Speaker Spotlight: Jordan Quintal

March 25, 2014 by Rick Radko • Comments Off on Speaker Spotlight: Jordan Quintal

Jordan Quintal is a successful Online Multipreneur, a seasoned Web Developer, as well as a WordPress Contributor and Community Member. Jordan is the current President at The Genius Web Media Inc. that was founded in 2007, and he has over 15 years of web development experience. His skill, intelligence,  and ambition have allowed him and his company to flourish in a very competitive Media market.

Jordan is presenting: WordPress Accessibility – building WordPress websites that EVERYONE can use

1) Why do you like using WordPress?
Personally, I LOVE using WordPress. I find it to be the most flexible, the most durable, and the easiest content management system to use.

2) Why did you decide to speak at WordCamp Ottawa?
I have a passion for educating and advocating. I have been privileged enough to find success through using WordPress, and would love the opportunity to share my expertise, knowledge, and experiences with others in the community; in the hopes that I can somehow help them succeed as well.

3) What is the one thing you want people to walk away with from your talk?
Ideally, it would be fantastic if the audience of my presentation walked away with a better appreciation for web accessibility and a full understanding of why web accessibility is absolutely important. I’d like the audience to leave my presentation and utilize the tips and techniques supplied to them, so they can  make their websites more accessible to those with physical and mental challenges.

4) What is your favourite WordPress plugin or theme? Why?
Right now, I am really impressed with a plugin called BackupBuddy. It truly saves time on backing up files and databases, and makes transferring a website between 2 hosts super easy.

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Speaker Spotlight: Gregory Young

March 24, 2014 by Rick Radko • Comments Off on Speaker Spotlight: Gregory Young

Gregory is Co-Owner of Alternative Hosting, an Ottawa based web hosting provider. When not helping new clients get setup with web hosting, or performing WordPress maintenance for his clients, Gregory enjoys spending time with his wife and pack of Chihuauas. With over 20 years experience in network and server support, Gregory has seen almost everything (including grilled cheese in the VCR and cookies in the CD-ROM)

Gregory is presenting: Getting Set-up with Hosting and WordPress

1) Why do you like using WordPress?
WordPress makes it easy to update my site. The wide range of plugins also allow me to integrate my other tools into a common look and feel for my clients.

2) Why did you decide to speak at WordCamp Ottawa?
After volunteering at last year’s WordCamp, I wanted to do more to get involved this year.

3) What is the one thing you want people to walk away with from your talk?
Working with the right hosting provider can make maintaining your site easy.

4) What is your favourite WordPress plugin or theme? Why?
W3 Total Cache. When combined with Amazon Cloudfront, my site loads so much faster!

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Speaker Spotlight: Amy Young

March 24, 2014 by Rick Radko • Comments Off on Speaker Spotlight: Amy Young

Amy is a writer, photographer, musician and a geek of many trades.

Having grown up in a musically oriented family, Amy has spent the majority of her life in the periphery of the music industry, and this likely influences her writing – about the life and times of band Torrent (www.torrentband.com), a classic/AOR rock band.

Amy is presenting: Creating a Simple Child Theme for WordPress

1) Why do you like using WordPress?
I like using WordPress because it’s not unnecessarily complex when it doesn’t have to be, and it’s extendable and versatile.

2) Why did you decide to speak at WordCamp Ottawa?
It was suggested to me by the lovely Jasmine that I could offer up some of my experience with the community at large.

3) What is the one thing you want people to walk away with from your talk?
The importance of creating a child theme even if it’s for basic modifications to the main themes.

4) What is your favourite WordPress plugin or theme? Why?
Jetpack – it’s the Swiss Army Knife of plugins, and is actively developed by Automattic.

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Speaker Lineup News

March 24, 2014 by Rick Radko • Comments Off on Speaker Lineup News

The response to our call for speakers has been fantastic.

More talks

To offer you the most incredible line up we can accommodate, we’ve booked another room and added an hour to the schedule on Saturday, increasing the number of talks from 27 to 40!

WordCamp Ottawa 2014 will now feature 32 sessions in 3 tracks on Saturday, 8 workshops or panels on Sunday, and a Pre-camp Introduction to WordPress on the preceding Thursday to help new users get a jump start with WordPress.

Hard decisions

We’ve had to make some really hard decisions and we are still going to have to turn down talks. It’s not that the ones we’ll have to turn down aren’t good. They are, and this has made the decisions really hard. It’s that we just don’t have space for them all.

Experts at this event

Add to the number of speakers the number of experts who will staff the Happiness Bar, where you can get one-on-one help with your WordPress questions, and we’ll have about 50 talented people on hand at this event to present to you the latest and greatest about WordPress.

Brisk sales

With six weeks to go, we’ve already sold 3 times as many tickets this year as last year—and with the speakers line-up now being posted we expect tickets will sell fast! So, don’t miss WordCamp Ottawa 2014. Register now.

Speakers and sessions

So far, we’ve posted about a quarter [Edit March 27th] half of the speakers and sessions. We’re still working on the others. We’ll post as they are confirmed.

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Developers, Last Call

March 16, 2014 by Alex Robinson • Comments Off on Developers, Last Call

If you’re a developer interested in speaking at WordCamp Ottawa 2014 now is the time to put your name forward.

The speaker application deadline—6:00 p.m. (EST), Friday, March 21, 2014—is fast approaching.

Valued skills

The fact is, we’ve had a great response to our calls for speakers and almost all of our sessions are covered. We look forward to some great presentations.

But we still have opportunities on the Saturday and the Sunday afternoon in-depth sessions and panels for those whose strong technical backgrounds prepare them to address the more involved and complex WordPress topics.

Learn more

If you’re a developer and you’ve thought about speaking at WordCamp Ottawa 2014, take a moment to consider it seriously and apply.

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How Feedback Has Helped

March 11, 2014 by Alex Robinson • Comments Off on How Feedback Has Helped

We asked last year’s 300-plus attendees for their opinions about WordCamp Ottawa—and more than 40 used our feedback survey to respond.

The survey showed that almost all respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall experience at the event. The best part, they said, was the sessions. Next came networking and socializing. The panels were a close third.

These results told us we ought to stick with last year’s format—and that’s what we’ve done. They also suggested we should look for ways to encourage people to get to know one another. We hope that adding lunch this year on the Saturday will do just that.

We also learned that about three in five respondents believed WordCamp Ottawa should be longer than it was last year. Of these, some two in three wanted a second, optional day of workshops.

To respond, we’ve extended the event to Sunday afternoon. That afternoon we’re planning to have three tracks, each track with two sessions, each session running 1 hour and 45 minutes. The sessions will focus on involved WordPress-related topics.

High proportions of our respondents informed us that the morning and afternoon snacks were good or excellent. Well, they’re back—and we’ve added lunch, which is a good thing considering that three in four said they would prefer it if lunch was included.

For the first WordCamp Ottawa, the organizers aimed to offer an event that satisfied attendees—and it’s the aim guiding our choices for WordCamp Ottawa 2014. If you have suggestions as we finalize WordCamp Ottawa 2014, send them in today. We listen.

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Speakers, Step Forward

March 8, 2014 by Alex Robinson • Comments Off on Speakers, Step Forward

If you’d like to share your WordPress expertise with a receptive and motivated WordCamp Ottawa audience now is the time to step forward.

The WordCamp Ottawa 2014 speaker application deadline—6:00 p.m. (EST), Friday, March 21, 2014—is fast approaching.

A successful presentation

Picture yourself on stage. You’ve been introduced. Your title slide is up. You’re fully prepared to share WordPress knowledge you know well and care about. Your audience of about 300 includes colleagues and prospective clients.

You’re looking forward to making new acquaintances and networking with people who are grateful for the knowledge you’ve shared—and to seeing your presentation when it’s broadcast on the web.

Who we’re looking for

Now is a good time to step forward if you’re a WordPress user, designer or developer who can speak with authority about:

  • Publishing through a WordPress site
  • Designing and building a WordPress site
  • Developing WordPress plugins and the core, and system administration

You’ll receive a particularly warm reception if your strong technical background enables you to address the more involved and complex WordPress topics. There are good opportunities to speak on these topics on Saturday and the Sunday afternoon in-depth sessions and panels.

Learn more

To learn more about speaking at WordCamp Ottawa 2014 take a look at our Become a Speaker page and apply to be a speaker through our Speaker Application page.

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Why You Should Display a WordCamp Ottawa 2014 Badge

March 8, 2014 by Alex Robinson • Comments Off on Why You Should Display a WordCamp Ottawa 2014 Badge

Just by proudly displaying one of our badges, you help us make a success of WordCamp Ottawa 2014.

A badge showing the part you plan to play in WordCamp Ottawa 2014 tells others that this event is deserving of your attention and commitment—and quite possibly theirs.

It encourages them to learn about WordCamp Ottawa 2014 and to look at it in a serious way as they consider the time and other resources they should devote to it. And this may lead them to attend or to contribute in other ways.

If you plan to attend WordCamp Ottawa 2014 or to be an event volunteer, sponsor or speaker, please begin displaying the appropriate badge today.

The first place to put it, of course, is on your blog or website.

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Call for Sponsors for WordCamp Ottawa 2014

March 6, 2014 by Alex Robinson • Comments Off on Call for Sponsors for WordCamp Ottawa 2014

Why does it make sense to be a Sponsor of WordCamp Ottawa 2014? Consider

  • The company we keep—We expect more than 300 WordPress bloggers, designers, developers and local business owners will attend WordCamp Ottawa 2014
  • The interest we stimulate—We expect thousands of WordPress users will visit our website
  • The recognition—We’ll acknowledge your contribution and support before and at the conference

Of course, these are just a few of the reasons companies and individuals step forward as Sponsors. There are others—and we wouldn’t mind hearing yours, whether it’s because WordCamp sponsorship is good business or just to give back a little.

WordCamps need sponsors

Because, you know, WordCamps need Sponsors. They support our efforts to get the word out. They help us provide an environment that supports learning, meeting and networking. They enable us to offer certain comforts, like coffee and muffins in the morning and a lunch at midday.

People understand that the things Sponsors help provide make a WordCamp more successful or pleasant. They improve the experience of the conference for all of us. Sponsorship matters.

Learn more

If you’re considering sponsorship, you’ll want to look over our various sponsorship levels.

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Call for Speakers for WordCamp Ottawa 2014

February 21, 2014 by Alex Robinson • Comments Off on Call for Speakers for WordCamp Ottawa 2014

What do you need if you’d like to be a speaker at WordCamp Ottawa 2014?

  • Something to say about WordPress that you’re passionate and knowledgeable about—and can convey in 45 minutes
  • Slides to support your talk
  • Comfort telling your story to as many as 200 people—while being recorded for broadcast on the web
  • A willingness to accept thanks and praise from a grateful audience

Presenting at WordCamp is rewarding. It’s an opportunity to shine before prospective clients, to make new acquaintances and to network with people who will be grateful for the knowledge and understanding you’ve shared. And, so long as you don’t mind taking the stage, it’s fun.

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for WordPress users, designers and developers who can deliver sessions that match the interests of those who want to learn about:

  • Publishing through a WordPress site
  • Designing and building a WordPress site
  • Setting up sites, designing themes, developing plugins, learning about development best practices and more

Learn more

If you’re interested in speaking at WordCamp Ottawa, take a moment to look over our Become a Speaker page.

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