WordCamp News

Attending WordCamp San Antonio 2020?

Posted by on March 27, 2020 with 1 reply

Thanks to Terri Bedore of the WordCamp San Antonio organizing team for this great info to help maximize your Virtual WordCamp experience!

Due to a certain pandemic, some things for WordCamp San Antonio 2020 will be different (and some will be the same) this year. The biggest change is that we have the pleasure [and challenge] to be the FIRST 100% virtual WordCamp! Not only that – we’re doing it LIVE and for FREE.

And let me tell you, pivoting from in-person to virtual in just 2.5 weeks is nothing short of a miracle. (BIG shout out to all my fellow organizers, volunteers, WordCamp Central, and our sponsors. You all rock!)

Requisite tl;dr

  • Register for WordCamp San Antonio already!
  • All the action happens on the WordCamp San Antonio website.
  • Test Links
  • Install Zoom package
  • Get Comfortable
  • Be Patient (it’s our first time!)
  • Follow the Code of Conduct
  • Optional – Use Chrome, Create Crowdcast + Zoom accounts

How are we going do it?

All sessions will be streamed on the WordCamp San Antonio website and links to all the extras will be here, too, arranged into Tracks that you can easily move between. We will have Hallways where you can go chat with your fellow Campers, just like a live event and Sponsors will have Tables where you can talk to their reps and learn more about their offerings. Some of them are also holding contests, Happiness Bar sessions (help with your WordPress questions), and other goodies. Be sure to check them out!

We’ll be using Crowdcast.io and Zoom.us to deliver the virtual video goodness. Each WordCamp Track will have its own page with the Crowdcast stream and Hallway (Zoom) links, along with links to our Campmaster and Glamper Sponsors’ Tables which will also be Zoom meetings. We promise it will be easy to navigate!

And YES! The sessions will be recorded and available for playback later on the WordCamp San Antonio website and WordPress.TV. We do not have a date for those to be ready, but will get them up as soon as possible.

Do I need to do anything special?

Not really. The biggest prep I’d do is to test all the links we’re sending you today (we’ll send it out as soon as the web pages are ready) and tomorrow (as a reminder) and make sure you can use Zoom.

Now Zoom likes to install a package, so make sure to do that the night before so you don’t walk into the hallway sessions late. (If you’ve never used Zoom before, the Zoom Client for Meetings download will pop up, requesting an install. It’s legit. You can do it the day before and /or choose from their other options here.)

PROTIP: phones are not your friend for something this long; use a computer or tablet when possible.

If you’ve really never used Zoom before, here is a handy cheatsheet of the controls, divided up based on your device.

Settings. I highly recommend making sure your setting are set to “mute” and “video off” upon entering a meeting. Actually, I believe our setup will force this. DO NOT PANIC if you can’t see or hear yourself, just use the cheatsheet link above to un-mute + show what you want (more on camera stuffs below).

Then tomorrow, bring your patience hat (bc 1st time usually = glitches), a favorite beverage, hole up in a cozy corner, and get ready to learn, laugh, commiserate, and fall in love with WordPress all over again!

Optional items.

Software.

Chrome
They are both browser-based and both state they work best on Chrome (I only use Chrome for dev testing, but hey, when in Rome…).

Apps
I have a Mac and use it to speak with potential clients so I have + use the Zoom app. You can see other options on their download page.

No app for Crowdcast.

Accounts.

Creating accounts are not required, but doing so will allow you to customize your profile and experience. (It’s free to create an account.)

Crowdcast
Your face won’t be live in this one – just an image in the registered and chat areas.

Crowdcast will pull in the gravatar image associated with the email you registered with (If you have not created a gravatar, go here).

The gravatar image is a bit grainy, which works fine in the chat, but not so much if you are a profile stalker like me. 😆 So I added one (it’s the same as my gravatar but higher res; I shouldn’t have to remind you but I’m a mom and a moderator who’s been instructed to allow banning for inappropriate conduct + content, so – make sure to keep it G/PG!)

Categories Events, News, WordCamps | 1 reply

WordCamp Madrid Cancelled

Posted by on March 17, 2020 with 2 replies

Due to the current situation that we are experiencing in our country and in the rest of the world due to the covid-19, the WordCamp Madrid Team, have decided to cancel the WordCamp until the situation returns to normal and we can make stable decisions.

We want to thank all the people who in some way or another were interested in being part of the WordCamp Madrid (attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers). The entire team of organizers feel quite sad about the situation and we are forced to stop, because it is necessary by and for our society, it makes us feel (despite the circumstances) with more desire if possible by the time we can get back on progress.

See you very soon and now we have to take good care of ourselves.

WordCamp Madrid 2020 Team.

Carla Saiz, Fernando Tellado, Eva García, Dani Serrano, Ana Cirujano, Gaby Zapata, Sonia Ruiz, Juanma Civico, Jose Ángel Vidania, Ángel Zinsel, Carlos Bravo, Carlos Díaz, Mónica G.Moya, Julio Loupias, Axel Loupias, Jaime Garmar.

Categories Cancellations, Events, General, News, WordCamps | 2 replies

WordCamp Plovdiv 2020 Cancelled

Posted by on March 16, 2020 with 1 reply

It is with heavy hearts that we are announcing the cancellation of WordCamp Plovdiv 2020 in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The decision to cancel the event was very tough. However, we believe that it was the best thing we could do in order to prevent the spreading of the virus to the best of our ability.

Even though WordCamp Plovdiv 2020 will not take place, we support the WordCamps that are moving forward.

Special THANKS to all sponsors, speakers, volunteers for supporting the community here.

All purchased tickets and all the sponsor packages will be refunded.

Stay safe and hopefully, we’ll meet soon ♡

WordCamp Plovdiv 2020 Organizing Team

Mila Kanazirska, Dimitar Dimitrov, Ivaylo Durmonski, Atanas Lambev, Stanimir Stoyanov, Nikolay Krastev, Vanina Ivanova

Categories Cancellations, Events, News, WordCamps | 1 reply

WordCamp Las Palmas de Gran Canaria cancellation

Posted by on with Comments are off for this post

We made the painful decision to cancel the WordCamp Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for health and security reasons for our attendants, speakers, volunteers, organizers and sponsors. COVID-19 has a growing presence in our country, and our goverment will set the alarm status for all the territory in a few days, or even sooner.

All tickets will be refunded, as well as the sponsorship refunds.

Thanks all of you for supporting us!

We want to thank all the people who have collaborated in some way in the organization.

See you next year!
Kind regards,

WordCamp Las Palmas de Gran Canaria organization team
Alicia Sánchez, Esther Pérez, Fran Jerez, José Ramón Padrón, Paloma Monzón

Categories Events, News | Comments are off for this post

WordCamp Calgary Postponed

Posted by on March 13, 2020 with Comments are off for this post

Hi Campers,

Unfortunately, due to concerns regarding COVID-19 and the Province of Alberta’s mandate to cancel event’s of 50 people or more with international visitors, the WordCamp Calgary organizing committee has made the difficult decision to postpone our WordCamp in May 2020.

We are currently looking at space availability at Fort Calgary for October 2020, in the hopes that by then the risk and concern around the virus has subsided. We will know in the coming weeks whether we’ll be able to move the event to October and will inform you all as soon as we know.

We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused and hope you’ll join us on our rescheduled date.

The team is still passionate about putting on the best WordCamp we can and invite you to sign up to our newsletter to receive updates on our progress. You can find our newsletter sign up here.

All the best,
Kevin Brennan
Lead Organizer WordCamp Calgary 2020

Categories Cancellations, Events, News, WordCamps | Comments are off for this post

WordCamp Houston Postponed

Posted by on with 1 reply

It is with the deepest regret that we have decided to postpone Houston WordCamp scheduled for May 9-10, 2020.

While we are very sad about this, we believe this to be the best decision to ensure the safety of our community. Over the coming days, we will issue refunds for all tickets. If you do not receive that within the coming weeks, please email support@wordcamp.org.

At this time, we are planning on postponing Wordcamp Houston to the fall of this year, and will share that information with you as soon as we have confirmed details.

For the latest information, please subscribe to our website at https://2020.houston.wordcamp.org, or continue to follow us at https://twitter.com/WordCampHouston or https://www.facebook.com/wordcamphouston/

We would like to thank our speakers, sponsors, volunteers, and attendees for supporting our community. 

Sincerely,
Christina Hawkins
Lead Coordinator
WordCamp Houston 2020

Categories Cancellations, Events, News, WordCamps | 1 reply

WordCamp Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 2020 Cancelled

Posted by on with Comments are off for this post

In view of the new statement issued by WordCamp Central about COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic, we regret to inform you that we’ve decided to cancel WordCamp Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 2020. It is not a situation we like to face, but the safety and health of our community is a priority for us. Our event was originally planned for March 20th to 21st in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.

We want to thank all the people who have collaborated in some way in the organization (attendees, speakers, volunteers and vendors) and we deeply regret that the work done is not going to be materialized. We’re also sorry for the inconvenience and disappointment this announcement brings to everyone affected.

By now, we are not moving the WordCamp Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to another date. Now it’s time to organize and reflect about the situation and help the society in the way we can.

All purchased tickets and all the sponsor contribution will be refunded.

WordCamp Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 2020 Team

Esther P. Verdú
José Ramón Padrón
Alicia Sánchez
Paloma Monzón
Fran Jerez

Categories Cancellations, Events, News, WordCamps | Comments are off for this post

WordCamp San Antonio Now a Fully Virtual Event

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The past two weeks have felt like a roller coaster, trying to deal with emerging news about the Covid-19 virus and deciding how to handle WordCamp San Antonio. Yesterday, the decision was made for us when UTSA (our venue) made the decision to cancel or postpone all events for the next few months (at a minimum.)

Thankfully, we were already planning on live streaming the event to those who preferred to not attend in-person. We will now move to fully live streaming. If you purchased a ticket, it will be refunded. Make sure you sign up for a virtual ticket if you have not done so.

KidsCamp and the Beginner Workshop are cancelled for now. We may try to hold KidsCamp later in the year and will look at options for a Beginner Workshop sometime in the future.

We are working hard to make this event as interactive as possible, so that it can be a rich experience for all involved. We appreciate our speakers and sponsors flexibility and kindness as we figure things out. We’ll be posting updates on our News page, so be sure to subscribe if you want to stay informed.

 

Categories Cancellations, WordCamps | Comments are off for this post