Category: Updates

We are so excited for WordCamp Philly this Saturday, September 26th, and we hope you are too. Here is everything you need to know to enjoy this online event.

Schedule

We have three tracks of talks. You can find full descriptions and times on our schedule page. The talks can be viewed either on our website’s homepage the day of the event, or you can join us on YouTube. The YouTube links will be available under each track’s embedded video on our website. You can interact with the speakers by submitting questions in the YouTube chat.

The talks in Track 1 and Track 2 will be fully captioned via CART live captioning.

Sponsor Hub

Our amazing sponsors have all kinds of swag to give away plus contests, additional talks, and demos. Many sponsors will also provide virtual booths where you can talk with them one-on-one. Check out our Sponsor Hub for the sponsor schedule so you don’t miss these exclusive offers and events!

Support Our Local WordPress Businesses!

Want to hire a local designer, SEO expert, developer, photographer, swag supplier, IT company, or more? Our Philadelphia area meetups are filled with local business owners. Check out what these local folks from the greater Philly area have to offer. Also, if you want to network with WordPress local folks year round, join a WordPress meetup. All are currently meeting virtually and welcome newcomers of any skill level.

Hallway Track and Help Desk

Want to network with other attendees? Need help with your WordPress website and you don’t know where to start? Want to follow up with speakers after their talk? Swing by the Hallway Track/Info Desk/Happiness Help Desk starting at 10:00 am and we will help!

Workbook

We have made a digital workbook to help you keep organized for the day. It’s filled with tips, links to sponsors, notetaking ideas, and more.

Swag

Have you seen our exclusive WordCamp Philly mug featuring two of our 2020 Wapuus? It’s only available until September 27th. After that, our store comes down. Don’t wait to order yours!

After Party

Stick around for the Virtual After Party (link on this page day of the event) at 4:30 pm. We’ll take a quick break after the Closing Remarks and then mingle with attendees, catch up with speakers, and play games (with prizes!).

Safety

As with all WordCamps, we take the Code of Conduct seriously. We have chat moderators in each room. If you have a question or concern, do not hesitate to reach out to them. Also, to avoid Zoom bombing, we ask that attendees not share Zoom links to the Hallway Track/Happiness Bar and After Party on social media.

Questions?

Until Friday night, the best way to get us is by emailing wordcampphilly@gmail.com. After that, contact us on Twitter @WordCampPhilly.

We’re kind of in love with our Wapuus this year and from all the comments, tweets, and emails we’ve received, we think you all are too.

Even though we aren’t taking place in person this year, you can still grab some Wapuu swag. We’ve created an official WordCamp Philly 2020 mug.

For less than what the price of an in-person ticket would have been, you can buy the mug for a limited time (Shop closes on September 27).

Also, speaking of tickets, did you get yours yet? Ticket holders get special offers from our sponsors, a digital workbook, and the first 500 ticket holders from the US get a sticker sheet that features all of our Wapuus.

Looking forward to seeing you all on September 26! Check out our schedule, so you don’t miss a thing.

WordCamps are a great opportunity to learn more about the Open Source software that is powering roughly 1/3 of the internet. But did you know that there are local Pennsylvania groups that meet (currently virtually) once a month to discuss all things WordPress?

These WordPress Meetup groups all welcome you no matter if you have been using WordPress for 5 minutes of 15 years. No expertise is required. Developers, designers, content creators…whatever you do, you belong. Come and join us!

If you have questions, reach out to their organizers. Their contact info is found at each of the links below.

WordPress Philly Meetup

WordPress Philly ‘Burbs Meetup

WordPress Lehigh Valley Meetup

WordPress Harrisburg Meetup

WordPress Lancaster Meetup

WordPress Reading Meetup

WordPress Carlisle Meetup

Looking for Philly flavor?
It’s all there in our Wapuus!

WordPress has its own mascot called Wapuu. The idea first started back in 2009 when Matt Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress, was having a chat with members of the Japanese community about mascots. They noticed how Firefox had their signature fox, but WordPress really didn’t have anything…and someone should fix that. What started as an off-handed conversation, soon took off with a life of its own. Cue several iterations and prototypes and Wapuu was born.

Philly Wapuu History

All WordPress communities put their own spin on Wapuu, and Philly is no exception. We’ve had our first batch in 2015 designed by Tracy Levesque: Rocky Wapuu, Pretzel Wapuu, Cheesesteak Wapuu and Krimpuu.

In 2017, and for a few years after, WordCamp Philly was close to Halloween. Of course Wapuu, this time designed by Lula Jones, got a Halloween makeover with FrankenPuu, MummyPuu,VamPuu, and PiratePuu.

In 2018 we featured some local Philly institutions like Betsy Ross and the Philly Zoo. Last year, in 2019, we were at PAFA, so of course art figured in, thanks to designers Alyssa Hogan, Amy Letson, and Teresa Hopkins. But, a new local mascot had swept our city. Gritty fever was everywhere, and of course Gritty had to meet Wapuu, and thus GrittyPuu was born.

2020 WordCamp Philly Wapuu

This year we want you to experience even more of our own local Philly flavor. Designer Alyssa Hogan created JawnPuu, StoopPuu, and MosaicPuu, and designer Jason McClintock did WooderIcePuu and SinkholePuu.

The first 500 folks to register for WordCamp Philly who reside in the USA will be mailed a sticker sheet featuring these new Wapuus.

JawnPuu

Part of our local Philly flavor is having a term we call “jawn”. What does that mean you may ask, It’s loosely “that semi-ambiguous person, place, or thing I’m referencing” and your powers of Philly perception know exactly what we are talking about. While you are at it, check out our how to attend WordCamp Philly.

StoopPuu

The most iconic dwellings in Philly are our rowhouses. And nothing is more iconically filled with Philly flavor than having a great chat outside on the stoop with your neighbors on a summer night.

MosaicPuu

Philly is a mosaic of neighbors, traditions, and cultures. We are stronger because of the these diverse communities. Their art, food, community spirit, and more enrich our local Philly flavor. On any day you can see folks from many backgrounds enjoying the outdoors from Fairmount Park, to Wissahickon Park, to Pennypack Park, Love Park, and anywhere in-between. You can even visit Philly Magic Gardens where mosaic takes on a whole new meaning.

WooderIcePuu

So, while you’re on that stoop having a great chat, you’re going to want cool off in the summer. Time for some more Philly flavor, and that would be a “wooder ice” from a local shop. For out-of-towners without our accents it’s “water ice”. Think Italian ice meets shaved ice, but it’s really a uniquely Philly creation available in just about any flavor you can think of.

SinkholePuu

You say Wack-a-mole course, we like to think of as just another…who are we kidding…part of our Philly flavor is that we have potholes that are large enough to have their own zip codes. It’s part of why we are resilient. We have to keep on our toes to avoid the literal pitfalls, and that includes making sure folks see the traffic cones that mark the holes and picking them up if they fall over…or in.

We’re happy to announce that WordCamp Philly is officially on the calendar!

WordCamp Philly will be held on September 26, 2020 as an online event.

Subscribe to stay up to date on the most recent news. We’ll be keeping you posted on all the details over the coming months, including speaker submissions, ticket registration information our schedule, and more!