WordCamp Chicago

WordCamp Chicago After Party

July 19, 2011 by Mary DuQuaine • Comments Off

And now for the important stuff!

Official WordCamp Chicago 2011 After Party

Saturday, July 30 – 4:30-7:30pm

Chicago knows how to throw a good party and this year the WordCamp After Party will be just steps away from our main venue:

$15.00 Tickets
McGee’s Tavern
950 W. Webster Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614

Tickets will get you a wristband good for the private party with a appetizer buffet including McGee’s famous wings, pasta and mini-beef sandwiches and free drinks:

draft beer,
house wine,
mixed well brand,
and soft drinks from 4:30-7:30pm.

Tickets are sold separately – click here to purchase.

Posted in 2011 Announcements, 2011 Blog, Party, WCChicago 2011 | Comments Off

Interview with Paul Kim

July 15, 2011 by Mary DuQuaine • Comments Off

Hi Paul, tell us a bit about yourself:
I work on the VaultPress team at Automattic, which I joined in 2009. Prior to Automattic, I worked on Firefox marketing for Mozilla.

Please share a brief history of your company:
VaultPress had its beta launch in the summer of 2010. The original vision was to provide a premium service with absolutely rock solid backups, security, and support for the most demanding WordPress users.

What is your favorite plugin?
It’s a tossup between Jetpack, Akismet, and VaultPress. 🙂

Share one WP tip:
Whether you choose VaultPress or any one of the many free or paid backup services out there for WordPress, if you value the time and energy you put into maintaining your blog a reliable backup is priceless when you end up needing it.

What inspires you?
Meeting so many independent minded and successful members of the WordPress community – from consultants to theme designers to developers, it’s an amazing and vibrant group of people to be a a part of.

Any tips for people just getting started with Blogging or using WP?
I started with WordPress in 2005, for work reasons. The tip I got then which I’ll share with you is to be fearless and enjoy experimenting with your blog. It really is a canvas for your ideas and a way to express yourself that rewards all the time you put in, in unexpected and positive ways.

Do you have a WP hero?
Too many to name!

Who is the most interesting person you have met through social media?
I really enjoyed getting to meet Seth Godin in person, and was first introduced to him through his blog.

What is your favorite restaurant or club in Chicago?
On my last visit to Chicago I was introduced to The Wiener’s Circle (at 2am). Unforgettable experience.

Why did you choose to support WC Chicago?
The entire VaultPress team loves supporting and attending WordCamps. We’re just happy to show our support for the WordPress community in Chicago.

Contact info:
I’m @pkim on Twitter but you should really follow @vaultpress. 🙂

Posted in 2011 Blog, Member Stories, Sponsors, WCChicago 2011 | Comments Off

T-shirt Art

July 14, 2011 by Mary DuQuaine • Comments Off

Ta da! This year we will have t-shirt and tanks. Make sure to indicate your size when you register!

Posted in 2011 Announcements, 2011 Blog, WCChicago 2011 | Comments Off

Interview with Jim Raffel

July 14, 2011 by Mary DuQuaine • Comments Off

Hi Jim, please share a brief history of your company:

I’ve worked with WordPress since one of my team members set up my blog in 2005. At the time, I didn’t understand the importance of keeping WordPress, my theme and plugins up-to-date and eventually the site got hacked. So in late 2009, I taught myself how to install a new WordPress blog and migrate the posts over to the new site. Along the way I learned about the benefits of a premium theme and moved in that direction as well. I now run a series of websites on WordPress including my personal blog, company website, as well as several niche sites. In early 2011, I attended my first WordCamp in Phoenix and plan to attend many more in the future. We have an awesome community.

What is your favorite plugin?

It would have to be Backup Buddy which is a premium plugin.

Tell us about your latest WP project:

My colleague Shelby Sapusek and I are building a series of niche sites. It’s an experiment to see if we can make significant money doing things our way with affiliate marketing.

Share one WP tip:

Back up your site frequently and test your backups at least every few months by restoring the site on a different server.

What inspires you?

Helping others. I am constantly in awe of people coming to me for help and advice.

Any tips for people just getting started with Blogging or using WP?

Write every day even when you don’t want to. Look at your stats no more than once a week.

Do you have a WP hero?

Chris Pearson of Thesis Theme fame.

What is your motto?

Writing is the doing part of thinking.

What is the funniest or most informative tweet you ever wrote or read?

“Burgers” sent by my friend Joe Sorge from his @AJBombers account.

What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you at a conference?

At BlogWorld 2010 in Las Vegas a picture of me putting a $100 bill in a female friend’s shirt somehow ended up on Flickr. So, I now say what happens in Vegas stays on Flickr forever.

Who is the most interesting person you have met through social media? (Either virtually or in person.)

Chris Brogan

What is your favorite restaurant or club in Chicago?

Restaurant is Le Colonial. Club is probably Roof at theWit.

What is your idea of success?

Freedom however one chooses to defines that.

Why did you choose your topic for WC Chicago?

Since social media (and make no mistake, blogging is social media) is about conversations why not create a presentation that is a conversation? That’s what drives Shelby and me.

What do you hope the attendees will get out of going to your session?

An understanding that even when folks agree on the basics there is always more than one way to look at an issue.

How can people contact you?

jim@jimraffel.com

@raffel

http://facebook.com/jim.raffel

http://linkedin.com/in/jimraffel

Posted in 2011 Blog, Member Stories, Speakers, WCChicago 2011 | Comments Off

WordCamp Chicago – Status Report

July 14, 2011 by Mary DuQuaine • 1 Comment

We are so excited and can’t wait for this year’s WordCamp!

The big event is just over 2 weeks away and the speaker list is finalized. We have a few finishing touches to make on the schedule and we should be all set.

We raised almost 1/2 of the money we need to provide the WP Campers with some great amenities. We are still welcoming new sponsors to join the ever-growing list of WC Chicago Support.

The T-shirt artwork is finished and we are getting ready to submit our order.

We are also planning a great after party for Saturday night!

Wanted: Volunteers to help with registration, set-up, speaker liaisons, hospitality and general help and clean up crew. Please contact us at chicago@wordcamp.org or call 312-725-2221 to volunteer.

Invite your friends to register and reserve their tickets – this will be a great conference for people interested in learning more about WordPress, social media and website development.

A special thanks to all of our supporters and speakers!

Can’t wait to see you there!

Posted in 2011 Announcements, 2011 Blog, Announcements, Blog, Registration, Speakers, Sponsors, WCChicago 2011 | 1 Comment

Interview with Mike Baron

July 8, 2011 by Mary DuQuaine • Comments Off

An interview with Mike Baron, Chief Storyteller at ProjectStory.

Please share a brief history of your company:

ProjectStory has been helping organizations of all sizes document their operations and test and certify their employees for 10+ years.

What is your favorite plugin?

We built and use one that installs javascript resources that makes it really easy for our authors to pick and choose (and easily implement) from a menu of jquery effects.

Tell us about your latest WP project:

Online How-To Guides for physicians and front office staff who are part of a healthcare system network.

Share one WP tip:

If it doesn’t work, try something else. WP architecture is so solid and flexible; we’ve never NOT found a solution.

What inspires you?

WordPress community!

Any tips for people just getting started with Blogging or using WP?

Explore.

What is your motto?

Don’t worry, be Dante. (Dante is my 6 year old yellow lab.)

What is your favorite restaurant or club in Chicago?

Heaven on Seven (on Wabash)