Sponsor Spotlight: Mediatemple

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One thing that every WordPress site — and every other website, too — must have is a place to live. The company that provides that place to live is your web host. WordPress.com is hosted by WordPress, but the other type of WordPress site is called “self hosted” because you have to arrange hosting for yourself.

One hosting company to consider is Mediatemple, a 16 year old hosting company that serves 1.5 million websites in 100 different countries. They approach hosting with a high degree of passion and dedication; it shows in their 24/7/365 service.

Mediatemple offers a bunch of different hosting plans, from basic WordPress single-site hosting to professional-grade VPS hosting. They offer secure hosting and lots of extras like Google Apps and email, and they’ll help you move your website, too!

If mass market hosting isn’t meeting your needs, it might be time to step up to more specialized hosting services. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by Mediatemple’s prices if you’ve shopped around.

They also have a very intriguing blog. Click through that link for an interesting selection.

Blue Zoo Creative Logo

Sponsor spotlight: Blue Zoo Creative

Sponsors, ,

The folks over at Blue Zoo Creative have been active in WordCamp Fayetteville since it began six years ago. They’ve sponsored, taught sessions, and this year co-owner Eric Huber is the lead organizer.

Blue Zoo started in 2008 with co-owners Collin Condray and Eric Huber. They wanted to make life easier for small businesses by creating a “DIY” website builder for people who want to manage their own websites and had limited budgets.

Within two years, they realized that small business owners were ready to utilize many more online tools that would help grow their business. Blue Zoo rebranded from Blue Zoo Websites to Blue Zoo Creative and drastically expanded their services. They now offer services including website development and design, SEO and analytics, content creation and blogging, and branding/graphic design.

Blue Zoo’s team has members located all over but they work cohesively to create beautiful, functional and user-friendly online business solutions. They know that websites and other online tools need to be more than just a pretty thing online that represents the business. The Blue Zoo crew knows their clients’ job is to solve problems for their own clients and the folks at Blue Zoo make that happen.

“By listening to what you want, asking what your customers need, and researching proven techniques to inspire action, we deliver a result that drives business.”

See Sponsor Listing.

Sponsor Spotlight: GoDaddy Pro

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GoDaddy is one of the top web hosting companies in the nation, if not in the world. They are definitely the top shop for domain registration. They provide professional email addresses, too.

And while their Website Builder may not be the best option for creating a website, they offer WordPress hosting at an unbeatable price.

GoDaddy Pro is for agencies, designers, and developers. Here’s what you get with Pro that you won’t find in the ordinary GoDaddy plans:

  • Client Access Tools
    Get secure admin access to client sites without password sharing
  • Site Monitoring
    GoDaddy Pro lets you know if there are ever any issues with uptime or site speed.
  • Simplified Shopping
    Fill a shopping cart for your client and email it directly to the client so they can checkout without confusion.
  • Pros-Only Support
    It’s your livelihood, so GoDaddy Pro gives you faster service and support.

You’ll get discounts, too, and they even promise you hugs. Not many hosting options offer that.

That list of benefits probably reminded you of some of the more frustrating moments in your career if you’re a WordPress pro, and signing up could bring a great sigh of relief. We’re expecting a GoDaddy rep at WordCamp, so stop by their table and see if GoDaddy Pro is for you.

Hey — it’s WordPress Month in the GoDaddy Garage, so go get some knowledge when you check out their Pro package!

Goals for WordCamp

#WCFay tips

Our keynote speaker, Josepha Haden Chomphosy, was given a goal by Automattic when they sent her to WordCamp Brisbane in Australia: she had to meet 30 new people. She met that goal.

You don’t have to set goals for WordCamp. You can come just for fun and look on the experience as an adventure.

But if you like to have goals, here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Meet new people. It doesn’t have to be 30 new people, but challenge yourself to make some new connections.
  • Find the right person. Looking to hire someone? Hoping to be hired? Need a strategic partner or a gym buddy? WordCamp is a great place to find the right WordPress partner.
  • Learn some new things. I always write a blog post about 10 things I learned at WordCamp, so that’s a goal for me. (Click through that link for some special treats.)
  • Find the answers to some questions. The WP101 4:00 session is a question and answer time and the Sunday Jam Session is a great place to get questions answered, but you can get answers all along the way, too.
  • Learn what you don’t know. No matter what your background or training, there’s somebody at WordCamp who knows things you don’t know. WordCamp can start you off in a brand new direction.
  • Share your knowledge. Not only is there someone who knows something you don’t know, but there are also people who don’t know everything you know. You will have an opportunity to help someone, so be prepared to take that opportunity.
  • Get refreshed and inspired. If you sometimes get burned out with blogging or disenchanted with development, WordCamp can be your annual restart.
  • Develop a new goal for yourself or your company. It’s easy to get settled in. You can come away from WordCamp with a new personal challenge for yourself.

Do you have goals for WordCamp Fayetteville 2015?

6 Tips for success at WordCamp Fayetteville ‘15

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Whether WordCamp Fayetteville 2015 is your first WordCamp ever or you’re a pro Wordcamper, it’s always good to talk about how to get the most out of your experience.

We’ll give tips later for prepping for this specific WordCamp, including stuff you need to bring or do a few days in advance. But today, let’s talk about tips for success while you’re actually at WordCamp. Continue reading 6 Tips for success at WordCamp Fayetteville ‘15 →

Call for Volunteers

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Would you like a free ticket to WordCamp? An opportunity to go backstage at WordCamp? Something cool for your resume?

Consider volunteering at WordCamp Fayetteville, 2015! We need people to help in each track, volunteers for registration, and helpers to hand out T-shirts and assist people at lunch.

You’ll still have plenty of time to check out the sessions!







Crystal Bridges

#WCFay tips

WordCamp Fayetteville will keep you busy with parties on Friday and Saturday nights, sessions all day Saturday, and a Sunday Jam Session.

If you come in early or stay on for an extra day or two, though, you should not miss Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, a world-class museum in Bentonville, about a half hour north of Fayetteville.

The architecture is stunning, there is a fine and varied collection of American art work from colonial times to the present, and the restaurant at the museum is an excellent place to enjoy a gourmet lunch.

Current exhibitions include Andy Warhol’s nature photos, which you probably haven’t seen before.

museum

There’s a beautiful sculpture walk as well.

You can see all the artworks in half an hour, if you want to stop off quickly on your way to or from WordCamp, but there are beautiful walks on the grounds, including the short and easy Art Trail as well as longer trails that connect with Downtown Bentonville and the Compton Gardens.

Thank you to our Outstanding Sponsor sponsors

Sponsors

WordCamps wouldn’t be possible without the sponsorship of companies who care about WordPress, and we are lucky to be supported by some great firms.

Jetpack can supercharge your self-hosted site with a suite of the most powerful WordPress.com features.

From its inception in 1998, (mt) Media Temple has been on a mission to help people and businesses succeed online, and they certainly helped out our WordCamp by supporting us as a WordCamp Pillar. Huge props to Media Temple for their commitment to WordCamps all over the US, including this one!

WiredTree provides Managed VPS and Managed Dedicated Servers to WordPress users worldwide from their Chicago-based data center and offices. They also support all WordCamps in North America as a Pillar sponsor. Thanks so much, WiredTree, for helping us plan a great event for our local WordPress community.

Did you know that Bluehost powers over one million WordPress sites? And did you know they sponsor every WordCamp in the whole entire world? Bluehost was the first company to sign on as multi-event sponsor when we debuted the program in March of 2013, and we’re so very grateful for their continuing support of this and every other WordCamp.

It’s not just about words anymore (WCFay publisher track highlight)

Track highlights,

IMG_1251Gone are the days when writers could simply craft the words and be done. Blogs require excellent writing (in a completely different style than print writing), great photos, building a social following, and search engine optimization. And don’t forget the legal issues involved!

We’ve designed the Publisher Track at WordCamp Fayetteville 2015 to meet those needs. Continue reading It’s not just about words anymore (WCFay publisher track highlight) →