Participating in a WordCamp is a very stimulating experience that will definitely enriches you. In October there were two such events: WordCamp Verona and WordCamp Dublin, which have started at the same time and concluded in a similar way: the first one has concluded with a Spritz and running at the station and the second one has had an end with a typical Guinness in the Airport.
WordCamps are events dedicated to the WordPress, which are organized by local users communities. It is usually an event divided into two days, which includes seminars, workshops, the contributor day and, of course, the after party.
My first WordCamp was in Turin in April 2019 and the second one was in Zurich in September, in 2019 too. And it is precisely at that WordCamp that it all begins!
Where it all begins: WordCamp Zurich
It all started 2 days after returning from the WordCamp Zurich, charged by the day, in a short time, I have booked the Italo train ticket for Verona, a Ryanair ticket and a hotel for Dublin and two tickets for WordCamp.
The two WordCamps were on the 11th /12th and 19th /20th of October respectively, the two weeks before the Linux Day Milano, another event to which they are particularly fond of and at which I have been a speaker for 4 years.
WordCamp Verona
Wake up early, in a hurry to the Milan central railway station, ready to start WordCamp number 3! The program was very stimulating and it was my first time in Verona, I was very excited.
The WordCamp, started with the talk presentation of the organizer and the volunteers.
I always start with my list of actions to follow ready, I started with:
- Deborah Ugolini with Sposta l’elefante: non lasciarti fermare da uno svantaggio apparente
- Piero Tagliapietra with Retrospettive (o del fare progetti migliori)
- Nando Pappalardo with Sai qual é il limite più grande che abbiamo?
- Martina Corona with WordPress da un punto di vista commerciale
- Luca Magnani with Consigli pratici per migliorare la velocità di un sito WordPress
- Stefano Minoia with L’accessibilità delle icone web
Lunch break, a good excuse to have a chat and share some new experience.
And then the second set of talks.
- Simone Mignami with Accessibilità web, serve a tutti
- Matteo Brunati, Erika Marconato with WordPress e civic hacking: un salto nella tana del Bianconiglio
- Simone Maranzana with Hai veramente bisogno di un framework css?
- Nicola Stocco with Ma… è meglio Drupal o WordPress?
It all ends at the after party. I approach the counter, and say: “it’s my first time in Verona. What do you recommend?” I enjoy my spritz, I greet my new and old friends and I return to the station!
Among the various participants, I had the pleasure of meeting Erika and Matteo, two activists in the Civic Hacking and Nicola Stocco, who gave me different inspirations for my talk forNovember 23rd in Milan.
Thank you all!
WordCamp Dublin
After work, I went to Milan Central station, this time for the shuttle to Orio al Serio, Bergamo airport. Also this time it is was a journey to a new place, not only it was my first time in Dublin, but also the first time in Ireland. One of my favorite bands: O’Reillys And The Paddyhats could not be more, suitable for my ears and the occasion.
On the 19th of October, I have land not only in another state, but in another season. In Dublin it was already winter, the day before, my parents, who live in Sardinia, were by the sea.
After arriving at the hotel I had some rest, as the next day there is the WordCamp, as in Zurich, a WordCamp not in Italian.
As in Verona, also there the talks were very interesting, so, after the introduction I followed:
- Amanda Webb with Banishing the content gremlins with the S (Strategy) word
- Kayleigh Thorpe with Cleaning up a hacked WordPress site
- Maja Benke with How to start with accessibility
- Louise Towler with Building a packing application using the WooCommerce REST API
Lunch break, where I practiced my English with people from all over the Europe, and then the afternoon talks.
- Craig West with Mini-workshop: Decoupled WordPress
- Enrico Battocchi with How I wrote a popular plugin doing it all wrong
- Chris Brosnan with LaraWP: Combining WordPress and Laravel
- Martin Splitt with Bringing 2FA with the Web Authentication API to WordPress
End of the first day!
At the after party I decided to use the same phrase as in Verona, “it’s my first trip to Ireland, what do you recommend?”, Obviously it was a Guinness.
The second day starts, this time less talks and more action.
After the introductory talk, there were two hours of “contributor”, the period during which we practically working on WordPress, among the various tables I have chosen the “assistance” one, where the help tickets were consulted and support was given, which that what I was doing until the lunchtime.
In the afternoon I followed only:
- Vito Peleg con Lightning Talk: Scaling a WordPress business
- Camila Waz con Lightning Talk: Modernising your site with CSS
Unfortunately I could not stay all the evening, I and ran to the airport, back to Italy.
Dublin was wonderful as well, unfortunately the phrases I used most often were “can you speak slowly, please?” and “my english is horrible!”. Despite my language difficulties, I have survived and managed to follow the talks I have chosen.
Thank you all!
Next week is the Linux Day and in November the WordCamp Milan is waiting for us!
And now? WordCamp Milan
Now it’s my turn! This time, in my fifth WordCamp of 2019 I will also be a Speaker and I can’t wait for it!
I will talk about how WordPress can be a fantastic development tool as much as the Drupal, a CMS I am exploring in recent months.
We are waiting for you in Milan, I will wait for you too, who will be:
- With an air of curiosity from news such as the WordCamp Torino (my first WordCamp);
- With the desire to put my self to the test as in the WordCamp Zurich (my second WordCamp, but first one in English);
- With the awareness of the community and group acquired at the WordCamp Verona (my third WordCamp);
- With the stubbornness of defeating my fears and anxieties as I learned to do at WordCamp Dublin (my fourth WordCamp, the second one in English).