“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!

Here is the latest information on the Beginner’s Workshop Friday March 27^th

LOCATION:
Loudermilk Center

PARKING:
Parking for all attendees will be provided in the parking garage adjacent to the building.

REGISTRATION AND SCHEDULE:
Registration: starts at 8:30 AM
Class Starts: 9:00 AM  Ends:  4:30 PM

Schedule:
8:30 a.m.       Registration
9:00 a.m.       Workshop Opens: Instruction and Practice
12:00 p.m.     Catered Lunch
1:00 p.m.       Workshop Continues: Instruction and Practice
4:00 p.m.       Closing Remarks

FOOD & BEVERAGE:
Coffee and water will be available throughout the day
Lunch service included

MUST HAVE LAPTOP

1. The workshop is hands-on. Bring a laptop computer that can connect to a wireless network.
2. You will be provided a test website that you can continue to use after WordCamp.
3. You should have 3-5 images saved in a folder on your laptop to use during the day.

VOLUNTEERS
We have plenty of volunteers to help you along the way.

Oh, people, I am sorry to tell you that unless you are a speaker or sponsor, and we have saved a ticket for you, we are all out of our 580 tickets.

When we have people get refunds for tickets they can’t use, we will release the tickets again – so keep checking. If you’d like to get a ticket, should they come available, include your name and the type of ticket you need, in the comments below.  If we have tickets open up later, you might be able to snag one.

In the meantime, check out our local WordPress Meetups. They are a great resource for learning more about WordPress and getting involved in the WordPress community.

Why didn’t we plan for more people?

We  have had some people question why, when we knew that WordCamp was so popular, didn’t we find a venue that would hold more people. One person suggested maybe we were too worried about profits, another said that selling out in three hours was a fail and suggested that next year we should hire an event planner.

Since many of you are new to the WordPress Community, let me explain that there are general guidelines all 372 WordCamps must follow, no matter where they are in the world.

According to WordCamp.org,

“WordCamps are not meant to be big, fancy, expensive conferences. WordCamps are meant to be low-key local gatherings that are affordable — cheap, even — to allow people from all walks of life to attend, meet, share, and learn. Sponsorships and donations make this possible, keeping ticket prices low, usually below $40 for a 2-day event.”

WordCamp Atlanta is put on by volunteers from our local WordPress Meetup Community. Our organizers had to be approved by the WordPress Foundation, to put on an event called a WordCamp.

We are not about making a profit here. Putting on a WordCamp is a labor of love. Any money generated by donations and tickets sales, that was not spent on Camp, goes back to the foundation to help with future WordCamps.

You might think that the most difficult task in organizing a WordCamp would be raising money. But no. There are many great companies who are eager to step up and get involved.  Just check out the sidebar to see our fantastic group of sponsors.

Actually, the the most difficult task for most WordCamp organizers is finding a venue. This is especially true in Atlanta, an expensive convention town with hotel conference centers that are cost prohibitive. Some WordCamps have been fortunate to have a local university donate space to hold the event. We haven’t found anyone yet who could give us enough space.

When you have a WordCamp for 500 people with different levels of interest and experience, you need to have at least four tracks. This means having four rooms that hold 125 people each. Take my word for it,  this type of space is hard to come by. And having more tracks with smaller rooms makes the event even more complicated and time intensive for the volunteer staff.

We would love to have everyone who wants to attend be able to come to WordCamp.  Unfortunately, this year that won’t be possible.  If any of you would like to help make this possible in the future, we would welcome your involvement.

Check out the infographic about WordCamps in this post by WPBeginner.

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.