Amazing things can happen online – and in the virtual world – but for truly amaze-worthy-ness you really can’t beat a physical gathering.
Word Camp Brisbane was one such ‘happening’ (to use an evocative term from the 60’s). Whilst it didn’t merely spontaneously ‘happen’ (there was a vast amount of organisational work done before and during the event by a large and loyal team of Word Press supporters) it was truly inspiring and heartening. The various presenters not only shared their knowledge and experience but also their passion for ‘the tool that builds the Internet’ – Word Press – the tool that builds knowledge, the tool that builds awareness and the tool that builds businesses too. That said, I personally found great inspiration from the presence of the many attendees – ranging from hardcore and commercial developers through committed digital disrupters to writers and bloggers and beyond. All ages and all skill levels were welcomed and included. No question I asked was treated as ‘dumb’ and everyone I spoke with was genuinely friendly, open and excited to enlighten me.
The folk I met mostly spotted that I hadn’t even changed the default image on my theme (I like the photo – OK!) and I guess that qualified them as true nerds (the very best folk in my opinion). They weren’t being judgemental – merely observant.
Since the sessions have now been posted, I’ve taken the opportunity to re-watch some I attended – and catch up the ones that I couldn’t attend on the day. This has proven to be a very valuable resource. That said, whilst it may be convenient to have the ability to recap – it doesn’t quite match the inspiration-factor of actually physically being at Word Camp. The coffee and food (thanks to sponsors, I understand) gave ample opportunity to practice a little bit of networking – and to reflect on just how powerful a bunch of folk with web content skills might be.
FYI – I wrote this as my first post in Gutenberg – I made no attempt to do anything clever (I’m not clever!) but it was a very easy process and intuitive too. Try Gutenberg – you’ll like it!