WordCamp San Diego

@theandystratton presenting "Accomplish it with Core: Galleries, Sliders and More" at WordCamp San Diego@theandystratton presenting "Accomplish it with Core: Galleries, Sliders and More" at WordCamp San Diego
@theandystratton presenting "Accomplish it with Core: Galleries, Sliders and More" at WordCamp San Diego24-Mar-2012 11:31, Canon Canon PowerShot SD780 IS, 5.8, 17.9mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 500
 
@norcross is out of uniform for his presentation "Stay Classy, WordPress" at WordCamp San Diego@norcross is out of uniform for his presentation "Stay Classy, WordPress" at WordCamp San Diego
@norcross is out of uniform for his presentation "Stay Classy, WordPress" at WordCamp San Diego24-Mar-2012 18:26, Canon Canon PowerShot SD780 IS, 5.8, 17.9mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 800
 
WordCamp San Diego Developer Day, at CoMergeWordCamp San Diego Developer Day, at CoMerge
WordCamp San Diego Developer Day, at CoMerge25-Mar-2012 14:35, Canon Canon PowerShot SD780 IS, 3.2, 5.9mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 250
 
@tweetsfromchris takes on Nicky Rotten's 2.5 lbs. burger challenge (with a gigantic side of fries)@tweetsfromchris takes on Nicky Rotten's 2.5 lbs. burger challenge (with a gigantic side of fries)
@tweetsfromchris takes on Nicky Rotten's 2.5 lbs. burger challenge (with a gigantic side of fries)25-Mar-2012 21:34, Canon Canon PowerShot SD1400 IS, 2.8, 5.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
 

This was my second WordCamp, and my first not as a speaker. When I presented at WordCamp Philly last Fall, I was blown away by the positive energy of everyone there (which is one of the things that led to my current position with WebDevStudios). WordCamp San Diego was just as much fun, and there was plenty to learn too. Coming from Philly means it’s a long way to go for a WordCamp, but WebDevStudios was a sponsor, so several of us from the company went. Since we are a virtual company, I also met a couple of my co-workers in person for the first time – @tweetsfromchris and @TobyBenjamin

WordCamps typically have 2 simultaneous tracks – one for developers and one for users. They also provide an opportunity for these two parts of the WordPress community to come together, so online businesses can find good developers, and for developers to find rewarding projects.

I stayed in the developer track for all but one presentation, and they were all excellent. WebDevStudio’s own @williamsba presented on how to configure and use WordPress multi-site. Even in the more introductory-level sessions, where I thought I’d already know everything, I actually learned a lot. The vibrancy of the WordPress community, and the dedication of the speakers, who appear without compensation, continues to impress me.

The “spring training” theme was really well done, from the matching baseball jerseys for the speakers, to the web site, stickers, and, of course, the cake. @norcross gave his whole talk as Ron Burgundy (yes, in his boxers), which was hilarous enough to justify him being the only speaker out of uniform.

The after party was a blast. It was my first experience where it was socially acceptable to both drink and have endless conversations about code and WordPress. I have found my people 🙂 and it was great to meet @housechick, @jaredatch, @matthewjcnpilon and @i3inary.

The 2nd day of the conference was a developers’ day, held at the very sleek Co-Merge workplace. This was similiar to the developers’ day at WordCamp Philly, with some short presentations, but the focus was more on people making connections and helping each other code.

The one challenge for me was sleep. WebDevStudios rented an apartment since several of us were there. The first night there was a party happening in an adjacent unit, and the thumping bass didn’t stop coming through the floor until about 3AM. The next night someone was shot and killed right outside our apartment, and the last night one of my co-workers had to get up and leave really early for his flight. But I’m not so old (yet) that I can’t handle it (actually, having kids has conditioned me to handle sleep deprivation better than I did years ago).

My next WordCamp is in just a few weeks. I’ll be speaking at WordCamp Nashville, on how to apply dependency injection techniques to WordPress plugin development.

I took pictures throughout the day – here’s the complete album:

2012 - WordCamp San Diego
2012 - WordCamp San DiegoMar 23, 2012Photos: 14
 

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