lunch next to someone wearing a WordCamp badge. Learn what they do and what they just learned.
- Spend an hour in the Sunday contributor track answering questions in the support forums, translating WordPress into another language, or captioning a video. (Among many things!)
- Visit the “Helpful Humans” desk and ask every imaginable WordPress question. (This is worth the price of admission alone!)
TIP #5: Take Breaks and Stick Around!
We agonized over the schedule and went through countless drafts before settling on this. Our goal was to keep a variety of presentations available throughout the entire day Saturday and Sunday.
If you need a break, don’t be afraid to skip a timeslot with sessions that don’t catch your eye so you can stick around for more great sessions later!
Sit quietly and work on your website, go on a walk through downtown Seattle to get some fresh air, or just low-key hang out with whoever is around. There will be beanbag chairs!
TIP #6: See you Soon!
A few tickets are still available, so get yours right now. We’ll see you bright and early Saturday, November 4th and a little later Sunday the 5th because of the time change – don’t forget! (And if you can’t come to both days, please join us for one!)
Any thoughts on offering childcare? Since it’s on the weekend?
Sarah, at this point we have not made any plans for childcare. It’s likely too late for us to wrangle anything now. But we’ve definitely added it to the notes for next year. Thanks for bringing this up. If you find any great solutions we’d be happy to get the word out.
Thanks, Sheila. It’s been on my mind, but my partner was supposed to be in town. He just got called away last minute.
I appreciate you noting it for next year. Having such a great event on a weekend could be a real obstacle for single and/or weekend-working parents, so it’s a great thing to keep in mind. Something fee-based (and tech-focused!) would be awesome.
If we don’t have a self hosted site but want to attend the first Workshop, are we supposed to try to install a temporary site onto our device (I plan to use my tablet) before we come? Or is that something that will be done in the workshop. thanks
Hi Susanne. We’ve got you covered!
Check out the workshop description for information on preparation.
If you look at the schedule, you’ll also see the session during registration Saturday morning to get ready for the workshop if you need additional help!
Okay thanks. I will try to get to the early 8:00 session to get that downloaded and working.