Last year, I went to WordCamp Cincinnati 2016. It was my first WordCamp, and the first one in Cincinnati.

I had no idea what to expect, but hoped I might learn a thing or two. Would it be worth it, even for an introvert/non-coder/freelance writer like me?

It was… and then some!

Here’s why…

Last year’s WordCamp Cincinnati was a WordPress training and networking meetup, sort of like a WordPress University: Weekend Edition (without the grades and all-nighters), where local WordPressers of all stripes came together to share what they know and to learn from each other.

Lunch & Laughs: Intrepid WordCamp women grab a bite and swap stories at lunch in Tangeman Center. (Lunch both days is included in the ticket price.)

If You Want to Learn WordPress in Cincinnati, WordCamp Cincinnati 2017 Is a Can’t-Miss Event

At WordCamp Cincinnati 2016, there was a long list of sessions offered— from technical to practical, and for every experience level from beginner to power user to developer— on a broad range of topics, from content marketing, podcasting, SEO and membership sites to site maintenance, security, advanced custom fields and multi-site development (and that’s just scratching the surface).

You can check out last year’s full list of presentations here. (This year’s event is still in the planning phase, more on that in a moment…)

The speakers were an impressive lineup of subject matter experts who volunteered their time and shared their smarts. Most presenters were local to the Cincinnati area, including some from the university. And all of them (at least from the sessions I attended) stayed and answered individual questions afterward— I got a lot of great info by hanging around after and chatting one-on-one.

Academic Advice: UC faculty members Julie Campbell-Holmes, Michael Holmes, Autumn Miller and Lora Arduser talk about how higher education and nonprofits can use WordPress to reach their audiences at WordCamp Cincinnati 2016.

The bench of talent was wide, and everyone’s willingness to share resources and their own connections made it deep as well. I’d be willing to bet you could find a resource (or at least someone else to ask) for just about anything you might need.

It’s a small WordPress world, or so it seems…

Learn Some New WordPress Things— In Your Zone or Outside Your Bubble

At WordCamp, you can learn what you want and skip what you don’t. But if you attend some sessions outside of your primary areas of expertise, you’ll probably still learn some useful things. (I did.)

I’m not a developer; I’m primarily a conversion copywriter and marketer (though I have made websites for clients). And sure, I went to some sessions in the Marketing track– I’m always looking to learn the latest and greatest, and in marketing, there’s always something new to know.

But I also attended a couple of Developer track sessions on website security and plugin development, and even a non-coder like me got something out of them.

… Like how to change the configuration of a security plugin to fix an error that had been bugging me for months.

… And a trick for using Inspect Element to find CSS info.

… And a better understanding of what happens behind the scenes when I install a plugin that helped me fix a problem from outside the WordPress dashboard when I couldn’t log in.

I may never be a developer (or maybe I will someday— with WordPress, anything’s possible). But these little insights into what’s inside the “black box” of a WordPress site help me better understand how it works, so I can solve more problems and fix more errors myself.

A little information can be empowering. And there’s tons of it available for the asking at WordCamp.

Submitted by Julie Ladd of Copyshark.net