Rocio Valdivia 10:24 am on December 1, 2020  

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Devin Maeztri 11:26 am on September 6, 2024  

Final Reminder: Inactive Meetup Groups Will Be Closed in September 2024

Hello, WordPress Community!

The Community Team has been working over the past month to reactivate recently inactive WordPress Meetups. We shared a list of inactive groups flagged for removal from the WordPress Chapter MeetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. Program and requested a response by September 16 if your group wishes to remain active.

Inactive groups that do not express interest in reactivating will be removed from the WordPress Chapter Meetup Program. If your group was included on the list in error, please contact the Community Team at support@wordcamp.org.

Once a group is removed from the WordPress network, Meetup.com will guide Co-organizers, Assistant Organizers, Event Organizers, and Members on how to keep the group active independently (including managing the subscription fee). If your group is removed from the network and you wish to rejoin, please contact the Community Team.

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the WordPress Meetup Chapter Program! You are a valuable part of the WordPress community.

References:

  1. Reactivating Inactive Meetup Groups
  2. Update: Meetup Reactivation and Closures
  3. Important Call to Action: Help Us Reactivate Inactive Meetup Groups by Sept 16


#meetups, #meetup-reactivation

Julia Golomb 8:25 pm on September 5, 2024
Tags:   

Discontinuing Community Zoom Accounts for Meetups

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the WordPress Community Team began providing Zoom accounts to Meetup organizers to enable the continuation of events when in-person gatherings were not possible. This initiative played a crucial role in keeping the WordPress community connected during challenging times.

As we move forward, there has been a significant decrease in the demand for this service. So far in 2024, we’ve received an average of three requests per month for access to Community Team Zoom accounts. Given this reduced demand and the wide availability of free and accessible videoconferencing tools, we’ve decided to discontinue offering Zoom accounts to MeetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. organizers, effective immediately.

We encourage organizers to explore other options for hosting your online events. Platforms like Google Meet offer free video conferencing capabilities that could suit your needs. You might also consider finding a local sponsor who can provide access to a Zoom account or another paid platform if necessary.

We also invite Meetup organizers to volunteer as online workshop hosts and encourage your Meetup members to explore Learn WordPress Online Workshops.

If you have questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Community Team.

#meetup-organizers

Patricia BT 7:43 am on September 5, 2024
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Update about the GatherPress project

We were invited to give regular updates about GatherPress.

Here are the significant advancements made by GatherPress since our initial proposal. GatherPress continues to evolve, thanks to the active participation and feedback from community members. Here’s a detailed overview of our progress.

Call for Feedback and status of the Proposal

We are actively seeking feedback from current MeetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. organizers. Your insights are invaluable in helping us refine GatherPress to better meet the needs of the WordPress community.

There are several ways to help:

  • You can test GatherPress right now using this Playground demo in your browser or test it on your own site installing the pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party available in the plugin repository and provide your feedback in the comments below or in our main GatherPress GitHub repository.
  • If you are a Meetup organizer, you can start testing GatherPress by publishing your Meetup events in our Demo site joining the current WordPress Meetup groups that are already using this platform, helping us to test real cases. Read the home page here, fill the form to join the tests and provide your feedback on the same site or on our GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ repositories: For the plugin features on our main GatherPress repository, and for the Community integration, on the Gatherpress-WP-org-integration repository.
    We would like to know if it was easy or not for you to add a venue, an event, and your general feeling about the use of GatherPress. ideally we would like to have feedback from attendees as well, so feel free to share the form with your attendees.
  • If you are a member of the Community or MetaMeta Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. teams, please add feature requests and reply to questions for what is needed to create the integration between GatherPress and the WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ network (user accounts, user activity in profiles, email sending, group creation and management, etc) here on the Gatherpress-WP-org-integration GitHub repository.
  • You can spread the word about the tool, invite event organizers to join the tests, invite people to test the tool and send feedback, etc.

It’s only after GatherPress has proven its viability through your feedback that the Meta team can implement it on the .org network for the pilot program, as we proposed in January. Therefore, your input is crucial to ensure a successful integration. Please test and provide feedback before the end of September 2024.

Improvements

Since introducing GatherPress, we have focused on integrating features that enhance event management within WordPress. Our initial release has been well-received, and community feedback has been instrumental in guiding our development process. Based on user feedback, we have implemented several improvements:

  • We added OpenStreetMap to load the maps by default, Google Maps is still available as an option,
  • Customizable post type and taxonomyTaxonomy A taxonomy is a way to group things together. In WordPress, some common taxonomies are category, link, tag, or post format. https://codex.wordpress.org/Taxonomies#Default_Taxonomies. slugs with localized defaults,
  • Improvements to accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility),
  • Import and export events, venues and topics using WordPress’ native tools,
  • Now using WordPress Playground to:
    • Enable the “Live Preview” on .org/plugins
    • Instantly preview changes from a commented Playground-link on each PR
    • Automatically generate multilingual screenshots for .org/plugins
    • Run end-to-end tests
    • Curate and maintain a set of demo-data, that is re-used in all of those Playgrounds,
  • And more, all our released features can be seen in our main GitHub project.

GatherPress on the WordPress Plugin Repository

GatherPress is now available on the official WordPress Plugin Repository since the end of June. This makes it easier for users to discover, install, and update GatherPress directly from their WordPress dashboards. Additionally, you can test GatherPress using the Playground. We encourage you to try the plugin, and as always, your feedback is invaluable.

Translation Availability

GatherPress is now available for translation. We invite community members to contribute translations, making GatherPress accessible to a broader audience. Please share it with your Polyglots teams to organize translation sprints and to get it translated to as many languages as possible!

Thanks to all the polyglots around the world, who have already translated GatherPress into 8 languages!

WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. US Contributor DayContributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/ https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/.

GatherPress will have a dedicated table at the upcoming WordCamp US Contributor Day (September 17, 2024). This is a fantastic opportunity to meet Mike and Mervin, discuss the project, provide feedback, and contribute to the development of GatherPress. We encourage you to join us and get involved. You can even join us remotely via a video call during the Contributor Day if you do not attend the WordCamp.

Involvement can happen in many ways, for example:

  • Contribution with tasks we have identified as important for our next version.
  • Small backlog tasks to help get your feet wet with the project.
  • Testing and identifying issues in the plugin and documenting them in a ticket to be prioritized in a future release of the plugin.
  • Helping test our code by contributing to unit tests (JavaScriptJavaScript JavaScript or JS is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. WordPress makes extensive use of JS for a better user experience. While PHP is executed on the server, JS executes within a user’s browser. https://www.javascript.com/. or PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. http://php.net/manual/en/intro-whatis.php.) or end-to-end tests (playwright).
  • Work with the Meta team for the integration with the WordPress.org network.

Development Roadmap

Looking ahead, we have an exciting roadmap for GatherPress. Upcoming features include:

  • Recurring event management, 
  • BlockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. updates and improvements,
  • Email notification when event starts,
  • Event federation using ActivityPub,
  • New calendar block,
  • And more, all our planned features can be seen in our main GitHub project.

Furthermore, we are building addons to easily build integration with other plugins. 

We are also working to integrate GatherPress with the WordPress.org network, and are identifying the requirements with the Meta and Community teams before creating a full roadmap with dates for the integration and the start of the pilot program.

We are committed to continuous improvement and look forward to delivering these new capabilities.

Join the Team

We invite community members to join the GatherPress team. Whether you are a developer, designer, translator, community member or simply passionate about improving event management in WordPress, your contributions are welcome. Together, we can shape the future of GatherPress. You can join the GatherPress Slack or GitHub and participate in our weekly huddles on Fridays at 15:00 UTC (16:00 UTC from November to March). The upcoming huddles are always listed on the homepage of our website.

Get to know GatherPress and the Team

You can visit our blog and watch the interviews we gave, they are packed with information about GatherPress. To know more about who we are, you can have a look at the team page.

We are grateful for the community’s support and look forward to your continued involvement as we refine and expand GatherPress. Together, we are shaping the future of event management within the WordPress ecosystem.

For any queries or to provide direct feedback, please reach out to @mauteri or @patriciabt on WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/..

Thank you for your support!

The GatherPress Team

Written and reviewed by @patricia70, @mauteri, @carstenbach, @malgra from the GatherPress team, and reviewed by @_dorsvenabili, @nao, @peiraisotta.
Many thanks!

+make.wordpress.org/meta/

#meetups, #community-management, #community-events, #community-team, #learn, #meta, #meta-wordcamp

#meetups, #community-management, #community-events, #community-team, #learn, #meta, #meta-wordcamp

Junko Nukaga 6:40 am on September 4, 2024
Tags: ,   

Community Team Meeting Agenda for 5 – September -2024

The Community Team chat takes place the first Thursday of every month in the #community-team channel on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/.. 

This meeting is meant for all contributors on the team and everyone who is interested in taking part in some of the things our team does. Feel free to join us, even if you are not currently active in the team!

Asia-Pacific / EMEA friendly meeting: Thursday, [5 September] 2024 at 12:00 PM UTC
Americas friendly meeting: Thursday, [5 September] 2024 at 21:00 PM UTC

You will find a preliminary agenda for the meeting below. 

If you wish to add points to discuss, comment on this post or reach out to one of the team reps: @peiraisotta, @Shusei, @leo, or @nukaga. It does not need to be a blog post yet, the topic can be discussed during the meeting nevertheless. We use the same agenda for both meetings.

Call for meeting host and notetaker
If anyone is available to host this month’s or next month’s Community Team meetings and/or write the recap notes , please reach out to one of the team reps: @peiraisotta, @Shusei, @leo, or @nukaga.

Check-ins: Program and Event Supporters / Contributors

  • What have you been doing and how is it going? 
  • What did you accomplish after the last meeting? 
  • Are there any blockers? 
  • Can other team members help you in some way?

Highlights to Note

Here are a few things everyone should be aware of.

Open Posts

Check out these new and ongoing discussions needing review, feedback, thoughts and comments.

Announcements / Newsletters

Open Floor

This is your chance to discuss things that weren’t on the meeting agenda. 

We invite you to use this opportunity to share anything that you want with the team. If you currently have a topic you’d like to discuss, add it to the comments of this post and we will try to update the agenda accordingly.

Hope to see you on Thursday, either in the Asia-Pacific / EMEA (12:00 UTC) or Americas-friendly version (21:00 UTC) of the meeting!#agenda, #meeting-agenda, #team, #team-chat, #team-meeting

#community-team, #meeting

Julia Golomb 9:30 pm on August 27, 2024
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Meetup Organizer Newsletter: August 2024

Schedule Your State of the WordState of the Word This is the annual report given by Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress at WordCamp US. It looks at what we’ve done, what we’re doing, and the future of WordPress. https://wordpress.tv/tag/state-of-the-word/. Watch Party, WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. US 2024, and more!

Hello WordPress MeetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. Organizers,

As the season winds down, we’re gearing up for an exciting season of WordPress events. This month’s newsletter is packed with tips and resources to help you make the most of your MeetupsMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook., from scheduling a State of the Word watch party to harnessing the power of WordCamp US 2024. Let’s dive in!

Don’t Wait – Schedule Your State of the Word 2024 Watch Party Now!

Banner with red background and the words "State of the Word 2024."

State of the Word 2024 is happening on December 16 at 9:00 UTC, and it’s the perfect opportunity to bring your WordPress community together. This annual event is a cornerstone for the WordPress open sourceOpen Source Open Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. project, offering a look back at the year’s milestones and a preview of what’s to come.

Why not turn this event into a community gathering? We encourage you to host a watch party for your local Meetup group. Whether you stream the event live or watch the recording together afterward, it’s an ideal chance to connect, discuss, and celebrate WordPress with your local community.

To make your event a success, we prepared a detailed State of the Word watch party guide with tips on planning, promoting, and hosting your watch party. This resource includes everything you need to create an engaging and well-attended event.

Don’t miss this chance to gather your community for an inspiring event. Schedule your watch party today!

Update Meetup Notification Settings To Receive Important Updates

It’s crucial for Meetup organizers to stay informed with the latest updates from WordPress. To ensure you receive important notifications from WordPress, take a moment to update your meetup.com account settings:

  1. Click on your circular ‘Profile’ button in the upper right-hand corner of meetup.com.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Choose Email Updates.
  4. Make sure the ‘Updates from Meetup Pro Networks’ toggle is ON.

This screenshot shows the steps:

Screenshot of meetup.com Settings page (email updates section)

Set the Tone in the First 5 Minutes of Your Event

The first five minutes of your Meetup are crucial for setting a welcoming and engaging atmosphere. Priya Parker, in her essay “The Magic of a Good Opening,” highlights the importance of a strong start. Here’s how you can apply these principles to your Meetup:

  • Welcome with Intention: Start with a warm and genuine greeting that acknowledges both new and returning members, making everyone feel valued.
  • Establish a Shared Purpose: Clearly articulate the Meetup’s purpose, whether it’s networking, learning, or collaboration. This aligns expectations and fosters community.
  • Break the Ice: Use a simple icebreaker to help attendees relax and connect. A question related to WordPress or the event’s theme can spark conversation.
  • Set Expectations: Outline the event structure briefly to help manage energy and keep the event on track.

By thoughtfully crafting these opening moments, you create a space where participants feel connected and excited to contribute. For more inspiration, check out Parker’s short essay. 

Harness WordCamp US 2024 Sessions for Your Meetup Group

WordCamp US 2024 is just around the corner, from September 17 to 20! Explore the WordCamp US 2024 schedule to find sessions that could inspire your Meetup members. All talks will be live-streamed and recorded, so even those who can’t attend in person can gather to watch and discuss the sessions together.

Additionally, consider organizing a Showcase Day inspired by WordCamp US, where local developers and designers can present their most inspiring projects. It’s a fantastic way to celebrate community talent and inspire others.

Meetups of the Month

Photo of 30 smiling and waving people on a sandy beach with palm trees in the background.
Malaga, Spain WordPress Meetup
Photo of a person holding a microphone
Taoyuan, Taiwan WordPress Meetup
10 people standing in a row posing for a photograph
Rabat, Morocco WordPress Meetup

Meetup Organizers, We Want to Feature You!

We love highlighting Meetups from around the world in our newsletters. Want your Meetup to be featured? Share a picture with the Community team! Rename your picture as “Meetup-name_event-date” and upload it here in jpg or png format. Remember to ask permission from your group members before taking and sharing photos.

A special thank you to our Global Sponsors: Bluehost, GoDaddy, Automattic, WPBeginner, and Woo!

💡Need Support or Guidance From the WordPress Global Community TeamGlobal Community Team A group of community organizers and contributors who collaborate on local events about WordPress — monthly WordPress meetups and/or annual conferences called WordCamps.?

If you have any questions, Community Team deputiesProgram Supporter Community Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. are here to help. Please email us at support@wordcamp.org or join the #community-events Slack channel. Thanks for everything you do to grow and support the WordPress community — let’s keep sharing knowledge and inspiring each other with our contributions!

See you online soon!

The following people contributed to this edition of the Meetup newsletter: @bjmcsherry, @devinmaeztri, @harishanker, and @juliarosia.

#community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

Isotta Peira 4:12 pm on August 22, 2024  

Event Survey Update and Discussion

Hello there!

We are retiring CrowdSignal for post-event attendee surveys and transitioning to Jotform. We decided to move away from CrowdSignal primarily to address the need for a multilingual solution, ensuring that all attendees worldwide can choose the language in which they complete the survey. This shift allows us to overcome an inclusion barrier that has been a challenge until now. After testing various tools, Jotform seems to be the best to fulfill our needs—it’s user-friendly, allows easy addition of collaborators, facilitates sharing results while maintaining confidentiality, and includes built-in accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) checks. This move is a significant step towards more inclusive and effective feedback collection.

We will begin with the English Attendee survey for local WordCamps and Events and coordinate the implementation of translations between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025. This transition will also include the Organizer post-event Debrief survey and Sponsor surveys, if needed.

We encourage Flagship WordCamps to adopt this tool so that both organizers and the community team can collect and access responses efficiently.

We understand that Flagship events may have more complex requirements compared to smaller events. Let’s discuss whether it’s better to create separate surveys with standard and custom questions or if we can develop a unified survey for all Flagships.

For upcoming local event organizers:

  • Please invite your attendees to fill out the new WordPress Event Attendee Feedback. The organizer reminder you receive after the event has been updated to include this new link.
  • If you’re interested in volunteering to translate the survey into your language before we officially launch the translation initiative, please leave a comment so we can coordinate the next steps.

For Flagship organizers:

  • Would you be open to trying this tool for your next event?
  • What are your thoughts on standardizing the surveys across different Flagships to gather consistent feedback from attendees, sponsors, and organizers?
  • What challenges, if any, do you foresee?

With Jotform, we can grant access as collaborators to people on the organizing teams, allowing them to customize the survey as needed and receive submissions. You can read the newly published documentation page for more details.

Please comment and leave feedback by September 30, 2024.

Props to @unintended8 for reviewing this post.

Hari Shanker R 7:28 pm on August 16, 2024
Tags: ,   

X-post: WordPress Contributor Mentorship Program Cohort #3 (2024 Q4): Call for Mentees & Mentors

X-post from +make.wordpress.org/project: WordPress Contributor Mentorship Program Cohort #3 (2024 Q4): Call for Mentees & Mentors

Devin Maeztri 11:18 am on August 15, 2024
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Announcement: Sunsetting North American Camera Kit Rental Program

Historically, our Camera Kit program has been essential to recording videos for WordPress.tv at minimal cost. Eight camera kits have been allocated in North America and eight in Europe.

Usage Statistics

The community’s interest in camera kits reflects their usage over the years. We can identify how frequently these kits have been utilized by examining the request data. As our in-person events resumed in 2022, we analyzed the requests from 2022 to the present.

North America

From 2022 to 2024, the request data shows limited utilization of the camera kits:

  • 2022: 1 request
  • 2023: 2 requests
  • 2024: 0 request

This represents a low number of requests, indicating a limited interest from the community.

Europe

The European kits, despite being newer and refurbished in late 2022, also reflect a limited number of requests:

  • 2022: 1 request
  • 2023: 5 requests
  • 2024: 1 request

While there was a slight increase in interest in 2023, the overall number of requests remains low, also suggesting a limited interest from the community.

Financial Expenditures

Maintaining, replacing, and shipping camera kits involves considerable expenditure annually. Here’s an overview of the financial details for both regions.

North America

The details regarding the initial purchase, ongoing maintenance, and shipping costs for North American kits are difficult to obtain due to the age and outdated nature of the equipment. However, the following points are worth noting:

  • The current state of the North American kits indicates a need for refurbishment if we want to continue the program.
  • Shipping and maintenance records are sparse, making it challenging to quantify the exact financial outlay over the years.

Europe

For European camera kits, more detailed financial records are available:

  • Refurbishment Costs (2022): €11,866
  • Shipping Costs (Nov 2022 — Present): $1,690.87

These figures clarify the ongoing investment required to keep the European kits operational and available for community events.

Current Locations and Management

The camera kits are located and managed to facilitate easy access and deployment:

  • North America:
    • Five camera kits are in America.
    • One kit was transferred to Europe in 2022.
    • Two kits are currently unaccounted for.
  • Europe:
    • All eight camera kits remain within Europe.
    • The exact current locations and the tracking record are managed by our Program ManagerProgram Manager Program Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule., Timi Wahalahti (@sippis).
    • Additionally, there is one kit that was received from North America, although its exact status, and whether it is the same kit sent in 2022 are unclear.

Analysis and Consideration for the Future

Given the current state of usage and financial investment in these camera kits, it is essential to consider the efficiency and impact of the program:

  • Decreased Demand: The data from 2022 to 2024 highlights a notable decline in requests for camera kits. This trend suggests reduced needs or interests from the community, raising questions about the continued viability of maintaining these kits.
  • Financial Burden: The ongoing costs for maintenance, refurbishment, and shipping are substantial, especially when weighed against the limited usage observed recently.
  • Outdated Equipment: Particularly in North America, the kits are outdated and likely in need of replacement or significant upgrades to meet current standards and expectations.
  • Storage Resources: Especially in North America, we are facing challenges in finding storage that can be easily accessed by event organizers.

Conclusion

The camera kits in North America and Europe have historically played a vital role in the WordPress event ecosystem. However, the declining usage and significant financial outlays necessitate reevaluating the program. The lack of efficiency and diminishing impact indicate that it may be time to consider closing the camera kit program or exploring alternative solutions to meet the community’s needs in a more cost-effective and impactful manner.

Moving forward, we announce the end of the North American Camera Kit program, we will update the relevant documentation, and continue the EU Camera Kit program and involve more contributors to manage the program. 

Thank you, @_dorsvenabili and @naokomc, for contributing to this post.

#camera-kits, #community-team
Hari Shanker R 11:16 am on August 14, 2024
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Contributor Working Group/Mentorship Chat Agenda | August 15th 07:00 UTC (APAC/EMEA) and 16:00 UTC (AMER)

Hello friends! It is time to host the next Monthly chat of the WordPress Contributor Working Group. We’re meeting this August (tomorrow – August 15th) to continue our work on improving the contribution experience of WordPress and to continue our work on mentorship programs. For more information on the working group and its plans, check out our launch post and past chats.

Meeting times

We will hold these chats in multiple time zones to accommodate as many participants all over the world as possible. These chats will continue to be held on the Third Thursday of every month.

The chat will be held on the #community-team channel of the Make/WordPress Slack. Here’s the link to a handy `.ics` file containing calendar entries for our upcoming chat so you won’t miss it. These chats have also been added to the Make/Meetings calendar. Everyone interested in improving the contributor experience in WordPress and building future mentorship programs is welcome to attend!

Pinging some of our active working group members:

@adityakane, @aion11, @alexcu21, @alexdeborba, @askdesign, @casiepa, @chaion07, @coachbirgit, @colorful-tones, @courane01, @devmuhib, @estelaris, @foosantos, @gusa, @hellosatya, @javiercasares, @josepmoran, @juliarosia, @kafleg, @kirasong, @leonnugraha, @lighthouse79, @lumiblog, @matteoenna, @meher, @milana_cap, @mrinal013, @nao, @nhrrob, @nilovelez, @oglekler, @onealtr, @onemaggie, @patricia70, @pooja1210, @ratneshsonar, @rcreators, @realloc, @rogermedia, @sancastiza, @st810amaze, @sumitsingh, @tekNorah, @thehopemonger, @tobifjellner, @topher1kenobe, @unintended8, @voboghure, @webtechpooja, @yoga1103

Agenda

1. Welcome, introductions, and check-ins
How is everyone doing? New members joining the group can also introduce themselves.

2. Mentorship Program Updates
We’ll be discussing our formal call for mentees, and steps towards finalizing the next cohort.

3. Mentorship Program Cohort #3 (Q4 2024) Implementation Steps
With our cohort formally starting in less than two months, let’s start working on setting things up! Since this is a big topic, let’s use most of our time towards this.

4. Working Closely with the Sustainability Team
Social Sustainability is a big part of what the Sustainability team does, which aligns with our group’s work. In fact, many of our group members actively participate in the Sustainability team too. Let’s discuss further on how we can work closely with that team going forward.

5. Questions, thoughts, and open floor!
If we still have time after all that intense discussion, we’ll open up the floor to discuss mentorship broadly and our program!

Looking forward to seeing many of you in the chat!

#contributor-working-group #mentorship-program #wpcontributors #mentorship-chat #agenda

Rocio Valdivia 2:19 pm on August 7, 2024
Tags: budget, , new guideline, , wordpress events   

Proposed Change to Advertising/Marketing Expense Guidelines

Please share your feedback on a proposed update to our current WordPress Events/WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. budget guidelines:

The current event guidelines state that the inclusion of advertising expenses in an event budget is very rarely allowed:

“Some things that WordCamps very, very, *very* rarely include in their budgets:
Most WordCamps are highly successful without spending money on the items below. While sometimes exceptions are made for unusual circumstances, you should plan not to include the following expenses in your budget, unless an experienced deputyProgram Supporter Community Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. approves the expense […] Advertising“

Why Change the Guideline?
The Community Team’s goal for upcoming events is to warmly welcome more first-time attendees. We aim for over 50% of participants to be newcomers while celebrating returning attendees. To achieve this, event organizers should focus on attracting new participants through well-planned event design, messaging, and marketing strategies.

Proposed Change
We propose updating the guideline to allow a variable or fixed amount of money in the WordPress event budget to be used specifically for marketing and advertising. Here’s a proposal:

“A portion of the WordCamp budget may be allocated for marketing and advertising, subject to the approval of a Program Manager during your budget review and funded by the Global Sponsorship grant. To ensure mindful use of program funds, we suggest a minimum amount of $50 and a maximum amount of $400, based on factors like experience of the organizers, cost of living, size of the local community, etc. The budget should be used mindfully and efficiently to maximize the event’s reach and impact.”

Remember that the best marketing strategy is word of mouth. How can you and other organizers spread the word? Attend other events in the area, email your contact lists, post on your social media channels, and share details at your places of work. NETWORK!

How to use the advertising funds
Advertising funds should be used strategically to attract new attendees and raise awareness. Here are some suggestions in order of expected return on your effort and investment:

  1. Event Directories: List on online calendars and tech forums.
  2. Newsletter Listings: Feature in relevant newsletters and publications.
  3. Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers of the targeted audience to promote the event.
  4. Collaborations: Partner with local businesses for mutual promotion.
  5. Physical Marketing: Distribute posters, flyers, and banners in strategic locations.
  6. Social Media Ads*: Targeted campaigns on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.
  7. Traditional Media*: Use local TV, radio ads, and newspaper placements.

Notes
* The last two channels can be quite costly and should be considered when the prior five options have been explored because they can deplete a budget very quickly.

We recommend focusing on going to where potential WP users might be – such as existing associations/clubs/groups. For example, a small business association or a professional networking event for entrepreneurs.

Important reminder

  1. Trademark: Read carefully the WordPress and WordCamp trademark policies to avoid unauthorized use of them.
  2. Family-friendly content: Ensure marketing content is family-friendly and reviewed by your mentorEvent Supporter Event Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues..
  3. Code of ConductCode of Conduct “A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party.” - Wikipedia: Ensure all advertising respects the WordPress Community Code of Conduct, promoting inclusivity and respect.

Seeking Community Input
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this proposal. Please share:

  1. Would this change benefit the WordPress Events Program?
  2. Any suggestions for “how to” and “how not to” use the funds?
  3. Any suggestions to help ensure we use our annual budget as efficiently as possible?

Please join the discussion before August 19, 2024, and help us ensure that WordPress Events reach even more people!! I’ll close the comments of the post and share a summary of them after that date.

Thank you for your support and input!

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