We are pleased to announce that we’ll be attending our first WordCamp in Atlanta this summer. As avid WordPress developers, we’re looking forward to engaging in the local community and absorbing everything we can about WordPress. With three days of workshops and sessions, we’ve been compiling a list of talks that we’re most excited about. Here are five sessions we’re looking forward to:
1. Creating a Content Calendar
Whether your a freelancer writing for multiple outlets or a content creator at an established company, staying organized is crucial. Writing blog posts is so much easier when you know what you’re writing about weeks in advance. Additionally, you won’t be rushing to find a topic to write about and churning out poor-quality content. April Weir is heavily involved in the local WordPress community. She currently runs Sugar Five Design, a digital marketing company in Woodstock, Georgia. Her session will teach us how to get started with a content calendar for the next 12 months.
- Who: April Weir (@theaprilwier)
- When: Saturday, May 4th at 11:00 AM
- Where: Red Room
2. Sending Mail From Your Website
Once you have a content calendar in place and you’re creating quality blog posts, you need to highlight your calls-to-action. Use your content to lead users to a conversion, whether it be completing a purchase or filling out a contact form. Once users fill out a form on your website, it’s important that they receive a response that confirms their form was received and will be answered.
This can be easier said than done. Integrating your WordPress website with Mailgun or some other 3rd party mail service can be tricky when it comes to sending confirmation emails. Aaron Reimann, developer and founder of Sideways Eight Agency, will lead us through setting up a DNS correctly with SPF, DKIM, DMARC, along with others as well as recommend 3rd party mail service plugins.
- Who: Aaron Reimann (@areimann)
- When: Saturday, May 4 at 4:00 PM
- Where: Ballroom
3. How To Manage Your Time So You Can Manage Your Growing Business
We could all manage our time a bit better. Adam Walker, CEO of Sideways Eight Agency and CTO of 48in48 manages two podcasts, reads, works out, writes blog posts, has five children and still manages to get off of work by 5:00 PM. Adam will discuss his technique to get things done and the strategies he uses to stay efficient. Show us your ways!
- Who: Adam Walker (@ajwalker)
- When: Sunday, May 5 at 10:00 AM
- Where: Ballroom
4. Crafting the Perfect Proposal
A lot goes into creating a proposal, and it could mean the difference between landing the sale or not. Melanie Adcock, lead web designer and developer of Adcock Creative Group, will give us tips, tools, and templates to help us create the perfect proposal.
- Who: Melanie G Adcock (@mgacreative)
- When: Sunday, May 5 at 3 PM
- Where: Ballroom
5. The WordCamp Experience, Every Month? Getting Involved in the Local Community
We’re always looking for more ways to get involved with our local tech community. Mini-WordCamps happen in Atlanta every month! These meetups include networking, food and drink, and everything WordPress. This is also a great place to start if you’re thinking about presenting at a future WordCamp. Brad Morrison and Mickey Mellen are organizers of the local Atlanta WordPress meetups and will be giving us more details.
- Who: Brad Morrison (@MBradMorrison) & Mickey Mellen (@mickmel)
- When: Sunday, May 5 at 1 PM
- Where: Ballroom
We’ll be visiting all the booths and going to as many sessions as we can. Be sure to check out the rest of the great speakers on the #WCATL schedule.
