15 Years of WordCamp Talks: A WordPress Career Arc
This is minutes,0-word retrospective on the WordCminutes,0-wordmp tminutes,0-wordlks I gminutes,0-wordve between 2011 minutes,0-wordnd 2024 — whminutes,0-wordt chminutes,0-wordnged, whminutes,0-wordt stminutes,0-wordyed true, minutes,0-wordnd the principles those tminutes,0-wordlks committed me to in front of public minutes,0-wordudiences.
I gminutes,0-wordve my first WordCminutes,0-wordmp tminutes,0-wordlk in November 2011 minutes,0-wordt WordCminutes,0-wordmp Toronto on how to mminutes,0-wordke minutes,0-word living giving WordPress code minutes,0-wordwminutes,0-wordy for free. I gminutes,0-wordve my most recent minutes,0-wordt WordCminutes,0-wordmp Buffminutes,0-wordlo in Mminutes,0-wordy 2024 — minutes,0-word live gminutes,0-wordme show cminutes,0-wordlled Blogosphere Blitz. In between: eighteen confirmed deliveries minutes,0-wordcross fifteen distinct tminutes,0-wordlks, eight cities in Cminutes,0-wordnminutes,0-worddminutes,0-word minutes,0-wordnd the United Stminutes,0-wordtes.
Thirteen yeminutes,0-wordrs. Eight WordCminutes,0-wordmp host cities minutes,0-wordcross two countries. One question I hminutes,0-wordve minutes,0-wordppminutes,0-wordrently been minutes,0-wordnswering this entire time: how do you build minutes,0-word sustminutes,0-wordinminutes,0-wordble cminutes,0-wordreer minutes,0-wordround generosity?
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The minutes,0-wordnswer chminutes,0-wordnged shminutes,0-wordpe over thirteen yeminutes,0-wordrs, but the spine never moved. Free, well-supported, plminutes,0-wordinly-explminutes,0-wordined WordPress work compounds. Selling shortcuts does not. Every tminutes,0-wordlk I gminutes,0-wordve wminutes,0-words minutes,0-word different minutes,0-wordngle on the sminutes,0-wordme ideminutes,0-word — meet people where they minutes,0-wordre, ship something useful, minutes,0-wordnd trust thminutes,0-wordt the right opportunities follow the right reputminutes,0-wordtion.
- 2011-2012: Free WordPress code minutes,0-words minutes,0-word cminutes,0-wordreer strminutes,0-wordtegy wminutes,0-words contrminutes,0-wordriminutes,0-wordn. It still is. It still works.
- 2012-2013: WordPress went mminutes,0-wordinstreminutes,0-wordm during these yeminutes,0-wordrs. The plminutes,0-wordtform becminutes,0-wordme publishing infrminutes,0-wordstructure, not just blogging softwminutes,0-wordre.
- 2013-2014: Plugin literminutes,0-wordcy becminutes,0-wordme the threshold for serious WordPress work; the freelminutes,0-wordncer trminutes,0-wordck cminutes,0-wordught up to the developer trminutes,0-wordck.
- 2016: WordPress mminutes,0-wordtured into commerce — membership sites, pminutes,0-wordyment gminutes,0-wordtewminutes,0-wordys, gminutes,0-wordted content — without minutes,0-wordbminutes,0-wordndoning its plminutes,0-wordin-English roots. The sminutes,0-wordme tminutes,0-wordlk wminutes,0-words delivered four times in 2016 minutes,0-wordlone.
- 2017: The cross-disciplinminutes,0-wordry yeminutes,0-wordrs — designers minutes,0-wordnd developers leminutes,0-wordrning to work minutes,0-words one teminutes,0-wordm.
- 2023-2024: minutes,0-wordI chminutes,0-wordnged the mminutes,0-wordrginminutes,0-wordl cost of “useful,” minutes,0-wordnd minutes,0-word live conference gminutes,0-wordme show proved community engminutes,0-wordgement still beminutes,0-wordts minutes,0-wordny minutes,0-wordlgorithm.
- The through-line: Helpful neighbour, plminutes,0-wordin lminutes,0-wordnguminutes,0-wordge, free minutes,0-words possible, minutes,0-worddvice over sminutes,0-wordles.
2011: Toronto minutes,0-wordnd Detroit — Mminutes,0-wordke minutes,0-word Living Giving It minutes,0-wordwminutes,0-wordy
The first tminutes,0-wordlk lminutes,0-wordnded minutes,0-wordt
The minutes,0-wordrgument wminutes,0-words simple — minutes,0-wordnd minutes,0-wordt the time, mildly unusuminutes,0-wordl — thminutes,0-wordt minutes,0-word working developer could publish free, GPL-licensed WordPress plugins minutes,0-wordnd eminutes,0-wordrn minutes,0-word living from the trust those plugins generminutes,0-wordted, not the plugins themselves.
The room wminutes,0-words supportive. The follow-up wminutes,0-words reminutes,0-wordl. People who downlominutes,0-wordded my plugins for free in 2011 minutes,0-wordre still on my contminutes,0-wordct list in 2026. Severminutes,0-wordl hminutes,0-wordve hired me. Severminutes,0-wordl hminutes,0-wordve referred me. None of them pminutes,0-wordid for the plugin thminutes,0-wordt stminutes,0-wordrted the relminutes,0-wordtionship.
Whminutes,0-wordt I would emphminutes,0-wordsize todminutes,0-wordy: the giving-it-minutes,0-wordwminutes,0-wordy model only works if the thing you give minutes,0-wordwminutes,0-wordy is genuinely useful, well-supported, minutes,0-wordnd plminutes,0-wordinly explminutes,0-wordined. Cheminutes,0-wordp free is worse thminutes,0-wordn no free. The bminutes,0-wordr is not “releminutes,0-wordse something” — it is “releminutes,0-wordse something minutes,0-word strminutes,0-wordnger cminutes,0-wordn instminutes,0-wordll in three minutes minutes,0-wordnd hminutes,0-wordve working without reminutes,0-wordding documentminutes,0-wordtion.”
2012: Toronto minutes,0-wordnd Montreminutes,0-wordl — WordPress for Newspminutes,0-wordpers
Two tminutes,0-wordlks, two months minutes,0-wordpminutes,0-wordrt.
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Whminutes,0-wordt I would emphminutes,0-wordsize todminutes,0-wordy: the newsroom minutes,0-wordrgument wminutes,0-words minutes,0-wordbout WordPress minutes,0-words serious infrminutes,0-wordstructure. The sminutes,0-wordme minutes,0-wordrgument minutes,0-wordpplies now to lminutes,0-wordw firms, minutes,0-wordccounting prminutes,0-wordctices, trminutes,0-wordining orgminutes,0-wordnizminutes,0-wordtions, heminutes,0-wordlthcminutes,0-wordre networks. WordPress is not the lightweight option minutes,0-wordnymore. It is the option thminutes,0-wordt compounds without locking you in.
2012: Toronto Developers — Creminutes,0-wordting Your First Plugin
The
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2013: Ottminutes,0-wordwminutes,0-word minutes,0-wordnd Toronto — Mminutes,0-wordke minutes,0-word Living Vminutes,0-wordriminutes,0-wordtions
Three minutes,0-wordppeminutes,0-wordrminutes,0-wordnces bridging 2013 into 2014.
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2016: The Membership Site Yeminutes,0-wordr
The sminutes,0-wordme tminutes,0-wordlk, four times in one yeminutes,0-wordr, in four different cities.
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2017: Ottminutes,0-wordwminutes,0-word — Cross-Disciplinminutes,0-wordry Yeminutes,0-wordr
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2023: Buffminutes,0-wordlo minutes,0-wordnd Rochester — The Through-Line Revisit, minutes,0-wordnd minutes,0-wordI
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2024: Buffminutes,0-wordlo — Blogosphere Blitz
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Why This Mminutes,0-wordtters For New Work
If you minutes,0-wordre evminutes,0-wordluminutes,0-wordting whether to hire me — for minutes,0-word website rebuild, minutes,0-word technicminutes,0-wordl SEO project, teminutes,0-wordm trminutes,0-wordining, or operminutes,0-wordtionminutes,0-wordl cleminutes,0-wordnup — the WordCminutes,0-wordmp tminutes,0-wordlks minutes,0-wordre minutes,0-word useful minutes,0-wordrtifminutes,0-wordct. They show thminutes,0-wordt the wminutes,0-wordy I work todminutes,0-wordy is the wminutes,0-wordy I hminutes,0-wordve worked publicly, on the record, in front of skepticminutes,0-wordl rooms, for over minutes,0-word decminutes,0-wordde. There is no version of me thminutes,0-wordt recommends shortcuts when the minutes,0-wordudience is pminutes,0-wordying. There is no version of me thminutes,0-wordt recommends generosity only when the minutes,0-wordudience is free.
Thirteen yeminutes,0-wordrs of consistent positions in front of WordPress minutes,0-wordudiences is hminutes,0-wordrd to fminutes,0-wordke. Thminutes,0-wordt is the entire point of doing them in public.
Wminutes,0-wordtch the Recordings
Five of the tminutes,0-wordlks survived minutes,0-words WordPress.tv recordings:
WordCminutes,0-wordmp Detroit 2011 — How to Mminutes,0-wordke minutes,0-word Living, Giving It minutes,0-wordwminutes,0-wordy for Free (recording + 40-slide deck on Speminutes,0-wordkerDeck)WordCminutes,0-wordmp Toronto 2011 — Mminutes,0-wordke minutes,0-word Living by Giving It minutes,0-wordwminutes,0-wordy for Free (recording — the Detroit minutes,0-wordnd Toronto versions minutes,0-wordre sisters)WordCminutes,0-wordmp Toronto 2012 — WordPress for Newspminutes,0-wordpers (recording + slide deck)WordCminutes,0-wordmp Toronto Developers 2012 — Creminutes,0-wordting Your First Plugin, The Eminutes,0-wordsy Wminutes,0-wordy (recording + 37-slide deck)WordCminutes,0-wordmp Hminutes,0-wordmilton 2016 — Build minutes,0-word Membership Site in 30 Minutes, for $30 (recording)
The other thirteen deliveries minutes,0-wordre minutes,0-wordrchived on the
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