WordCamp is a 2-day conference for WordPress users and developers. The first day will focus on how to be a better blogger, the second on the development and future of WordPress. *(Quote taken From WordCamp website)

I unfortunately only made it to one day of WordCamp 2007 (San Francisco, July 21-22 at the Swedish American Hall), and even then had to duck out an hour or two early b/c of another obligation, but despite my busy schedule, I will no doubt be blocking off an entire weekend next year. It’s an event that bloggers, developers, web theorists, and enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes should attend - with two full days of blogging tips, theoretical discussion, presentations focussed around WP development, etc., everyone stands to come away having gained some precious information and a more wholistic outlook on blogging in general.

Wordcamp, how I loved thee…Let me count the ways…

For starters, people are just mad cool - they come from all walks of life (though there certainly were a lot of us tech geeks there…as you might expect) and blog for just about every reason under the sun -podcasters, article writers, the ones who need the breaking story in the moment - all in one room, drinking the same strong coffee and reflecting on the multifaceted nature of blogging.

Nomatter what level you blog at, and for whatever reason - you will learn something. You may learn how to make more money from blogging, how to manage user comments, which plugins can be valuable to giving your users a richer experience, or you may learn to chill the fuck out and think more before you write. Basically, no matter who you are, you’ll come away with some contemplations about the state and function on blogging, and some new tech/production/writing tips to enhance your brainchild. Yay!
So here it is (in no particular order):

7 Things I Learned from Attending Day 1 of WordCamp 2007

1. The podPress plugin does a lot - even if you are not specifically a podcaster. It manages every media file type under the sun (just about anyway), both locally and remotely hosted, and even for the casual blogger who wants to include some sound/video here and there, is far better than embedding crap in your page from other sources. It boasts automatic full-featured feed generation, generates podCast download stats, allows you to manage how podcasts and videocasts will appear in popular databases like iTunes, etc. And it’s always evolving. Developer Dan Kuykendall posts several upgrades a week sometimes (though he’s promised to slow down and regulate his release dates). Anyway, I recommend this plugin…and I’ll vouch. I’ve used it on other WP blogs I’ve designed/set up for clients, and it kicks.

2. Be honest in your posts - readers know when you’re full sh**. Stay focussed on your blog’s intent, and keep your readers in mind. Try to find the holes - the angles that no one else has covered, or say something in a new way. If you can’t be the first out of the gate with a story (and usually you just can’t!), wait till the whirlwind settles down, and approach the article with the insight afforded to you by waiting. (Thank you Lorelle VanFossen for this wisdom - too often bloggers regurgitate, or say nothing at all of substance. Hopefully your message will reach the masses!)

3. When managing comments - unless they’re spam or the useless “you suck” with no reason given sort of comments, don’t delete them. They are as much a part of the post as what you wrote to initiate the dialogue. Thoughtful negative feedback is as important to carrying on the discussion as positive feedback.

4. If you want to monetize your blog, Google AdSense is not necessarilly the best way. Instead, Jeremy Wright of b5media shared a few alternative ideas: Get more traffic via viral marketing, networking (commenting on others’ blogs, etc), writing lots of valuable content, search engine optimizing, etc. (traffic gets the advertisers). Also, try writing product reviews, or selling your content for syndication.

5. Read your own posts. If you want to know if your readers will like it, ask yourself, “would I like reading this?” If the answer is “yes” then they will probably like it too.

6. In order to drive traffic to your site, becoming a part of the blogging community and commenting on others’ blogs is crucial. When you leave comments that contribute to the discussions on other blogs, readers and the blog owner will often click your link to your blog to see who you are.

7. If you want to encourage comments on your blog, don’t say EVERYTHING. Leave something out for others to fill in - they will want to contribute their knowledge if you’ve left them room to do so. For example, instead of 10 Things I Learned at WordCamp, try writing 7. (Again, thanks to Lorelle)

(yeah, I’m a dork…but I couldn’t even begin to cover the wealth of tips and knowledge gained from WordCamp in 10 items, so I might as well just give you 7 highlights that stuck out in my head)

I’ve included a few photos in this article, all c/o my biz partner Jeremy Anderson, but if you want to see more, go check out photos from the event on Flickr. I don’t have any worth sharing of my own since my pocket-sized digital camera is a hopeless piece of crap-o-la and can’t meter light indoor shots at all. (note: if you’re shopping for a new camera, please do yourself a favor and stay away from the Nikon Coolpix 7900 - you’ll be glad you did!)

And in case you didn’t get to go and you’re still curious (or you did go, but you want to see more peoples’ postings from the event)….

Event Highlights and Recaps from the WordCamp Community:

Andrew Mager’s Highlighs From Wordcamp 2007

Lorelle On WordPress: Slideshow of her presentation Kicking Ass Content Connections and Her ReCap of WordCamp 2007

Jeremy Wright Recaps His Presentation: Blog Monetization Session @ WordCamp 2007

One Man’s Blog: Videos from Wordcamp 2007 (not posted yet, but coming soon)

Stephanie Booth recaps Matt Cutts: WordCamp 2007: Matt Cutts, Whitehat SEO Tips for Bloggers

**Anyone who went and wants to post their recap/highlights posting links in the comments, please do so! I’m sorry if I missed you, but I want to include you and hear/read/watch what you’ve got to say! I’ll add a link into the article too so feed subscribers get it as well! Yay! :)

See y’all next year, if not around before!

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 28th, 2007 at 1:11 am and is filed under dribble, geekery, general, out + about, reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.