WordPress 101 is a feature of WordCamp Fayetteville. It’s one of the most popular tracks, and covers all the basics. It’s a great place to start if you are not familiar with WordPress, and especially if you plan to use WordPress.com (free hosting) instead of a self-hosted website.

But do you really belong in WordPress 101? Here are some questions to help you decide:

• Do you have computer skills? If you know HTML and CSS or you’re expert with some other content management systems, you may not really be a beginner. On the other hand, if you know Facebook and MS Office really well, you could still be a WordPress beginner.
• How long have you been using WordPress? If you’ve been in the beginner track for a few years, you should probably branch out to other sessions. Most sessions don’t assume a lot of tech knowledge. Those that do, say so in their descriptions.
• Have you missed some things? If you’ve been using WordPress for quite a while, you might have reached the Sojourner phase — the point where you’re good at a few things, but there are a lot of things you haven’t tried yet. People can get stuck at this point, and a beginner level session can help move you on to the next stage.
• Does someone else do tech stuff for you? If you’re the website owner, not the hands-on user, you may find that more advanced concepts are more useful. You can end up with useful things to ask your web team to do, rather than things they’re already doing for you.

Remember, you can go from one track to another. In fact, if you find yourself in a session that’s over your head or just not relevant to your needs, you can go from one session to another. Feel free to start in the 101 room and venture out when you feel ready.

As you can see in the photo above, the venue for WordCamp Fayetteville is very laptop-friendly. There’s space, there are electric outlets, and wifi access is easy.

Lots of people bring their laptops. Here are some questions that might help you decide whether you should bring yours:

• Are your laptop tools the easiest way for you to take notes?
• Are you planning on live-tweeting enough that the extra speed will be helpful?
• Will your laptop’s presence encourage you to work or play video games when you could be learning or networking?
• Will you get sick of carrying it around?
• Are you hoping to get some help with your website? Maybe help that will require you to log in quickly and show someone the admin area?

Even if you bring your laptop, think about also having a paper and writing utensil handy. Recent research suggests that the brain-to-hand connection forged by taking notes on paper helps you remember better.

What else should you bring to WordCamp?

• Water. There will be water available, but you’ll be glad you have a refillable bottle.
• A jacket. Outdoor temperatures will be hot, but indoor temperatures can be unpredictable on the U of A campus.
• Business cards. There are situations in which you won’t be able to connect via phone but where you could still hand someone a card.
• Your phone. You’ll want to tweet, take pictures, and swap email addresses.
• A positive attitude. You might end up in a session that’s not right for you (you can switch to another session if that happens, by the way). You might disagree with somebody. Maybe life isn’t sweet for you on this particular day. But WordCamp is always fun and informative, so come with the intention of getting the most out of the weekend.

Oh, and be sure to register.

The 7th annual WordCamp Fayetteville conference will take place on Saturday, July 22. This blog was previously written by someone who was planning to attend their first WordCamp. We thought the information was still great for first-timers this year so we are resharing it below.

A First-Time WordCamper’s Pre-conference Thoughts

Many WordPress designers, developers and users get together to share their knowledge and experience. I will have the opportunity to meet WordPress users and developers who, at different skill levels, are also trying to figure things out. It will be reassuring to know that I am doing certain things well while also challenging myself to learn more complex tasks.

In 2009, I started a blog using the WordPress.com platform and learned about choosing themes and how to do basic customization. I began to watch video tutorials covering WordPress topics and practiced my newly-learned skills. In 2013, I decided to learn more about self-hosting and the WordPress.org platform. Since then, I have created a few self-hosted web sites while still maintaining my original WordPress.com web site.

While viewing WordCamp TV videos, I have often wished to be a member of the audience instead of being an online viewer in my home office. Earlier this year, I looked on the WordCamp Central web site to search for a conference in my state and was pleased to discover WordCamp Fayetteville. I look forward to attending my first WordCamp in beautiful Northwest Arkansas!

WordCamp Fayetteville’s 2015 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 (Rebecca) 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. Each session usually includes a Q and A portion at the end and you’ll find that the WordPress community loves to help fellow members with questions. Also, 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 2017?