WordCamp Montreal 2012

Shannon Smith

WordCamp Montreal starts tomorrow and we’re excited to bring you a new speaker spotlight series this year!

Our next spotlight is Shannon Smith!

Shannon is the founder of Café Noir Design, a boutique Montreal web design company specializing in multilingual web development. She builds beautiful, functional websites that her clients can update themselves and that are easy for search engines to find. She support things like making the web accessible for everyone, using open source software, helping organizations find greener more sustainable ways to operate through online technology and helping non-profits with online community organizing. Also foodie and mother of four.

Shannon will be giving two talks titled A Beginner’s Guide to WordPress and Responsive Design for WordPress.

What is your favorite improvement to WordPress this past year?

I don’t think there is one single improvement that I can point to. What I appreciate most is that there is more and more communication between the people using WordPress and the people building it. The community keeps growing, which is great. Part of that is just because WordPress is a great tool. But another part is that the way WordPress development is organized means that when something new is needed, whether it’s a simple bug fix, or a completely new feature, people are listening.

And I like that the people using WordPress and the people building it are often, the same people. Like many open source projects, there’s room for everyone to get involved in making WordPress better, but I find the WordPress community to be a lot more welcoming than other projects.

Why did you decide to speak at WordCamp Montreal?

WordCamps are a lot of fun, and I love attending. But I think it’s important to contribute to the open source community and to WordPress specifically. WordPress is a great tool and I’m happy to share what I’ve learned. Speaking is one way I do that.

What is your talk going to be about?

In “Responsive Design for WordPress”, I’ll be talking about making WordPress sites responsive, so that they work with many different devices from cell phones to tablets to laptops. I’ll be talking about screen size, of course, but also about what people are doing differently with each of those devices and how to design for that. I’ll look at some of the trickier design challenges, like responsive grids and typography. But I’ll also be showing examples of the code I use. And of course, I’ll be talking about how to do this with WordPress specifically.

What is the one thing you want people to walk away with from your talk?

The entire Web is about to become responsive. Very soon, it isn’t going to be an “extra” that designers can throw in as an additional service for their clients. It used to be that if you designed a site that was 960 pixels wide, you could be sure of providing a reasonable experience to a majority of your visitors. However, the entire Web is becoming more and more fragmented across a range of screens. They aren’t the same size anymore, they don’t show things the same way, but more importantly, they aren’t being used in the same context. Behaviour is changing as well. As designers and developers, we need to be prepared for this change.

Who in the WordPress community inspires you? Who do you follow?

Everyone inspires me! One of my favourite things about WordPress is discovering all the different ways that people are using it. From beginners to old-school programmers, everyone is contributing.

What new feature would you like to see in the future?

Truly multilingual sites. Right now it’s quite easy to localize WordPress sites, that is make them work in a language other than English. But they still only work in one language at a time. After that, you still need to rely on a plugin, or a multisite installation to operate a website in more than one language simultaneously. It’s time consuming and often buggy. Most people in the world speak multiple languages and WordPress should too.

Danielle Guérin

WordCamp Montreal is only two days away! We’re excited to bring you a new speaker spotlight series this year!

Our next spotlight is Danielle Guérin!

Danielle is a virtual assistant since 2002. She’s passionate about WordPress and web marketing and started her love affair with the web in 1999. Since then, Danielle has repaired and recovered a large number of WordPress sites that were hacked. Since then she has developed an expertise in WordPress security.

Danielle will be giving a talk titled Votre site WordPress est-il bien protégé?.

What is your favorite improvement to WordPress this past year?

I like the simple things in life. The “Drag and Drop uploader” and the new toolbar have simplified adding content for my clients and me.

Why did you decide to speak at WordCamp Montreal?

I’ve had the privilege to attend WordCamp Montreal and profit from the knowledge shared by the experts. I wanted to contribute as well by sharing this past year’s learning and the importance of protecting our WordPress installations.

What is your talk going to be about?

“Votre site WordPress est-il bien protégé?” is a presentation that came to me after reinstalling client websites that were hacked. It’s a terrible feeling to get on Internet and discover that the site has vanished and I don’t wish this to anybody. There are some simple precautions to take, some code to modify and plugins that can protect your site and/or at least make it easier to get back online.

What is the one thing you want people to walk away with from your talk?

I want the attendees to remember that it is important to protect their site and that there are some basic precautions to take. They will leave my presentation with tips and tricks to better protect their site and their clients’.

Who in the WordPress community inspires you? Who do you follow?

Since I started using WordPress, I follow thewpchick.com and Diane Bourque. … and many more on Twitter.

What new feature would you like to see in the future?

I honestly don’t know. Each time I needed a new function, I searched for the plugin that would make it possible. However, with each major WordPress update, there was always a surprise for me. 🙂

Rick Radko

WordCamp Montreal is only two days away! We’re excited to bring you a new speaker spotlight series this year!

Our next spotlight is Rick Radko!

Rick Radko is a creative, artistic, and entrepreneurial engineer with a passion for finding solutions to difficult design problems. He is the owner of R-Cubed Design Forge, where he develops custom web applications, social networking and team collaboration solutions for businesses. Rick specializes in custom application development and multilingual WordPress sites. He is co-leader, and a frequent presenter at the Ottawa WordPress Group.

Follow @r3designforge on Twitter.

Rick will be giving a talk titled Getting WordPress to Speak Your Language.

What is your favorite improvement to WordPress this past year?

I think the new media up-loader is great, it makes it much easier to add images. The improvements in the context sensitive help tab are good too, I wish more developers would use it.

Why did you decide to speak at WordCamp Montreal?

Having worked extensively with WordPress for the past 4 years, I want to give back to the community and share my knowledge with others.

What is your talk going to be about?

The objective of this talk is to provide users of all levels the concepts and resources needed to be able to set-up a WordPress site in one or more languages other than the default English.

What is the one thing you want people to walk away with from your talk?

I’d like people to know that you can create multilingual sites with WordPress, and it’s not at all hard to do for simple sites.

Who in the WordPress community inspires you? Who do you follow?

I tend to follow the core developers like @nacin and @otto42. I also pay attention to the Rennick’s (@sillygrampy, @andrea_r) and @photomatt.

What new feature would you like to see in the future?

I’m looking forward to the new media that may be in 3.5, and hoping it will be as great a change as the up-loader which has really helped users. As a developer, I’d like to see some behind the scenes action with more hooks and filter points to make it easier to connect in plugins.

Mark John Hiemstra

WordCamp Montreal is only two days away! We’re excited to bring you a new speaker spotlight series this year!

Our next spotlight is Mark John Hiemstra!

Mark is a Staff Writer and Editor at Acquisio. He has been writing for the Web for more than 7 years, and has found WordPress to be his preferred platform for publishing content for as long as he has known of its existence. He has been active in SEO, SEM, and in many areas of marketing via the Internet, and is excited that the content we consume, along those who create it, are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

Mark will be giving a talk titled Stop Writing for SEO And Start Writing for Your Audience.

What is your favorite improvement to WordPress this past year?

How easy is it to upload an image to a WordPress site now? Not that it was ever exactly rocket surgery, but the simplicity of this makes it so that even the most inexperienced user can significantly improve the way they present their site with a great deal of ease.

Why did you decide to speak at WordCamp Montreal?

I’m really passionate about the way that we communicate with each other on what the kids are calling “the interwebs.” It can be frustrating to find information from the first page of search results that actually gives you want you want to find out about, and I really wanted to be able to talk to people about the necessity of the readability and usability of their content. I think it’s important now, more than ever.

What is your talk going to be about?

Well, it’s going to be about that – about creating relevant content. When I first started writing for the web, I did so by inserting keywords every 60 words or so that were ridiculously laid out, and that I had to wrangle, somehow, into my text, to ensure that search engines thought the text was relevant. Now, with search engines leaning more towards semantics, with relevance being the name of the game, and with so many more options to have your content reach people than just being on the first page of Google, I want to share with people the importance of relevant content.

What is the one thing you want people to walk away with from your talk?

That they need to be passionate about content. I don’t care if you write about what could potentially be the most bland topic imaginable. The job is still to get people excited. Speak to your audience. Let them know that you’re excited. They’ll get excited too. And they’ll share what you’ve written with others.

Who in the WordPress community inspires you? Who do you follow?

As a writer and part-time borderline agoraphobe (not really, but you get the point), I’ve not really had the opportunity to meet too many people from the community. However, recently I’ve gotten to know someone who I’ve been following for quite a while called CT Moore (@gypsybandito). He’s kicking ass and taking names these days, and it’s cool to see how his work ethic is helping him progress.

What new feature would you like to see in the future?

Man, I don’t know. I’m already fond of saying how cool it is to be living in the future, and with each passing year, WP gets better and better. At this point I’m quite satisfied, and am willing to be blown away with the next big improvements that I never saw coming.

Brian Rotsztein

WordCamp Montreal is only a few days away! We’re excited to bring you a new speaker spotlight series this year!

Our next spotlight is Brian Rotsztein!

With 15 years of Internet marketing experience, Brian Rotsztein brings a seasoned approach to working with clients. As the head of multiple web design/Internet marketing companies and brands (RedstoneX.com, Uniseo.com, MailPrince.com,…), he helps businesses gain a competitive advantage. He holds two Master’s degrees, has taught university courses, and provides training services for topics such as SEO and social media. He’s been a WordPress fan since he started using version 1.6 (in 2005!).

Brian will be giving a talk titled Enhanced Social Media Marketing with WordPress.

What is your favorite improvement to WordPress this past year?

The live preview feature has made it easier to show our clients what we’ve been working on.

Why did you decide to speak at WordCamp Montreal?

WordPress is one of the top software products that we provide to clients. This is an opportunity to give back to the community that supports it and helps it thrive. Also, I’m proud to be one of the few experienced SEO, social media and Internet marketing professionals who give WordPress-related talks. I spoke at the past two WordCamp Montreal events and got great feedback and I hope to top those talks!

What is your talk going to be about?

Last year, I gave a solid foundation for SEO and social media marketing with WordPress. This is a continuation and update of that talk with a emphasis on social media platforms. I’ll be focusing on different ways you can integrate various platforms into your marketing efforts using WordPress in ways you haven’t heard of before.

What is the one thing you want people to walk away with from your talk?

I’d like people to understand that social media platforms don’t exist simply to make companies money. Consumers shouldn’t be bombarded with things they don’t care about. I will present ideas and plugins and it’s up to the WordPress user to decide what’s best for their audience.

Who in the WordPress community inspires you? Who do you follow?

I’m impressed by the team that puts together WordCamp Montreal. I’ve contributed my two cents at planning meetings but I’m not one of the main organizers. Carl, Shannon, Jeremy, and Brendan work hard to make the event happen and I think they deserve props for it.

What new feature would you like to see in the future?

I’d like to have better marketing tools and an improved wysiwyg editor.

Mo Jangda

WordCamp Montreal is only a few days away! We’re excited to bring you a new speaker spotlight series this year!

Our next spotlight is Mo Jangda!

Mo wrangles code and VIPs at WordPress.com / Automattic. Mo enjoys ice cream and other sugary things.

Mo will be giving a talk titled Debugging for WordPress Developers.

What is your favorite improvement to WordPress this past year?

The Theme Customizer; it’s magical!

Why did you decide to speak at WordCamp Montreal?

I know stuff about WordPress that other people should know. And Montreal-ites (?) are cool people!

What is your talk going to be about?

All things debugging! Tools, processes, ideas that you can use when you’re stuck dealing with bugs.

What is the one thing you want people to walk away with from your talk?

That debugging is one of the easiest and most difficult things for WordPress developers.

Who in the WordPress community inspires you? Who do you follow?

Any and all core contributors.

What new feature would you like to see in the future?

Better URL routing APIs

Kirk Wight

WordCamp Montreal is only a week away! We’re excited to bring you a new speaker spotlight series this year!

Our next spotlight is Kirk Wight!

Kirk builds WordPress websites for fun and a living in Montreal, Quebec. He is a former IT Manager, and also volunteers for the WordPress Theme Review Team.

Follow @kwightca on Twitter.

Kirk will be giving a talk titled Getting Started With Theme Development.

What is your favorite improvement to WordPress this past year?

I haven’t played with them much yet, but I would have to say the header images and theme customization improvements of 3.4. But I’m biased 🙂

Why did you decide to speak at WordCamp Montreal?

I wanted to help people get off on the right foot when beginning theme development.There’s a lot involved, so hopefully some tips in the right direction can maximize a new dev’s fun heading in to the learning curve. And as they say, the best way to learn is to teach others.

What is your talk going to be about?

Getting Started in Theme Development will take us through the tools, skills and process for building solid themes based on WordPress best practices. Hopefully I can convince a few people to not make some mistakes I’ve made myself 🙂

What is the one thing you want people to walk away with from your talk?

I’d like people to see how exciting developing good themes can be. It’s seriously cool stuff.

Who in the WordPress community inspires you? Who do you follow?

Ian Stewart (@iandstewart) has been super supportive and very helpful to me, for which I’ll always be grateful; I started out working with his Thematic framework. I also follow some Core devs (eg. @otto42, @nacin, @markjaquith), various Automatticians (eg. @jkudish, @viper007bond, @kovshenin, @mattwiebe), other theme reviewers (eg. @chipbennett, @emiluzelac, @sabreuse) and Matt‘s never-ending mealstream.

What new feature would you like to see in the future?

There’s got to be a better way of handling multilingual sites. I’m fairly certain that doing it well would involve big changes to Core, rather than just another gargantuan plugin, so I’m not holding my breath. Oh, and better portability. I know databases are involved but jeez, moving a site or restoring backups just shouldn’t be this painful.