WordCamp US 2021 (#WCUS) is online this year (thanks COVID!) Attendees will certainly miss all the face-to-face interactions that have been the hallmark of past WordCamp events: the impromptu hallway hangouts, the contributor hackathons, and yes, the after-hours shenanigans.
But while we’re all doing our part to stay safe and healthy, you can still get your WordCamp game on by attending this year’s rendition, which it turns out is completely free! Woo-hoo! Or should I say, Wapuu-hoo?
You can claim your free tickets here.
Great, now that you have your tickets, tweet about it because nothing is more fun than an online event with your besties! Don’t tweet? No problem, email still works.
This is my point – please help spread the word. WordCamp is about community, and that means more than just you.
While you are at it, think about creating a pod. If you are a parent with school-aged children, then you’ve likely heard this term throughout the pandemic. Pods are small groups of like-minded people who are remaining safe with COVID-precautions but include a few, select people outside of your immediate family. In the case of school closures, these were families whose children did online learning together so that one parent could supervise, relieving the other parents of e-schooling and parental duties for a short period of time.
In the case of WCUS, a pod could be you and a few other WordPress buddies. Perhaps some folks from your local meetups, a coworker, or someone that you want to introduce to WordPress (a newbie – yay!)
Okay, so you have identified a couple of peeps that will also attend, now what? If you feel safe and can meet up compliantly in your community, go for it! Perhaps you can meet at one friend’s home, hanging out around the kitchen table, or around a large screen TV to broadcast the speaker sessions. Or, maybe you can plug in at a local cafe for a few hours. How about a co-working space with a conference room or a spot at one of your employers’ offices? Can you meet outside? Use your creativity to find a great space for your mini meetup.
Now the hard part: deciding on the snacks. Will each of you bring your own? Should one of you bring the coffee, bagels, and donuts; while another brings lunch? The choices that lie ahead of you may seem insurmountable, but you can do it. Yes, gummy bears are an acceptable snack for an online conference.
If there will be concurrent sessions during the event (still TBD at the time I write this post), then discuss ahead of time which one of you in your pod will attend each session, and then make sure you trade TL;DRs and other takeaways afterward.
We all need a little face time, these days more than ever, perhaps. WordCamp US 2021 is a perfect opportunity to gather a couple of WordPress fanatics, contributors, and end-users, and create a great experience attending the online event.
For bonus points, if you tweet me a photo of your pod in action during the event, I will send you some of my personal WordPress swag stash of cool Wapuu stickers and other items I’ve accumulated recently. I promise not to send you a used t-shirt.