The social Web could provide a number of valuable interactions. Aaron Hockley was smart enough to realize this. And now he’s looking to help his photographer peers with Social Photo Talk.
You likely spend a ton of time interacting on the social Web. Using Twitter. Updating Facebook. Uploading to Flickr. Posting code to Github. Sharing presentations on Slideshare. Writing blog posts. Leaving content here and there that inspires others to comment and respond.
But, unfortunately, the vast majority of people don’t engage in—or even understand—this type of behavior.
That’s a shame. Because for many folks, the social Web could provide a number of valuable interactions. Aaron Hockley was smart enough to realize this. And now he’s looking to help his photographer peers with Social Photo Talk. Read More
The sweet or savory deep fried darling of the Portland, Oregon, startup scene these days isn’t one of our traditional startups. Sure, it’s got a Twitter account. Yes, it’s a popular hangout for many of the usual gang in the Portland tech scene. And, of course, it gets most of its work done during #afterhours. But this startup? It makes pies.
Meet Whiffies, the food cart playing host to a very special pie eating contest tonight—Pie Champ 2.0—raising money for Free Geek, our awesome local geeky recycling center. Read More
Recently I’ve found my time and energies spread thin amongst various projects. In order to focus on a smaller set of projects (and let the remaining projects thrive with the attention they deserve), I’m stepping back from a few things. I’m pleased to announce that Kelly Guimont is assuming the leadership role for our group. Kelly assisted with WordCamp Portland and I look forward to seeing her develop pdxwp further. I’ve turned over information on all pending pdxwp issues to Kelly, please contact her with any questions.
Aaron will continue to lead WordCamp Portland, the second installment of which is slated for fall 2009.
This weekend, a number of Portland folks made the trek down south for WordCamp Las Vegas, a gathering of WordPress users akin to our own WordCamp Portland.
Three members of the Portland tech community—Aaron Hockley, Geoff Kleinman, and Lorelle VanFossen—took to the stage to present. Which is a really big deal, given that the attendees at this event are very much a who’s who of the WordPress community and the world of blogging, including Matt Mullenweg (the creator of WordPress), Chris Brogan, Liz Strauss… the list goes on and on.
Aaron Hockley’s talk “Beyond Beer and Blog,” described the growing Web tech scene here in town and highlighted some of the key factors that contributed to building such a successful community.
The presentation was so exceedingly good—and so well received—I’ve embedded it below for your viewing pleasure. It’s the weekend. Kick back and spend a few minutes hearing about how we got where we are today.
[HTML1]
Geoff presented on techniques and tips for managing team blogs with large numbers of contributors. You can watch his presentation on the WordCamp Las Vegas Ustream channel.
Unfortunately, at the time of this post, the always incomparable Lorelle had not yet had her presentation archived. (I’ll link it up when it’s available. [Update] Or not. See Aaron’s comment below.) She presented on measuring traffic and what it means to bloggers. No doubt with a mention or two of Woopra.
I’m going to explore how the local blog scene and other social media have brought folks together. Over the next couple of months, I’ll be talking to all sorts of Portlandy-types about their thoughts on our social media usage. Yes, that includes the Portland Twitter scene and of course #bacon. A big focus of my talk will be about how online activities have led to offline gatherings including group events like Ignite Portland, Side Project to Startup, and the Portland edition of Lunch 2.0. In addition to the formal events, services such as Shizzow and Twitter facilitate impromptu meetups.
Congratulations to Mr. Hockley on garnering a well-deserved speaking slot. It’s definitely got me thinking about making the trip down south to see him speak. Even though I won’t be able to post on it because of the whole “What happens in Vegas…” thing.
WordCamp:Las Vegas is a conference style event covering topics related to the WordPress software. It will be held January 10-11, 2009. For more information, visit WordCamp Las Vegas.
