HOW GIVING BACK TO WORDPRESS GROWS MY NETWORK

Presented by : Shayda Torabi WordCamp US 2016

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YOU HAVE TWO HANDS, ONE TO HELP YOURSELF AND ONE TO HELP

OTHERS

— AUDREY HEPBURN

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WHO IS SHAYDA TORABI?- WordPress user for 9 years - WP Engine employee for 3.5 years - Attended over 30 WordCamps

- Austin, Texas native and resident - Product Marketing at WP Engine - WordPress blogger DineWithShayda.com - Human Dot Connector - Social as @shaptora/ @dinewithshayda

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WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD… WHAT DID YOU DREAM OF BECOMING?

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WHAT ARE YOU GREAT AT?@SHAPTORA

“FACT: 100% of the people at WordCamp US use WordPress.

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“We all use WordPress, but do we all give back to it?

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PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE AND MAKE WORDPRESS MORE AWESOME

People do business with people they know or have heard of

And You’re going to improve the platform, community and experience for others

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Giving back to WordPress is so easy. For me it’s been a whole sphere of things. Participating at the local meetup of years. Giving dozens of free workshops in the Seattle area over the last few years. Speaking at WordCamps and other conferences. And just reaching out to people who need a little help. When you go as far as adding WP at the end of your name, well, it pretty much sticks :D

The impact has been huge because of all the great people I have met around the world. So many of those relationships have grown beyond just being colleagues, to friendships that amazingly grow stronger, even if just online. The biggest impact is it gave me the opportunity to do what I realized I love to do. Teach and help people.

Bob Dunn of BobWP

I'm a WordPress Community Team Deputy. This means that I vet, interview, and advise organizers, and otherwise provide support for WordCamps around the world. I also help to bring in and train even more deputies to help decentralize the power and responsibility of the WordCamp program. I personally have gained insight into the challenges that face the broader WordPress community. It's also helped me connect on a human level with people from a variety of cultures around our common love of WordPress.

Brandon Dove of Pixel Jar Agency

Well I contribute code through plugins, but education is probably where I contribute most - planning and speaking at WordCamps, writing tutorials and books, etc.It has impacted my life is a huge way. I have my job today because of WordPress. I’ve been twice published because of WordPress. I’ve met a lot of amazing people and have seen so many great cities because of WordPress.

Joe Casabona of Crowd Favorite

I love helping small businesses succeed so going to WordCamps and talking to business owners is my favorite way to contribute. Since my day job is talking to WooCommerce customers I can easily write up a talk summarizing the top 10 pitfalls that store owners face and how to fix them. It's challenging because ya know public speaking is terrifying but really rewarding when I get a tweet or email about how someone took my advice..

Patrick Rauland of Woo Themes/Automattic

I've contributed code to core, Organized WC Minneapolis 2013 and 2014, Spoken at around 20 different camps, I've sponsored WordCamps, Mentored the organizers for the first WC Calgary in 2014, Organizer of the WordPress NJ Meetup group, Started an Advanced Developers Meetup in MN that is still running and have spoken at countless meetups.

What I've gotten from giving back to WordPress, is priceless. I've made some of my best friends through my involvement with WordPress and been able to travel all over the country sharing the things I've learned and developed with others. Meeting future employees/employers takes more than just being present though, it takes engaging people in conversation and projects. Sharing what I'm working on and being interested in what others are working on is how many of my personal relationships started.

Kiko Doran of InGroup Consulting

I give back to WP as a lead organizer of WordCamps, and a continuing ED instructor for WordPress. I try to answer questions in the forums as much as I can. It has impacted all of my life as WordPress security is what pays my bills!

Michele Butcher of WP Security Lock

STORIES FROM SOME OF MY AWESOME FRIENDS

WAYS FOR YOU TO GET INVOLVED NO MATTER WHAT YOU’RE GREATNESS IS:

➤ CORE

➤ DESIGN

➤ MOBILE

➤ ACCESSIBILITY

➤ POLYGLOTS

➤ SUPPORT

➤ DOCUMENTATION

➤ THEMES

➤ PLUGINS

➤ COMMUNITY

➤ TRAINING

➤ META

➤ FLOW

➤ TV

MAKE.WORDPRESS.ORG

SUCCESS IS FINDING SATISFACTION IN GIVING A LITTLE MORE THAN YOU TAKE

— CHRISTOPHER REEVE

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WHAT IF YOU SAID HI TO A STRANGER?

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THREE SIMPLE RULES FOR LIFE1. If you do not go after what you want, you will never have it 2. If you do not ask, the answer will always be no 3. If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place

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REAL GENEROSITY TOWARD THE FUTURE LIES IN GIVING ALL TO THE

PRESENT.

— ALBERT CAMUS

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THANK YOU!Shayda Torabi Twitter: @shaptora/ @dinewithshayda www.dinewithshayda.com @wpengine + we’re hiring

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