“I dreamed last night I was in a magical place. A happy, diverse and bustling community, all learning, connecting, sharing, laughing. There was no need for money or work; banquets of food and drink simply appeared. Hour by hour, we all grew in knowledge and empowerment… When I awoke, I had this weird suspicion that others might be remembering that same dream.”

Well, okay, that may be overly romanticizing things at WordCamp Atlanta. Basically, it was like having to go to school on the weekend, right?

Still, it was fun, wasn’t it?

Talented folks with all kinds of backgrounds, skill sets and approaches to their work, freely sharing their trade secrets with their business competitors. Love it.

Speaking of school, it’s interesting how the WP community, as well as the web community overall, has risen up to teach ourselves, and each other, instead of depending on traditional educational institutions. That’s changing somewhat, though, as teaching cursive writing as a communication skill is replaced by teaching coding and WordPress.

From a historical perspective, WordPress, the web, and computers themselves, have evolved at warp speed. What’s interesting is, that couldn’t have happened without the use of WordPress, the web, and computers as collaboration platforms. We read each other’s WordPress blogs to learn new ways to use WordPress. That is so cool.

And it’s not just the Open Source approach of WordPress and other platforms, which is amazing when you think about it. It’s the spirit of Open Source that lies at the heart of events like WordCamp.

The other phenomenal thing about WordPress and other blogging platforms is that anyone – anyone – can publish whatever they want to share or express, without having to convince some publishing corporation that it’s worthwhile. WP has been an important component of what’s been known as Web 2.0, as it’s helped enable the democratization of the web. Think about it. That. Is. Huge.

And we get to be a part of it. What fun.

It’s funny; we go to WordCamp and local meetups, not simply for the Continuing Education Units like in other professions, but because we want to. We learn from the speakers, we mix it up with other stuff we’ve learned, and we experiment. Then next year maybe we cook up some slides and get to stand up there to share our fresh insights with others.

And the cycle goes on.

For everyone who played a role at WordCamp Atlanta 2015, from organizers to attendees, from speakers to the folks who tidied up the bathrooms, thank you, thank you, thank you. We look forward to seeing you in 2016, for the next festive iteration of WP learning and sharing.

In the meantime, as our faces stay stuck to our computers screens for countless hours, building sites, trying new things, and working through our individual challenges, there’s a sense that we’re not alone. We’re a part of a supportive community. And for some reason, that kinda makes the whole thing more fun.

Check out the Atlanta-area WP meetups here. We look forward to seeing your face!

Getting around Atlanta during WordCamp might offer a new experience, at no cost to you. Are you new to Lyft, the popular ride network? Then simply go here to download the app on your phone, then create an account. Using the code WCATL, you’ll have $20 automatically credited to your account.

Then when you need a ride, just use the app to request it. You can even track the ETA of your friendly, background-checked driver. At the end of the ride, just pay with your phone; the tip is included.

The details: You’ll have to pay any overage over $20. The offer is for new Lyft users only, who haven’t previously downloaded the app. Up to three people can ride for one price. And you can use that $20 in Atlanta during WordCamp, or at a later date in any city where Lyft operates.

Find out more about Lyft, for reliable, affordable local rides to wherever you’re headed.