WordCamp Seattle is one of my favorite WordCamps. Seattle has a bit of a different take on things, which I always appreciate, and of course, the city is beautiful with lots to do (if you can squeeze it in!).
This year, WordCamp Seattle was a two-day affair that took place on the weekend of October 29th – 30th. There were special, longer events such as a Workshop for Beginners, a KidsCamp Workshop, and a Contributor Day. Day One kicked off with a special keynote from Chris Lema, a well-known voice in the WordPress community. Chris challenged us to “unlearn” a few things – he encouraged us to ignore the life lesson of “Don’t Talk to Strangers”. He explained that at a WordCamp, the most valuable part can be talking to strangers and turning them into new friends.
After the keynote, you were directed to two rooms (if you weren’t in a workshop) with sessions that covered a range of topics/audiences including beginners, users, developers, community, business, content/marketing, usability & performance. I was perhaps most excited about a session on “Names, Versions, Releases, and SVN”, but that’s just me. I also got a lot out of a session on “Drawing with SVG” and “Using a CDN to Speed Up Your Website”.
This was my third time attending WordCamp Seattle, and my second time speaking there. My topic was listed as “CSS Sanity with Sass,” but the full title of my session was “CSS Sanity with Sass: The Inverted Triangle Approach.” My time slot was the second session on Sunday morning, making it the only “Developer” talk of the day. I was thrilled with the number of folks that showed up to listen, which I estimate to be about 50 (did anyone count?). During my session, we talked about Sass itself, and how to get started with it. Most of the talk, however, was on the Inverted Triangle Approach to organizing Sass, or plain CSS, for that matter. There were plenty of questions, and several people even caught me in the hallway to further the discussion.
OK, that was the business part of the trip. Now, can I talk about seeing the Star Trek 50 exhibit at the EMP Museum? Or, attending the Sounders playoff game (which they won 3-0)? Oh, the boss is listening? Shhhhh…
I highly recommend taking the time to attend a WordCamp, any WordCamp! Hundreds of camps take place each year, in places all around the globe. Fees are so reasonable that most people can afford to attend – but if you can’t afford it, volunteer at a local camp! It’s one of the best personal/professional development opportunities you’ll find. Check this out to find a WordCamp near you.
