I thought it would be nice to share my views on WordCamp UK down in Portsmouth this past weekend. I’ll try not to go over the top in detail, but if anyone would like some real specifics do please leave a comment and I’ll do my best to accomodate. I attended the “unconference” with my friend and colleague, Tom Barrett.
I’ve broken it down into each session I attended…
Legacy to Latest
This session was hosted by Kieran O’Shea and focused on upgrading from legacy versions of WordPress. Whilst I haven’t had real first hand experience with legacy versions of WordPress I could see how it would be a problem for a small chunk of users and the solutions offered up by Kieran seemed logical. The over-reliance on custom tables that legacy setups tend to suffer from was explained well. The point below (obvious yet often overlooked) was a key quote I took from this session.
“Plugins can both break an upgrade or be broken by an upgrade”
WordPress for Mobile
This session was full of little gems from Rachel McCollin. Considering the context of your website was a key point raised; do you need a mobile version? How will people use it? The idea that responsive website design can help bridge the gap between desktop and mobile was also prevalent as well as the different approaches you could take when making a WordPress site mobile ready.
“Mobile first, then desktop? A reversed approach to mobile design.”
How to make money out of a marketing agency
Although this talk was business related and less WordPress specific, I must say it was one of the top talks. Not only did Normal Wilson have a wealth of experience and knowledge, he also delivered his talk in a very polished manner. Some top notch business advice was on offer during this session.
“The balance is between having satisfied customers vs profits… Find a business mentor (even outside of your industry [sic]“
Theme Marketplace – Theme Force
Following on from the above sessions, Noel Tock delivered a fantastic insight into his own major project Theme Force. It was great to see such an honest assessment of his current project – what went well and what could have been done better. I particularly enjoyed the case study feel of this session. I’d like to wish Noel Tock and his team all the best with the Theme Force project.
“Give clients simple propositions”
10 steps to the top of Google
I took a bit of a gamble attending this SEO session hosted by Mark Adams, but I’m really glad I did. It was packed with so much useful information I couldn’t possibly do it justice within this post. Needless to say I’ve picked up a lot of useful tips and I’m excited to apply them to my web projects.
“Don’t underestimate the power and importance of talking”
Our biggest mistakes
The final session which I attended over the weekend was hosted by David Coveney. He bravely highlighted mistakes he’s made such as, looking at other people/other websites too much, avoiding the community and believing he was technically superior to others. Rounded off with a fun little demonstration which used skittles (yes the sweets – you had to be there!), it was an enjoyable talk.
“You need to understand the handout culture of business”
Where you there? Have I missed something? Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below.