9seeds

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Community Involvement

Articles and blog posts discussing Web Savvy Marketing's activity in the local and WordPress community.

Sponsoring WordCamp Riverside and WordCamp Dallas-Fort Worth 2018

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As I suspect most of you know by now, 9seeds has had a very active presence in the WordPress community since our founding 9 years ago. So much so that you are probably tired of hearing about all the WordCamps we’ve spoken at, sponsored and organized.  We really can’t even keep track anymore of the ones we’ve attended.

We’re sponsoring two upcoming WordCamps though that none of us have ever attended before. It’s always delightful to meet new folks and explore new corners of the WordPress community.  It is equally delightful to see how being open and welcoming is such a universal trait shared throughout the WordPress community.

Sponsoring WordCamp Riverside, California Nov 3-4th, 2018

First, I (Jon) will be at WordCamp Riverside, California which is literally my backyard (when I have one). It’s the 2nd year for WordCamp Riverside and it’s added to the plethora camps available in Southern California.  WordCamp Orange County, WordCamp Los Angeles, and WordCamp San Diego have been happening annually for 10 years give or take. We are delighted to sponsor WordCamp Riverside and support the Inland Empire WordPress Community as it takes root and continues to grow.

Sponsoring WordCamp Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas Nov 10-11, 2018

Second, I (Jon again) will be traveling to Austin, TX right after #WCRS to spend a few months in Austin enjoying the tacos and visiting a lot of good friends that have taken up residence there.  So I figured, hey Dallas is in Texas, and it looks right next to Austin on the map, so I could just hop on up there for the weekend. News flash, assuming cities in Texas are close to each other is as foolish as assuming the same in my home state of California. Still, we’re sponsoring WCDFW for the first time and I’ll be attending for the first time as well.

Attending WordCamps and making friends

You should come to WordCamp and say hi to us!

If you live nearby and not already going, buy tickets for WordCamp Riverside or tickets for WordCamp Dallas-Forth Worth right now and go before you miss out!

WordCamps are awesome, fun and affordable for everyone. Even seasoned WordCamp veterans like myself get something worthwhile out of every WordCamp.  Sometimes it is learning something new, but we’ve hired employees, seen others get hired or found clients.  Other times we just come away having made a new friend and it’s still totally worthwhile.

If you are coming to either of these camps, please be sure to say hi I’d loved to chat. Maybe you can get me to spill the beans on what we’re doing with the Genesis Framework and Gutenberg.  I’ll be the one with the beard 😉 and maybe wearing some 9seeds branded clothing.

9seeds Founder Jon Brown Sponsors WordCamp Phoenix

WordCamp Phoenix Grows Open Source Community

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Last month 9seeds Founder Jon Brown attended WordCamp Phoenix, witnessing the growing WordPress community in Arizona. Held at a co-working space named Galvanize, the open venue offered plenty of seating and was a natural space to gather as WordPress users.

WordCamp Phoenix was smaller than expected at under 200 attendees (another larger version is planned for February 2018), and only showcased a single panel of speakers. Initially this seemed odd, but it meant that each speaker benefited from a larger crowd and that each attendee had exposure to new topics. The successful format illustrates that bigger isn’t always better.

WordCamp Phoenix attendees included a wide mix, with sponsors and advanced users mingling with beginning and intermediate users.

A beginner workshop was held alongside the speaker track on Saturday morning speakers for several hours, in the large co-working room. After the workshop concluded, speaker presentations and panel discussions could be heard and seen virtually in the extended space. It was a different approach, but seemed to be welcomed.

Session topics included the REST API, Business, Poetry, Data and Analytics, Security and others. You can see the schedule here.

Held the weekend before Halloween, the WordCamp Phoenix After Party turned into a costume party. The After Party was combined with local AIGA members who finished up their own conference that same weekend. All in all, WordCamp Phoenix proved to be a great way to grow the open source community and we are happy to have been able to attend the event and make many more friends in Phoenix.

 

9seeds Improves WordPress as WordCamp Los Angeles Sponsors

Supporting WordPress Locally as WordCamp Los Angeles Sponsors

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We love watching the WordPress community grow as well as help facilitate that this year as WordCamp Los Angeles sponsors. Attending the camp this year, we were pleased to see record numbers of attendees in workshops, sessions and conversation. The WordPress community has developed quickly in the last decade. We are grateful to have watched and contributed to that growth.

Although our donation, as WordCamp Los Angeles Sponsors, builds community in California, it also benefits WordPress users globally. Were you aware that each WordCamp forwards excess, unused sponsorship funds to the next camp? That means that our sponsorship changes lives in Los Angeles and also benefits newer camps, such as WordCamp Ahmedabad in India. How amazing is that?!

9seeds is dedicated to supporting open source software and are grateful that WordPress makes it easy to do.

It is gratifying to watch a community grow. Through years of WordPress involvement we’ve witnessed many individuals start new, build knowledge, contribute and emerge as leaders in their local WordCamps. We’ve seen it happen all over the world.

This happens because WordCamps deliver to the needs of every skill level. This year WordCamp Los Angeles offered two half-day workshops, a pre-camp Beginner Day and an Advanced Development Track. An on-site networking after party concluding the first full day of the camp, which gave attendees a chance to further discuss topics on all levels and connect informally.

We Enjoy Being WordCamp Los Angeles Sponsors

2017 provided many opportunities for involvement in the open source community. In June, I personally helped organize WordCamp Orange County. Throughout the year I’ve attended and spoken at many WordCamps, as did many of our 9seeds team members. We actively participate in the communities where we live because we know that our involvement makes a difference.

We’ve learned from one another and seen how our contributions and the efforts of others have improved WordPress. We value each community member and every experience and hope you do, too.

 

 

 

Sponsoring WordCamps like Lehigh Valley.

Sponsoring WordCamps in Leigh Valley and Worldwide

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Sponsoring WordCamps is one of our favorite ways we give back to the greater WordPress community. With so many WordCamps happening ALL around the world, we can’t sponsor them all. We generally focus on sponsoring the ones where 9seeds has someone attending or speaking. However  there are times when someone reaches out and asks us to sponsor. In these cases, we gladly pitch in.

WordCamp Leigh Valley was an example of that. Ken Kramer whom has long helped out in the Web Savvy Marketing theme support forums, and now 9seeds theme support forums. He is one of the organizers for WordCamp Lehigh Valley. He reached out to ask if we would sponsor and I jumped at the opportunity!

“We started sponsoring WordCamps when they were all “small camps,” and those are still my favorites to sponsor. First, small camps tend to have the most trouble finding sponsors, but also I’m nostalgic and miss the intimate community feel one can get at a smaller camp. ” – Jon Brown, Founder, 9seeds

Review the schedule or click on a session title to review the information shared at this special WordCamp.

We weren’t able to attend the actual WordCamp Leigh Valley, but I’m hoping to stop by their local meetup group the next time I’m in Pennsylvania visiting friends in the area.