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    We Need to Talk About Speakers and Virtual Events

    Have you ever had a friend ask you for a favor, only to ask you for like 5 more while performing that favor? “Hey can you help me move? Oh also, I’m out of coffee; can you pick some up? Also I need to stop at the realtor’s office to get the key,” and so on. It might be an innocent mistake, but sometimes it feels like your generosity is being taken advantage of. And it’s kind of annoying.

    That’s how it’s felt over the last few years with the emergence of virtual events. I’ve spoken at several, and many of them follow the same format of putting a lot of the onus on the speaker while reaping all of the benefits.

    Now, a few caveats:

    • I’m not talking to any one event organizer, and I’m not mad at anyone. This is true for most virtual events and I think we’d all benefit from a few changes.
    • I’ve been considering hosting/organizing a virtual event myself, so this serves as a way to outline how I envision such an event going1
    • I also know that planning any event is a lot of work. I don’t think event organizers are undeserving of the benefits, financial or otherwise.

    That said, I think we need to rethink our approach to having speakers at our virtual events. In my opinion, the speaker has one job: to deliver a great talk.

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    How Skip the Grind Showed Me to Focus my Business

    A common question I get is, “What exactly do you do?” Generally when I answer, I get a response of, “Wow! You do a lot.” Even my wife says, “I’m not really sure how to answer when people ask me what you do.” That is awful for a business owner.

    It’s easy to think doing more = more revenue. But that’s usually not the case. It’s usually the opposite. You’re not focused, you’re trying to promote too many things, and you lose prospects because they aren’t sure you really know how to solve their problem.

    This is why I knew I needed to focus my business, and why I signed up for Skip the Grind. I was not disappointed.

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    Some Thoughts on Virtual Event Fatigue

    With the news of WordCamp US cancelling it’s virtual event due to fatigue, and subsequently the WordPress cancelling flagship (major/regional) camps in 2021, I’ve been thinking a lot about what to do about virtual event fatigue. I noticed it with my own webinar series, which I started when the pandemic hit the US. There was a stark drop-off in interest in May.

    So what can we do to continue putting out good content without people getting virtual event fatigue? I have some ideas.

    Read More “Some Thoughts on Virtual Event Fatigue”

  • How A Podcast Can Replace A Live Event

    Events are some of the best ways to learn, network, and engage with a community of people. With most in-person events being cancelled for the foreseeable future, we’re looking for a replacement – someplace to learn, grow, and meet new people.

    Virtual Events seems to be the most popular, and they’re fantastic! But they also take a lot of work. Replacing, or at least supplementing, your event with a podcast could be a big, long-lasting win for you, your speakers, your sponsors, and especially your attendees.

    Read More “How A Podcast Can Replace A Live Event”
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    Using Podcast Sponsorships To Replace Event Sponsorships

    This may seem a little bit like news jacking, but it is something I’ve been thinking about over the last week. With the amount in-person events being cancelled or going online due to COVID-19, is there another good outlet for brands to reach new customers? While digital events are the next likely option, I think podcast sponsorship can serve as a fantastic alternative for a few reasons. Here are what brands and podcasters can do to help fill the void.

    Read More “Using Podcast Sponsorships To Replace Event Sponsorships”
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    How to Handle Interruptions During Your Talk

    Maybe this has happened to you. You take the stage. The slides are peeped and displayed. Your talk starts. The nervousness subsides and you’re getting into a good flow. Then, when you’re finally comfortable, someone just has to interrupt you. This has happened to me more times than I can count. It even happened recently, when someone in the crowd felt the need to correct me on the duration of a construction project. So what do you do? What’s the best way to handle interruptions? Let’s take a look.

    Read More “How to Handle Interruptions During Your Talk”

  • 100 Words 040

    For today’s 100 Words, I’d like to deflect to the Organizers of WordCamp US. It’s sure to be a great event with lots of amazing people, and the first one outside of San Fransisco. If you can come you definitely should. I know I’ll be there!

    WordCamp US 2015, held December 4–6 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has opened a first round of ticket sales. This three day event features 2 days of scheduled content and 1 contributor day. The cost is $40.

    More details about speakers will be announced soon, as will information about the 2015 WordPress Community Summit.

    Please join us for this inaugural WordCamp US event!

  • 100 Words 010

    WordCamp Scranton is coming together nicely after a bit of a rocky start. We have generous sponsors, a solid speaker lineup, amazing volunteers, and a pretty stellar announcement coming up.

    Planning this event is taking me back to college, being on USPB and all of the details involved in putting together a big event. Stressful but fun is a sentiment I think a lot of event planners would agree with. Working with people and dealing with financials can be tough, but seeing things come together is fantastic. Besides, hoping people have fun is the biggest stress of the whole thing!

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    It’s Official! WordCamp Scranton is July 18th!

    I wrote this on the WordCamp Scranton blog originally. I am so excited to be organizing this event. The team and I are bound to make sure it’s a great event!

    After a few months of initial planning and venue hunting, we are happy announce that WordCamp is coming to Scranton, PA on July 18th! It will be held at Johnson College and we could not be more excited!

    What is WordCamp?

    WordCamp is a conference that focuses on everything WordPress.

    WordCamps are informal, community-organized events that are put together by WordPress users like you. Everyone from casual users to core developers participate, share ideas, and get to know each other. (src).

    We will have WordPress-focused talks, sponsors, networking events, swag, and an after party! It’s going to be a great weekend!

    We Need You!

    Right now, we are getting all of our ducks in a row regarding this website and the important details, and we need your help! We are currently looking for people to fill three very important roles:

    • Sponsors: Sponsors will donate money or in-kind services to the event. We are working on a Sponsor slide deck now to get you the important details regarding audience and reach. Please get in touch if you’re interested! As an added bonus, WordCamps are run by the WordPress Foundation, a non-profit organization 🙂
    • Speakers: Interested in sharing what you know? We are looking for talks that range from beginner (how to set up a WordPress site) to advanced (You, Me, and the WordPress API make Three). If you’re interested, apply here.
    • Volunteers: Not sure about speaking or sponsoring, but still want to help out? No problem! We need volunteers to help get the word out as well as help run the event the day of. Sign up here!

    If any of these interest you, get in touch. We will have official calls for all of these in the coming days but hey, the sooner the better, right?

    Thank You!

    Thanks for reading! We are really excited to bring Scranton its first WordCamp. We hope you can make it to the event. Registration will be opening soon, but in the mean time, you can check the website or follow @WCScranton on Twitter.