hackathon

Hackathon Participant, My Sista’s KeepHer, looking for ongoing support

Over the WordCampweekend, WordCamp Milwaukee did our first Charity Hackathon session wherein the goal was to create, complete, and launch a website in one weekend for a local non-profit… and that we did!

All in all, the hackathon was a success with approximately 20+ WordCamp participants having joined together to create the website for My Sista’s KeepHer: http://MySistasKeepHer.com. The website launched at approximately noon on Sunday, July 27th.

My Sista’s KeepHer is extremely thankful to all who have supported their organization this weekend. Prior to this weekend, their only online presence was through social media, but now their workshop attendees, community supporters and donors have one place to start for all My Sista’s KeepHer information.

My Sista’s KeepHer is still learning WordPress and looking for someone willing to donate their time for ongoing support, or perhaps provide at a minimal fee. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Tina and Shelly at mysistaskeepher@gmail.com.

sponsors

Thank you to all of our Green Ribbon sponsors

We’d like to thank all of our Green Ribbon sponsors for helping to make WCMKE awesome!

tuna-traffic-green-ribbonTuna Traffic is a Technology and Marketing Company based in Racine, Wisconsin. We are Racine WI’s Web Design and SEO Experts. Tuna Traffic’s Mission is to deliver YOU an an outstanding customer experience for your technology and marketing solutions. We want to be your Technology and Marketing Partner. We will bring our passion and expertise to the challenge you ask of Team Tuna! Follow Us on Twitter @tunatraffic
my-virtual-project-green-ribbonMy Virtual Project is a Milwaukee area based WordPress website, SEO, graphic design and social media company. MVP helps you create or invigorate your corporate identity with consistent development and design throughout all of your marketing channels and social spaces.
c2-green-ribbonC2‘s staff of professional trainers, talent and training solutions specialists do whatever it takes to support our clients, colleagues, talent and partners with our THREE excellent service offerings: Training, Talent Placement and Project Support.
web-hosting-hub-green-ribbonWeb Hosting Hub is a stress-free & cost effective way to get your blog online. Our 3 hosting solutions are all custom tailored to help customers easily, quickly & efficiently get their WordPress site up & running. We provide 24/7 U.S. based support via phone, email & live chat. We are there every step of the way for you – our technicians are experts at solving WordPress problems, recommending security fixes & helping you focus on your site. All this is backed by a 90 day money-back guarantee.
inmotion-green-ribbonInMotion Hosting is one of the premier providers of web hosting worldwide, with a consistent record of award-winning customer satisfaction. Our proactive customer service, proprietary back-end technology & hardware configuration are just the beginning. We love WordPress! We have experts on-staff to answer difficult questions, provide a variety of tools and technologies geared toward WordPress users & an extensive WordPress Education Channel.
stickergiant-green-ribbonStickers! StickerGiant have been the sticker sponsor for 100′s of WordCamps since the early days of WordCamps.
They are a big part of the WordPress community. StickerGiant.com was created for the purpose of printing super high quality stickers… quickly! Their service and quality are both guaranteed and legendary, a winning combination.
orion-group-green-ribbonOrion Group is a full-service website design firm serving companies, large and small, throughout Wisconsin and nationwide. Using state-of-the-art web design technology and talented, top-notch web designers, we can create the effective, attention-getting internet presence that will help you build your brand, attract business, and boost your bottom line.
sponsors

Thanks to all of our Pink Ribbon sponsors!

We’d like to thank all of our Pink Ribbon sponsors for helping to make the best ever WCMKE!

uwm-sce-pink-ribbonCustomized training professionals at the School of Continuing Education design programs to meet organizational and specific employee development needs.
webdevstudios-pink-ribbonWebDevStudios is a website development company specializing in WordPress powered websites. With a full staff of developers and designers who live and breathe WordPress, we pride ourselves in being WordPress experts. We have the resources to support any client from a single blog to a WordPress Multisite network with thousands of sites to a BuddyPress site with thousands of members. WDS does WordPress!
woothemes-pink-ribbonWooThemes is an international, market leading, bootstrapped business providing a platform to extend standard WordPress-powered websites via a range of innovative themes and plugins. Their flagship product being WooCommerce – a hugely popular, freely available eCommerce plugin with a wide range of commercially available extensions and themes. With WooThemes businesses and individuals can get professional WordPress sites launched quickly and affordably.
sucuri-pink-ribbonSucuri provides a complete security solution for WordPress websites, offering website administrators peace of mind that their site is secure and their visitors are safe. Our services includes malware removal, malware monitoring and website protection. Our SiteCheck website security monitor is used by thousands of website owners every month to monitor their websites for malware, blacklist status and other security issues and our CloudProxy Firewall safeguards sites and those who visit them from attacks of all kinds. Learn more at Sucuri.net/wordpress
regal-creative-pink-ribbonRegal is a digital agency in Milwaukee that provides start-to-finish strategy, design, development & digital marketing for organizations across the country. Regal works to develop integrated partnerships with their clients to work along side them, instead of just working for them. With clients in healthcare, beauty & software, our experience & perspective is vast & well rounded Our mission is to give the best experience & results possible. Talk to us via @regalcreative
pantheon-pink-ribbonPantheon is a professional-grade tool for those who practice the art of website development for a living. Our platform uses cutting-edge technology to let developers focus on building great things. Set your website free, GetPantheon.com
sponsors

Thanks to our Red Ribbon sponsors!

We’d like to thank our Red Ribbon sponsors for helping to make WCMKE awesome!

code-poet-red-ribbon
If you use WordPress to build things for other people, Code Poet wants to make your life easier. No matter whether you freelance on a solo basis, lead a small web shop, make plugins in a dark closet, or crack the whip at a large design firm, Code Poet’s aim is to become your go-to source of information and resources to help you expand your WordPress skills and know-how.
dreamhost-red-ribbon-new
DreamHost is a global Web hosting and cloud services provider with over 350,000 customers and 1.2 million blogs, websites and apps hosted. The company offers a wide spectrum of Web hosting and cloud services including Shared Hosting, Virtual Private Servers (VPS), Dedicated Server Hosting, Domain Name Registration, the cloud storage service, DreamObjects, and the cloud computing service DreamCompute. More information can be found at http://dreamhost.com.
hackathon

Give Back and Help Out a Local Non-Profit at WCMKE

The spirit of WordCamps lie in the local community and the people who come together to learn and build things around WordPress together. To carry on this spirit of community, WordCamp Milwaukee, has added a new event for the 2014 camp. We wanted to find another way to give back to the Milwaukee community in general and decided a good way was to find a local non-profit, get as many WordCamp Attendees as possible in a room for a day, and build a free website!

First, I’d like to introduce the non-profit we will be working with. We reached out to members of the Milwaukee community to find a non-profit in need of some web help which was also really making a difference in Milwaukee. We are very pleased to have found My Sista’s KeepHer. Shelly Davis and Tina Nixon lead this amazing program that is out to help young women and girls in Milwaukee love themselves.

In their own words, they describe My Sista’s KeepHer:

My Sista’s KeepHer was created to inspire and encourage young girls to love themselves and each other through the art of self expression. This is accomplished through weekly workshops which involve writing exercises, open forum expression, and positive interaction in a group setting. It is led by National Poets Tina ‘Ms. Jazzi’ Nixon and Shelly Davis. We use writing, with poetry as the foundation, to foster self expression. We believe “When you stand and share your story in an empowering way, your story will heal you and your story will heal somebody else.” ― Iyanla Vanzant

During the school year we facilitate 4-6 week workshops at various schools. Our motto is once a part of My Sista’s KeepHer, always a part of My Sista’s KeepHer. To stay true to that we do 3 aftercare incentive programs, annually. The Dream Big Spa Day is a one day event focused on building self awareness and self esteem. The purpose is to encourage self worth by providing a variety of spa services for the purpose of improving health, well-being, beauty and relaxation. The Mother & Daughter Pajama Party is a 2-3 day event where we nurture the first relationship known to us, that between mother and child. The purpose is to restore, strengthen and promote healthy mother daughter relationships. And last but certainly not least we close out the year with our F.I.R.E AWARDS (Females in Recognition of Excellence). This is a celebration that bridges the gap between the youth we work with and the elders in the community. We will honor 6 women in the community & 6 students. This event promotes unity, self expression and restores power to the youth.

On Friday, July 25th, starting at 8:00am all WordCamp Milwaukee attendees are invited to get together to begin building a website for this amazing group. We are looking for people from all areas of the web to join in and help out including designers, developers, content creators, and more. Come meet at the WordCamp venue, the UWM School of Continuing Education, early on Friday morning. We will begin shortly after the Workshops start and will also be moving down to the Bucketworks co-working space on the second floor of the Grand Avenue Mall Plankinton Building later in the day.

Our goal, is to by the end of the day have a functioning website where My Sista’s KeepHer can blog their latest news, feature information to help young women, show upcoming events, and let people know how they can help their cause. The Charity Hackathon is being led by Kara Buffardi of 10up. Show up on Friday or email milwaukee@wordcamp.org if you need more information and we will put you in touch with Kara so you too can help make a difference in Milwaukee.

sponsors

Blue Ribbon Sponsor Spotlight: Bluehost

bluehost-blue-ribbonWe’d like to thank Bluehost for being one of our Blue Ribbon sponsors!

Bluehost has been a WordPress partner since 2005 and powers over one million WordPress sites. Their goal is to provide outstanding hosting services and customer support for the best possible price. Bluehost is also constantly innovating and upgrading their services and infrastructure at no additional cost to their customers. Join the millions of other website owners that have already chosen Bluehost and see how they can help you with your site.

sponsors

Blue Ribbon Sponsor Spotlight: WP Engine

wp-engine-blue-ribbonHuge thanks to WP Engine for being a Blue Ribbon sponsor this year!

WP Engine is the premium managed platform for websites and applications built with WordPress. WP Engine delivers the fastest, most reliable, and most secure web experience. Businesses large and small rely on WP Engine’s exceptional customer service team specializing in quickly solving technical problems, and creating a world-class customer experience.

sponsors

Blue Ribbon Sponsor Spotlight: GoDaddy

godaddy-blue-ribbonThanks a heap to GoDaddy for being a WCMKE  Blue Ribbon sponsor!

GoDaddy’s mission is to radically shift the global economy toward small businesses by empowering people to easily start, confidently grow and successfully run their own ventures. With more than 12 million customers worldwide and 57 million domain names under management, GoDaddy gives small business owners the tools to name their idea, build a beautiful online presence, attract customers and manage their business. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

sponsors

Blue Ribbon Sponsor Spotlight: (mt) Media Temple

media-temple-blue-ribbonThanks a bunch to Media Temple for being a Blue Ribbon sponsor!

Media Temple has been on a mission to help people and businesses succeed online. Over 125,000 customers in 100 countries now rely on Media Temple’s tools for domain registration, web hosting, business applications, virtual servers, and other cloud services to power more than 1.5 million websites. With 200 dedicated, U.S.-based employees, Media Temple takes pride in our 24/7 customer support.  On the web at mediatemple.com or Twitter @MediaTemple.

attendee info

Important Attendee Information for WCMKE

The following has also been sent as an email to all attendees

We are just a few days away from WordCamp Milwaukee! Here is some information to help you navigate your way around the event.

The first thing we want you to remember is that WordCamp isn’t your typical business conference. We like to have fun and look to provide a relaxed atmosphere. We don’t want to see you in any business attire, most attendees will probably be wearing t-shirts and shorts (It’s July and it’s hot!). You will also find a bunch of fun extras here that you wouldn’t expect to see in your typical “Conference”.
Are you ready yet?
It’s not long to go now until WordCamp MKE and we hope you are ready for a weekend of fun and learning! If you didn’t spot it, the full schedule for WordCamp MKE has now been published. https://2014.milwaukee.wordcamp.org/schedule/

Pre-WordCamp Meetup

If you are in town on Thursday, we invite you out to our normal monthly meetup. This month we are having it on a special day to lead into WordCamp MIlwaukee. At 7:00 PM on Thursday, June 24, we will be meeting at our normal Location, C2 Graphics (http://c2gps.com), at 222 E Erie St, Suite 330, Milwaukee, WI.

This is just south of our venue and within walking distance to downtown hotels and the venue. We will be having a meet & greet and a “Help a Friend” session where we can ask questions and help each other out with our WordPress problems. It will be a relaxed session concentrating on allowing everyone to get to know each other before the weekend.

Pizza and beverages will be available thanks to C2 Graphics. There is free street parking in the area after 6:00 PM and multiple parking garages in the area. A ticket to WordCamp is not needed to attend the meetup, but we do ask you to join our Meetup group and RSVP here: [http://www.meetup.com/Milwaukee-WordPress-MeetUp/events/189613382/]

Parking & Directions

WordCamp Milwaukee will be held at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education. This is located on the 7th Floor of the Plankinton Building of the Grand Avenue mall in Downtown Milwaukee above the TJ Maxx Store. The address is 161 W Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 6000, Milwaukee, WI.

Ample parking is available in the Grand Avenue Mall Parking Structure on Plankinton Avenue and Michigan Street. Parking for attendees will cost $6 per day. There are also various other parking structures and metered street parking available in the area. Additional parking and venue details can be found here. https://2014.milwaukee.wordcamp.org/location/

If arriving from the parking structure, enter the Plankinton Building/Grand Avenue Mall and cross the Rotunda to the elevators on the north side of the building (closest to Wisconsin Avenue). Take the elevators to the seventh floor.

Check-in

We will have a full slate of presentations scheduled on varying WordPress topics with four different tracks going throughout the day. When you arrive, please check-in at the registration desk where you will receive your badge. You do not need to print any tickets to gain admission. We will be checking you in with our registration database at the event.

You will receive badges at check-in. These badges will have some valuable information inside including the schedule, map of the venue, and will be used for admission to the After-Party.

If you are in need of any assistance at the event, visit the registration desk or find one of the volunteers in a green shirt. If they can not answer your question, they will direct you to the organizing team for help.

Friday – Check-in begins at 7:30 AM and workshops begin at 8:00am.
Saturday – Check-in begins at 8:00 AM, Opening Remarks start at 9AM, and sessions start at 9:30
Sunday – Check-in begins at 9:00 AM and sessions start at 9:30AM.

Food

We will be serving coffee, water, and some snacks throughout the day. Lunch will be provided at noon on Friday and at 12:30 on Saturday/Sunday. There will be vegetarian options available and we will try to accommodate other requests based on health needs.

After-Party Networking Social

The event After-Party Networking Social will begin at 6:00 p.m Saturday, July 26 at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center in the Monarch Lounge (http://www.hiltonmilwaukee.com/downtown-milwaukee-dining/monarch-lounge.asp).

This is a great place to get to know the speakers and other attendees even better. There will be appetizers and light fare available as well as a cash bar. Miller/Coors will also be in attendance providing samples of some of their newest products.

The after-party is about a 6-minute walk from the venue and close to all downtown all hotels. After-party attendees are welcome to remain at the adjacent Miller Time Pub for further networking following the party. The address of the Hilton Milwaukee City Center is 509 W Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI. Be sure to bring your event badge to the party, as this is the only way you will gain entrance.

General Admission Tickets

If you purchased one of our General Admission tickets, you are entitled to attending all events on Saturday and Sunday including our After-Party Networking Event. You are also welcome to help out in our Charity Hackathon on Friday. If your ticket only says General Admission, you can not attend one of our Foundation Friday Workshops. More information on our General Sessions can be found in the What to Expect Section below.

Foundation Friday Workshops

If you purchased one of our Foundation Friday Workshops and your ticket says the name of your workshop + General Admission, you are entitled to attend all events on Saturday/Sunday plus the workshop you signed up for on Friday. These workshops are limited in attendees so we can offer a more personal learning environment. Because of this, we can not allow people to hop between workshops or change workshops on the day of the event.

We will be serving coffee, water, and snacks in the morning and a lunch at noon. All rooms will have chairs and tables for the attendees. We suggest that you bring a laptop with, so you can follow along, as portions of the workshop will be interactive. Power outlets are available in the rooms, but may be limited. We will try to provide power to as many people as possible on Friday.

Saturday/Sunday Sessions

Sessions are 45 minutes long (including Q&A) with 15 minute breaks in between.
The “Law of Two Feet” prevails. If you are not getting what you would like from a session, go to a different one or head to the happiness bar or chat in the hallway.
You may want to think about skipping a session or two. It’s totally okay! Sometimes the best thing you can do is chat with someone in the hallway or at the Happiness Bar. 🙂

Charity Hackathon

On Friday, during the day of the event, we will be working with a local non-profit organization to build a brand new website for their cause. This year, we are working with My Sista’s KeepHer, who will be in attendance to work along with attendees to create a website in one day. This activity is open to all attendees, so we would love for you to come out and attend. Just come to the venue during the day on Friday and we will direct you to the Hackathon to help out. We will begin work shortly after the day starts at 8:00 am and continue through the day. Work may be done at both the UWM SoCE and the Bucketworks Co-working Space on the second floor of the building. A profile of the non-profit and what we want to accomplish will be posted prior to the event.

Happiness Bar

The Happiness Bar will be open Saturday/Sunday where many WordPress experts can help you with your questions. Be sure to take some time to talk to these volunteers and see if they can help out with your website problem or just give you a better idea of how WordPress works.

Volunteers

Most volunteers and organizers will be wearing green shirts. Organizers are indicated on their badges. Please flag one of these people down if you are in need of any help. You can also visit the registration table for help during the event. If one of the volunteers can not answer your question, they will be able to direct you to one of the organizers who can.

Sponsors

Sponsors will be in attendance and have tables with swag and product information and many will be giving presentations at the event. Please take some time to say hi to them and thank them for sponsoring the event. Without their generosity, we would not be able to have this event.

WiFi and Technology

WiFi will be available at the venue. Connection information will be posted at the venue and in each session room. You are encouraged to bring a laptop to the event to take notes and work along with the presenters. There will be tables in the rooms for the Friday Workshops, but due to the number of attendees in every room on Saturday/Sunday we will not be able to have tables. Power will be limited in each room, so be sure to charge your battery beforehand.

Code of Conduct

Please be sure to review our code of conduct. We want to provide a welcoming environment for all people. This code applies to all attendees, speakers, sponsors, and volunteers. If you are found to violate this, you may be asked to leave the event. View the code of conduct here: https://2014.milwaukee.wordcamp.org/code-of-conduct/

July 25-27, 2014 at UW-M School of Continuing Education

WordCamp Milwaukee 2014 is over. Check out the next edition!