Author: Jen Swisher

There are less than 100 days until WordCamp US 2018! We’re excited to share that we’ll again be having the WordCamp US afterparty at the Adventure Science Center! This year’s afterparty is moving from Saturday evening to Friday, December 7th starting at 8p.m.

Just like last year, the entire 44,000 square foot building will be open to us. Attendee favorites such as “Mind Ball” and the “Moonwalk” will be there to enjoy again, as well as a new exhibit called “Earth Explorers,” presented by National Geographic. In addition to the dozens of interactive exhibits and activities, there will also be shows playing in the Sudekum Planetarium.
Continue reading “WCUS 2018: Announcing Our After Party” →

Like WordCamp US 2017, we will have a Slack channel on the WordPress Project slack. For those already on the WP Project Slack, the channel name is just #wcus.

What is Slack?

Slack is a communication tool used by the WordPress Community to communicate about various aspects of the WordPress Project. In addition to being able to directly message anyone who has an account, you can join a number of different “channels” to communicate about specific topics. For example, WordCamp US has a channel on the WordPress Project Slack to talk about WordCamp US-related things. As stated above, that channel is called #wcus.
Continue reading “Connect with Other WordCampers on Slack” →

During WordCamp US 2017, the organizing team received a lot of questions about why some folks had their picture on their badges and others didn’t. The answer to this question is fairly simple and easy to take care of. The profile images on people’s badges came from their Gravatar profile.

What is a Gravatar?

A Gravatar is a “globally recognized avatar.” You upload your picture and create your profile once, and when you register using your Gravatar email on any website that uses Gravatars, your Gravatar image will show up there. Gravatar is a free service that is included with every WordPress.com account and is run and supported by Automattic.
Continue reading “Adding a Profile Image to Your WordCamp US Badge” →

Downtown Nashville is jam-packed with cool things to do, see, and eat! We’ve created a map of some of the most popular places in the area to help you plan your trip. Is something missing from our map? Let us know, and we’ll get it added to the map.

The Nashville Map can also be viewed on your mobile device in the Google Maps app.

Summer is a busy time of year for many of us. With July’s month of Independence Day celebrations, barbecues, and pool parties, the last thing you’re probably thinking about is volunteering at an event that doesn’t happen for six more months. Because of this, we’ve decided to extend the Call for Volunteers for WordCamp US to July 31st!

You now have until 11:59p.m. CDT (-5 GMT) on July 31st to apply to volunteer at WCUS. We’re still looking for people in a variety of areas, and we even ask on our volunteer application which areas you would absolutely dread working in. We welcome volunteers of all ages and experience levels. Experience is not required, we’ll teach you how to do your volunteer job during volunteer orientation (you’ll learn more about that later).

Perks of Volunteering for WCUS

WordCamp US wouldn’t be possible without hard work from folks just like yourself. In addition to our undying gratitude, WCUS volunteers get:

• • Free WCUS Admission – Admission includes two days of sessions, contributor day, lunch all three days, a t-shirt and other exclusive swag, and admission to the afterparty.
  • A volunteer t-shirt – In addition to the t-shirt that comes with your WCUS ticket, you’ll get a special volunteer t-shirt to wear during your shift(s).
  • An invitation to the volunteer party – The night before WCUS starts, you’ll be invited to join all of the other amazing volunteers for a night of food, fun, and socializing.

If you’re interested in volunteering, fill out our volunteer application and we’ll be in touch. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Schedules this time of year are CRAZY. Between summer vacations, sports practices, family get-togethers, etc., it’s a wonder we aren’t all running around in circles. With that in mind, we wanted to remind you about several WCUS-related deadlines coming up.

Call for Speakers: July 1st

On July 1st at 11:59p.m. CDT (-5 GMT), the Call for Speakers will close. Be sure to get your talk submission(s) in before then! You can apply to speak by going to WCUS-Speakers.org.

Call for Volunteers: July 15th

On July 15th, the Call for Volunteers will close. We need about 300 volunteers to run our camp, so be sure to sign up! If you apply to speak and are selected, we will work with you to adjust your volunteer schedule accordingly.

Visa Letter: October 15th

If you are travelling to WordCamp US from outside of the United States and you would like a letter to attach to your visa application, please purchase a ticket and request your visa letter by October 15th. Visa letters typically take 1 to 2 weeks to fulfill. After October 15th, we can not guarantee the timeliness of your visa letter.

Printing Deadline: November 1st

To ensure we can give our swag and print vendors enough time to fulfill our orders, we have to set a deadline of November 1st. After November 1st, we cannot guarantee you a printed attendee badge or your preferred t-shirt size.

You can still purchase a ticket after November 1st. We will have blank badges that we will write your name on and we always order extra t-shirts in a range of sizes.

Having Issues?

That stinks. The WCUS organizing team is always here to help! If you have any questions or issues, feel free to contact us.

The lifeblood of any WordCamp is its amazing, hard-working volunteers. From organizers, to speakers, to sponsors, and everyone in between, without them, WordCamps would cease to exist. WordCamp US is no exception.

The WordCamp US organizing team is looking for people with all kinds of skills and talents that are willing to share their time with us during the weekend of WordCamp US (December 7-9, 2018). We’re looking for people to fill a variety of roles including registration, session rooms, sponsor hall, happiness lounge, and more.

Interested? Fill out the form on our Call for Volunteers page.

We’re excited to announce that sponsorship packages are now available! If you’re interested in a particular level, fill out the form on our Call for Sponsors page. As in previous years, several of our levels have limited spaces available, so be sure to sign up before spots fill up.

Have questions? Drop us a note on the Contact Us page.