We’ve compiled all the feedback for WordCamp Toronto 2011 into a single document. You can view the published summary on Google Docs, or check out the embed below.
Thanks to everyone that took the time to fill in the feedback forms! Your comments will be useful for us and other WordCamp organizers around the world. Speaker feedback will be sent out this weekend (sorting through it all is a bit harder)!
To our attendees, our speakers, and our sponsors – thank you for making WordCamp Toronto 2011 such an amazing success!
We wouldn’t have been able to do this without your support and participation.
There were some bumps along the way, but rest assured, we’ve taken note! With your feedback – both positive and negative – we’ll make 2012 even better than 2011.
See you next year!
The WordCamp Toronto Organization Team
Feedback surveys for WordCamp 2011 are now available!
Speaker videos and presentations will be posted to the website over the next couple of weeks (hopefully). Videos will appear on WordPress.tv pending approval by the WordCamp TV team.
Email your photos to [email protected] and we’ll post them to the site! Alternatively, you can upload them to the web and reply to this post (yes, the post you’re reading right now) with links to your photo collection. We’ll take care of the rest!
Get involved with Toronto’s WordPress community by joining the Toronto WordPress meetup group! We meet once a month to discuss all things WordPress.
Hi there, WordCampers!
Our feedback surveys for WordCamp Toronto 2011 are now available:
(Update) Here are a few observations we’ve made so far:
You can access the WordCamp Toronto conference app on your phone via http://bit.ly/wcto11app!
Thanks to Top Quark for putting this together for us.
Rick Radko
Rick Radko is the founder of R-Cubed Design Forge, where he develops and designs custom web sites and applications using open source software. Rick began building web sites and applications in 1996, using HTML and Perl. Since then, he has worked with many PHP/MySQL systems including Mambo, Joomla! since its first release, MediaWiki, and WordPress since 2008. Rick specializes in custom application development and multilingual WordPress sites. He is co-leader of the newly formed Ottawa WordPress Group.
Simple, it’s really easy to use. My clients get web sites that they can manage and update mostly on their own, and as a developer I get a framework that is easy to modify or extend with add-ons and plugins.
Networking and connecting with other WordPress enthusiasts.
Top Quark is a professional WordPress development shop specializing in plugins for conferences, festivals and events. Their flagship product is The Conference App which builds a native-feeling web app outlining a conference’s schedule and speakers – all from right within WordPress. Top Quark is proud to have sponsored WordCamp Toronto by building and hosting the conference app for them. It can be downloaded at http://topquark.com/wordcamp/
Chip Bennett
Chip has been using WordPress since 2005, and has been a hobbyist web developer since the mid-90s. He has developed WordPress themes and plugins, and is a minor contributor to WordPress core. He is a member and administrator of the WordPress Theme Review Team that reviews/approves themes for inclusion in the WordPress Theme Repository. He can often be found in the WordPress.org support forums and at WordPress StackExchange. He is also a part-time freelance WordPress developer.
I love WordPress because of its speed, power, extensibility, and simplicity. I originally started using WordPress as a Blogger refugee in 2005, when I decided to find a self-hosted blogging solution. At the time, the blog was just a subdirectory of an otherwise static-HTML site. Now, WordPress manages all of the content for that same site. But most importantly, I love WordPress because of its community. From the support forum volunteers I encountered as a new user, to the core, Plugin, and Theme developer community with whom I became involved as I began to find ways to contribute to WordPress, quite simply: the community is WordPress’ single, greatest asset.
Dan Imbrogno
Dan is the lead developer at Blogging Squared, a small web design shop that specializing in helping businesses turbo charge their WordPress web sites. Over the last four years, Dan has gained experience in building powerful web applications using the WordPress plugin API. When not pouring over the Codex, Dan can be found slack lining in Trinity Bellwoods park. Follow Dan on Twitter at @danimbrogno.
When I started freelancing out of university clients would come to me and ask me to build them a website. I’d tell them all about WordPress and convince them to give it a go. Now, four years later, most clients I meet ask for WordPress by name.
It’s really not surprising, WordPress is the cleanest, most robust and easily extensible open source CMS out there. For me, it’s a no-brainer.
Linda Dessau
Linda Dessau is the author of Write Your Way to More Clients Online and the founder of ContentMasteryGuide.com. She has been writing for the web since 2003 and has attracted nearly 100% of her clientele through blogging, newsletters and social media. Linda created the “You Talk, I’ll Write” service in July 2005, and provides blog ghostwriting, editing, training and consultation. She is also the editor of the book Does This Blogsite Make My Wallet Look Fat? How to Use a WordPress Blogsite to Make Money, Attract Clients, and Gain Expert Celebrity Status by Sandra De Freitas, a Toronto-based WordPress expert, tech coach and consultant.
After editing Sandra De Freitas’ book, Does This Blogsite Make My Wallet Look Fat, I couldn’t wait to try my hand at building my own WP site. I’m the administrator of a non-profit website, so I revamped it and it’s been running on WP ever since. I love how customizable it is, and so quick and simple to update.
Kathryn Presner
Kathryn Presner of Zoonini Web Services takes a holistic approach to web design and development, building unique sites that work well, look great, and are easily found in search-engine results by the target market. She is passionate about helping people avoid common website pitfalls and enjoys speaking to entrepreneurs on the topic. A moderator in the WordPress support forums, Kathryn has given talks on WordPress at events including Girl Geek Dinners and WordCamps in Toronto and Montreal. Follow @zoonini on Twitter.
As a professional web designer, I value WordPress’s flexibility – in terms of both design and functionality. WordPress lets me custom-design my clients’ sites so they look unique and are consistent with their brand – and provide great functionality, thanks to a huge range of plug-ins and the ease with which you can tie in custom PHP code.
On the user side, even my less tech-savvy clients find WordPress intuitive and they all appreciate being able to update their own sites so simply.
