Category: News

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Attending WordCamp San Antonio 2020?

Due to a certain pandemic, some things for WordCamp San Antonio 2020 will be different (and some will be the same) this year. The biggest change is that we have the pleasure [and challenge] to be the FIRST 100% virtual WordCamp! Not only that – we’re doing it LIVE and for FREE.

And let me tell you, pivoting from in-person to virtual in just 2.5 weeks is nothing short of a miracle. (BIG shout out to all my fellow organizers, volunteers, WordCamp Central, and our sponsors. You all rock!)

Requisite tl;dr

  • Register for WordCamp San Antonio already!
  • All the action happens on the WordCamp San Antonio website.
  • Test Links
  • Install Zoom package
  • Get Comfortable
  • Be Patient (it’s our first time!)
  • Follow the Code of Conduct
  • Optional – Use Chrome, Create Crowdcast + Zoom accounts

How are we going do it?

All sessions will be streamed on the WordCamp San Antonio website and links to all the extras will be here, too, arranged into Tracks that you can easily move between. We will have Hallways where you can go chat with your fellow Campers, just like a live event and Sponsors will have Tables where you can talk to their reps and learn more about their offerings. Some of them are also holding contests, Happiness Bar sessions (help with your WordPress questions), and other goodies. Be sure to check them out!

We’ll be using Crowdcast.io and Zoom.us to deliver the virtual video goodness. Each WordCamp Track will have its own page with the Crowdcast stream and Hallway (Zoom) links, along with links to our Campmaster and Glamper Sponsors’ Tables which will also be Zoom meetings. We promise it will be easy to navigate!

And YES! The sessions will be recorded and available for playback later on the WordCamp San Antonio website and WordPress.TV. We do not have a date for those to be ready, but will get them up as soon as possible.

Do I need to do anything special?

Not really. The biggest prep I’d do is to test all the links we’re sending you today (we’ll send it out as soon as the web pages are ready) and tomorrow (as a reminder) and make sure you can use Zoom.

Now Zoom likes to install a package, so make sure to do that the night before so you don’t walk into the hallway sessions late. (If you’ve never used Zoom before, the Zoom Client for Meetings download will pop up, requesting an install. It’s legit. You can do it the day before and /or choose from their other options here.)

PROTIP: phones are not your friend for something this long; use a computer or tablet when possible.

If you’ve really never used Zoom before, here is a handy cheatsheet of the controls, divided up based on your device.

Settings. I highly recommend making sure your setting are set to “mute” and “video off” upon entering a meeting. Actually, I believe our setup will force this. DO NOT PANIC if you can’t see or hear yourself, just use the cheatsheet link above to un-mute + show what you want (more on camera stuffs below).

Then tomorrow, bring your patience hat (bc 1st time usually = glitches), a favorite beverage, hole up in a cozy corner, and get ready to learn, laugh, commiserate, and fall in love with WordPress all over again!

Optional items.

Software.

Chrome
They are both browser-based and both state they work best on Chrome (I only use Chrome for dev testing, but hey, when in Rome…).

Apps
I have a Mac and use it to speak with potential clients so I have + use the Zoom app. You can see other options on their download page.

No app for Crowdcast.

Accounts.

Creating accounts are not required, but doing so will allow you to customize your profile and experience. (It’s free to create an account.)

Crowdcast
Your face won’t be live in this one – just an image in the registered and chat areas.

Crowdcast will pull in the gravatar image associated with the email you registered with (If you have not created a gravatar, go here).

The gravatar image is a bit grainy, which works fine in the chat, but not so much if you are a profile stalker like me. 😆 So I added one (it’s the same as my gravatar but higher res; I shouldn’t have to remind you but I’m a mom and a moderator who’s been instructed to allow banning for inappropriate conduct + content, so – make sure to keep it G/PG!)

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WPGameShow Coming To San Antonio

After a day of education and networking with the virtual WordCamp Antonio, it’s time to relax and participate (or watch) some entertainment and well deserved distraction. That’s where the WPGameshow comes in! Your host David Bisset (sorry, he is the only person we had available) will take you through two exciting game experiences – and you can play and participate.

Trivia: We will be using Kahoot for WordPress and random trivia. How well do you know the WordPress community, plugins, its history, etc? Time to find out! Correct and speedy answers earn you more points to win some exciting rounds!

QuipLash: A gut-busting battle of wits and wittiness! Just use your phone or tablet (no controllers needed) to answer simple prompts like these:

Something you’d be surprised to see a donkey do
A double rainbow doesn’t have gold at the end of it. Instead, it has ______.
A better name for France

…but we are preparing WordPress themed prompts. Only the funniest, wittiest, and clever answers will be voted highest… audience also participates!

The WPGameshow starts after the panel on Saturday, March 28th… officially at 5pm CT. Please check our schedule. Stay tuned for more information and get ready for some fun with your friends in the WordPress community.

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WordCamp San Antonio Going Forward with Virtual and Live Components

Dear WordCampers,

We have great news! WordCamp San Antonio 2020 is happening on schedule, March 28-29, 2020 at UTSA Downtown! With coordination from our awesome team, our speakers, our vendors and venue, and WordCamp Central, we have come up with a solution that will allow our local community to meet in-person while also ensuring remote participants get to be involved without having to travel.


“How?” you ask? We will have live speakers at UTSA Downtown and will have a live audience, but will also have remote speakers and all three tracks will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in-person. The best news? WordCamp Central is helping us present the livestream component for free! You will need to register, but there will not be a charge. We’ll let you know when we have registration set up.

Remote participants will be able to ask questions of our speakers and our speakers will continue the conversation on Twitter if needed. Our live audience will also be able to ask questions of our remote speakers. (Details on how this will all work have not been worked out in full yet, but we are confident it can all be done.)

We know this is a hard time for conferences which are having to make some hard decisions and this type of solution will not be the right one for every one. We are able to do this because:

  • WordCamp San Antonio is primarily a local event—most attendees will not need to travel
  • NOWCastSA, which was already contracted to video the event, is fully on-board and working with us to make this happen
  • The event is being held on a university campus, giving us access to resources others might not have.

If you already purchased an in-person ticket and wish to attend remotely, you may request a refund for your purchase and then signup for the virtual ticket (or, if you want to donate your purchased ticket to help offset the costs of the virtual conference, just signup for the virtual component and let us know your ticket is a donation.)

We are excited to be able to go forward with WordCamp San Antonio 2020 and look forward to putting on a great event for everyone, whether you attend in-person or join us through your computer.  The schedule will be updated to indicate which speakers will be presenting remotely as those decisions are made.

Join us March 28-29, 2020 at UTSA Downtown for a unique WordCamp designed to work for everyone. You’ll be glad you did!

The WordCamp 2020 Team