WordCamp Kent 2020

Thank you all for participating in WordCamp Kent 2020 online this year! We had a great time getting to know you all and spending a weekend learning with you.

Huge thank you to all our sponsors and the WordPress Community Team, who made the online pivot possible. Our day-of volunteers this year were also a phenomenal support – Ahmed, Laura, Yeasin, Lisa, Orin, Al Suzaud, Adrita, Ricardo, Tiffany, Sarah, Tim, and Amanda. And of course, thank you to our speakers for spending their time and energy educating others about their areas of expertise.

Supporting Kent, Ohio

When travel bans are lifted and it is safe to do so, please consider visiting Kent. Or you can order online from their local businesses if delivery to your region is available. Here are a few area favorites:

Coffee Shops

Specialty & Novelty Stores

• Popped! (ships anywhere in U.S.)
• Kent Cheesemonger (ships Kent + 5 mi radius)
• Squirrel City Jewelers (ships anywhere)
• Troppus Projects (ships anywhere)
• Red Letter Days (ships anywhere)
• Kent Cycle

Check out Main Street Kent for more information about Kent and their local businesses!

Staying Involved

There are a ton of ways to stay involved with our community. We’d love to keep in touch with everyone throughout the year and not just leading up to WordCamp + the 2 weeks afterwards. 🙂

Northeast Ohio

Our local Meetups will be hosted online until further notice; but once we are back in-person, we will still continue to provide online access to our Meetups!

Other Related Area Meetups: We Make the Internet, Cleveland Web Design and Development Meetup, Cleveland #LearnToCode Group, Hudson Software Craftsmanship Meetup, The Writers Group

Area Meetups for Underrepresented Groups: Akron Women in Tech Meetup, Northeast Ohio Women in Technology, Women Who Code Cleveland, We Can Code IT – Cleveland, The Cleveland Area Black Professionals, Ohio Black Entrepreneurs Network (Cleveland Chapter)

Contribute to WordPress

The make.wordpress.org site has information on all of the 18 groups that you can contribute to! These groups include documentation, testing, marketing, polyglots (translation), support, accessibility, design, and more.

Open source software contributions are more than just code! You can even help these groups out with things like taking meeting notes, which can also help get you familiar with the team’s projects.

WordCamp Europe 2020 had a great blog series leading up to their Contributor Day, which highlighted stories from various volunteer contributors.

Be on the lookout for more Contributor Days! WordCamp Europe was a great success story for an online Contributor Day.

Find Upcoming WordCamps

WordCamp Kent 2021?

Please subscribe for updates on our site as we will use this site to open a Call for Organizers for next year’s WordCamp!

The organizing team handles a wide variety of tasks. We aim to have each organizer cover 1-3 of the following areas (depending on which ones fit best together). Orientation and training will be provided for any new organizers.

• Venue logistics, food/beverage, A/V, travel details (if applicable)
• Budget
• Design (web, programs, shirts, signs, stickers/pins)
• Publicity/web presence
• Fundraising/sponsorship
• Speaker recruitment and selection
• Volunteer wrangling
• Printing, badges, swag (if applicable)
• After-party
• Speaker event and/or gifts

We look forward to seeing you again soon!

WordCamp Kent has always been about bringing people together. With more than 1,000 tickets claimed and attendees from around the world, WordCamp Kent 2020 will bring together more people than ever before. 

To kick off the second day, we put together a panel of speakers to highlight the ways that the WordPress community inspires us, teaches us, and impacts us beyond our websites. 

Before the event, we’d like to introduce you to our three panelists who will be telling their stories about community and WordPress: Andrea Middleton, Michelle Frechette, and Joe A. Simpson Jr!

• Andrea Middleton

  

  Andrea supports WordPress community organizers, helping them plan community events (meetups, WordCamps, and more!) that inspire people to do more with WordPress, connect the WordPress community, and contribute to the WordPress project.

  Employed by Automattic, Andrea’s work has focused on open source community building since 2011. Away from her computer, Andrea cooks great food, loves to talk about wine, and enjoys reading science fiction.

• Joe A Simpson Jr

  

  Faced with a life-altering heart event in 2017, Joe A Simpson Jr pivoted, focusing FIRST on rediscovering the things he truly loved — WordPress, creative passions, teaching tech, and truly giving back.

  He actively contributes to the WordPress Community, founding the WordPress Santa Clarita Valley and Elementor Santa Clarita Valley Meetups, speaking or volunteering at WordCamps, is the Lead Organizer for WordCamp Santa Clarita, and is a member of the WordCamp US 2020 Programming Team, and is also a SiteGround Ambassador.

• Michelle Frechette

  

  Michelle has over twenty years of experience in higher education; ten years owning a web design and marketing company; and currently serves as the Head of Customer Success for Impress.org (developers of GiveWP.com and WPBusinessReviews.com). She is the podcast barista at WPCoffeeTalk.com.

  Michelle is the author of (ironically) “A Good Firm Handshake (and other essential business tips)” available on Amazon.com.

  Say hi to Michelle on Twitter at @michelleames and check out her website at worksbymichelle.com.

We are looking forward to hearing about each of the panelists’ experiences with the WordPress community on Sunday morning!

Whether you’re an experienced WordPress user or you’re just learning the ropes, we’d love to have you at our online WordCamp Kent, May 30-31! Tickets will be available through the weekend.

Why GreenGeeks Supports WordCamp Kent

GreenGeeks has been a part of the WordPress community for quite some time. It’s one of the most engaging and friendly communities we’ve come across. And although the current global pandemic has stifled a bit of how we can interact, WordCamp is still one of the highlights of our year.

Just because we can’t be there in person, doesn’t mean we can’t still be a part of something special. In fact, here are several reasons why we continue to contribute and support events like WordCamp Kent.

Getting to Know Attendees and Interacting

One of the highlights of any WordCamp is getting to know everyone involved. This includes organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and of course, the attendees. In reality, it’s a big reason why many of us here at GreenGeeks go out of our way to attend in person.

Even if now it’s behind a camera through the Internet. It does lack a bit of the personal element, but we are still able to talk and interact. And that’s really the most important thing.

Over the years, we’ve met some amazing people. Many of whom turned into friends and close colleagues. But it goes much further than just business associates. These are often people we get excited to see whether it’s at WordCamp or bumping into at the store.

Well, before the state of the world changed how we go shopping.

Helping Others Go Beyond Themselves

Here at GreenGeeks, we do what we can to help anyone with a myriad of issues. At WordCamp, we often engage in conversations about ways to improve someone’s website. We make great sounding boards if someone needs to discuss anything related to WordPress.

That’s probably one of the most prolific things about our team; we try to help everyone. From marketing ideas to ways to set up multi-site, people can rely on us for good conversation and honest opinions.

Every WordPress creator has the potential to make something amazing. From the personal blogger to a plugin developer, we try to help everyone discover their potential.

Sharing Our Green Ideals and Going Beyond Simple Web Hosting

Being a part of WordCamp Kent gives us an opportunity to market our brand. After all, we still have our own bills and staff to pay. But it’s not just the web hosting we offer to our prospective clients.

We provide a sense of peace to our customers in the fact that we match the energy our servers use by three times through renewable sources. This means that we provide “green” web hosting that reduces our customer’s carbon footprint.

For every kilowatt-hour used, we put back in three.

Keep in mind that any data center for web hosting consumes an incredible amount of power. We do what we can to greatly reduce that impact on a global scale.

Have a Great Time at WordCamp Kent!

Luckily, technology allows events like these to still take place. And even though people are restricted to digital meetings, it doesn’t mean there aren’t stories to tell or things to learn.

Think of it like this; WordCamp Kent lets you attend the event from the comfort of your home. That’s less travel time, gas in the car, fewer flights, or Uber rides.

I know that this probably doesn’t come as much of a comfort as most of you would prefer the inter-personal connections of a traditional WordCamp. But, at least we can still interact on some level.

Have a good time and keep yourselves safe. Hopefully next year, we can all be there in person.

Our event would not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors! We thank GreenGreeks for their continued support of WordCamp Kent.

Our event would not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors! We thank Liquid Web for their support of WordCamp Kent.

Get to know Liquid Web below and please reach out to them if you have questions about their family of brands.

• Liquid Web

  

  Experience Managed WordPress from Nexcess, a member of the Liquid Web Family of Brands. When digital professionals want to optimize site performance, increase security, and scale to grow with the best support in the industry and access to the latest technology stack, they choose us. For 20 years we’ve provided agencies with the ability to deliver the outstanding experience their clients expect. Built on the four pillars of speed, security, scalability, and service, our solutions are designed to help every website realize its potential. Visit Nexcess.net today to get started.

Our event would not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors and we thank Jetpack for their continued support. Get to know Jetpack below.

• Jetpack

  

  Jetpack is a powerful collection of security and performance tools made for WordPress sites by the WordPress experts.

  • Proven security tools keep your site backed up, online, and hack-free.
  • Fast-loading pages mean happier visitors.
  • Everything in a single package — so you can focus on your business.

  Learn how Jetpack helps you secure and speed up your site at jetpack.com.

Our event would not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors and we thank WooCommerce for their continued support. Get to know WooCommerce below.

• WooCommerce

  

  WooCommerce is the most customizable eCommerce platform to build exactly the store you want. From physical products to digital downloads, services, and subscriptions, sell worldwide with the freedom of WordPress. WooCommerce is developed and supported by a distributed team at Automattic, creators of Jetpack and WordPress.com. For more go to WooCommerce.com.

  • 5+ million active installations
  • 84+ million downloads
  • Options for new, growing, and enterprise-level stores
  • 450+ official extensions to add features and functionality

Our event would not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors! Get to know Bluehost below, and be sure to check out their virtual booth on Saturday and Sunday during WordCamp Kent! They’ll be happy to answer your questions, whether you are a current Bluehost user or want to learn more about what they offer.

• Bluehost

  

  Bluehost has been a WordPress partner since 2005, and powers over 2 million websites across the world with reliable hosting and personalized guidance. By leveraging the power of WordPress, Bluehost provides the fast website creation methods coupled with intuitive management tools. From secure automated WordPress installations to advanced marketing tools and services, and access to specialized WordPress experts, Bluehost is the best place to build, grow, and scale an online presence.

WordCamp Kent is proud to announce a virtual “after party” experience powered by the WPGameshow!

Updated! Schedule!

Gameshow starts at 4:15pm ET, right after the closing remarks. Planned agenda:

1. Trivia Game #1
2. “Get To Know Your Speaker/Organizer”
3. Trivia Game #2
4. WordPress “Quiplash”
5. Final Trivia Game #3 – What was the “secret phase” we came up with in the GoDaddy Pro booth today? Guess correctly and you could win a gift certificate.

Yes! After a day of education and networking with the virtual WordCamp Kent friends, it’s time to relax and participate (or watch) some entertainment and well-deserved distraction. That’s where the WPGameshow comes in! Your host, David Bisset (sorry, he is the only person we had available) will take you through exciting game experiences staring WordCamp Kent speakers and volunteers – and you can play and participate!

Trivia: We will be using Kahoot for WordPress and random trivia. How well do you know the WordPress community, plugins, its history, etc? Time to find out! Correct and speedy answers earn you more points to win some exciting rounds!

QuipLash: A gut-busting battle of wits and wittiness! Just use your phone or tablet (no controllers needed) to answer simple prompts like these:

Something WordCamp organizers do when nobody is looking
A double rainbow doesn’t have gold at the end of it. Instead, it has ______.
A rejected WordPress theme name.

We are preparing WordPress themed prompts. Only the funniest, wittiest, and clever answers will be voted highest… the audience can also participate!

Prizes!

The audience and contestants will be also eligible to win prizes donated to us by our awesome WordCamp Kent sponsors. More on this in a few days.

The WPGameshow starts after the closing remarks on Saturday, May 29th… officially at 4:10 pm ET. Please check our schedule. Stay tuned for more information and get ready for some fun with your friends in the WordPress community.

Attending virtual events can involve a lot of sitting and a lot of screen time. It can be difficult to remember to take time for yourself.

The WordCamp Kent organizers wanted to incorporate an element of wellness in our online event, to encourage everyone involved to take time to move, unwind, and practice mindfulness. We are excited to have Michelle Thomas of Om Land CLE lead beginner-level stretching sessions during our lunch breaks each day. 

Get to know Michelle and her passion for staying mindful while working below. 

About Michelle and OM Land CLE

Michelle is a certified yoga teacher, lover of Cleveland, and fanatic for all things local and lively! 

It all started when Michelle had a lightbulb moment when she was stretching at her own 9-5 job. As a certified yoga teacher, she realized there was a way to introduce her love of the practice to a traditional working environment with great benefits to employees and employers alike.

Om Land CLE was launched. By incorporating yoga and meditation into an organization’s benefits, businesses often see an increase in workplace morale, increased productivity, reduce stress/fatigue, employee retention, and attract quality new hires. 

Om Land CLE is here to help your office relax and create brilliant brain work all day long. 

What got you interested in yoga for the workplace? 

I have always been highly interested in how the body works. Out of college, I got a 9-5 job and found my daily activity plummet. Throughout yoga teacher training, I learned more and more about the need for individuals to not only be mobile but to combat movements they do every day to avoid repetitive stress injuries and prolonged periods of sitting. I began teaching at my office and got great feedback around how the awareness of the body and breath was helping my coworkers feel better at work. I launched Om Land with the hope to spread this “feel” good feeling to folks in Cleveland who create brilliant work all day long, and could use some time to reboot. 

What are the benefits of working in stretching or yoga into your day? 

The benefits of movement, and yoga, in particular, include an increase in energy, relief of head/neck/back strain, alleviate symptoms of carpal tunnel, better sleep, and increased concentration. 

What are your favorite stretches to do to take breaks during long periods of sitting/working? 

My two favorite movements, which we do in the chair yoga class, are neck rotations and goal post arms. Both these movements provide relief to the neck/shoulders and also externally rotate the shoulders which often are overly internally rotated. 

Thank you to Michelle for generously donating her time to help us recharge during WordCamp Kent. She has even provided attendees with her quick tips for practicing mindfulness at work! For more on Michelle, check out her website, and follow Om Land CLE on Facebook and Instagram.

Her sessions will be about 25-30 minutes during the lunch breaks on Saturday and Sunday. The recordings will also be made available to attendees after the event.

If you haven’t gotten your ticket to WordCamp Kent 2020 yet, our event is all online and completely free! Get your ticket here.