This document summarizes a talk given by John Housholder on the future of WordPress in Nashville. The talk addressed the growing WordPress community in Nashville, challenges with the current Meetup model, and a proposed solution to better connect WordPress professionals through a new website called WPNashville.com. The site would allow designers, developers, and businesses to more easily find and collaborate with each other through search features and community events. The goal is to foster more collaboration and improve Meetups through this online resource for the Nashville WordPress community.

1. Future of
WordPress in
John Housholder
@ahsodesigns
#wcn12

2. Who am I?
• E-Commerce with Foxycart and
WordPress presenter
• Emma Emarketing plugin
• Owner of Ah So Designs, local
WordPress shop
• MeetUp organizer with Randy
Hicks
• Art Institute of TNinstructor
Interactive Media
Web and @ahsodesigns

3. Why this talk, why
now?
Phone convo with Andrea (our
organizer)

4. Goal of this talk
Increase knowledge,
accessibility, and accountability
in the Nashville WordPress
community

5. Automattic Creed
I will never stop learning. I won’t just work on
things that are assigned to me. I know there’s no
such thing as a status quo. I will build our
business sustainably through passionate and
loyal customers. I will never pass up an
opportunity to help out a colleague, and I’ll
remember the days before I knew everything. I am
more motivated by impact than money, and I
know that Open Source is one of the most
powerful ideas of our generation. I will
communicate as much as possible, because it’s
the oxygen of a distributed company. I am in a
marathon, not a sprint, and no matter how far
away the goal is, the only way to get there is by
putting one foot in front of another every day.
Given time, there is no problem that’s
insurmountable.
Matt Mullenweg via
http://ma.tt/2011/09/automattic-creed/

6. The Numbers
303 members of the Nashville Meetup
Group
282 people in Nashville mention
WordPress in their LinkedIn profiles
44 Facebook members of WordPress
Nashville
148 followers of @wpnashville on
Twitter
220 people registered for the
WordCamp Nashville

7. Breakdown of people here today:
• 10% Advanced 10%
• 20% Developers 35%
• 32% Intermediate
21%
• 34% Beginner 33%
• 4% Margin of Error

8. Let me show you
WordPress Bingo !
Taken from Jane Well’s presentation at WordCamp Birmingham : http://
www.slideshare.net/janeforshort/wordpress-bingo-at-wordcamp-birmingham-2012

9. MeetUp Difficulties
Location
Scheduling
Parking
MeetUp.com

10. The Solution (some of it)
GOAL:
To connect Nashville WordPress
developers, designers, and
content creators using an online
free resource

11. You are a designer, you need a local
developer: two clicks : DONE
You are a developer who needs a design:
two clicks: DONE
You are a business who needs WordPress
training for your employees: two clicks:
DONE

12. HOW?
WPNashville.com
• portals with search
• commenting system
• badges

13. What about.....
MeetUp
Twitter
Facebook
Newsletter
• Meetups, projects, community
events
• Featured monthly
• designers
• developers
• content creator

14. What is the future of
WordPress in
Nashville......
Better Meetups
More collaboration

15. What now?
sign up at wpnashville.com

16. Let’s start!
• talk to those around you
• commit to coming to the next
Meetup
• TUESDAY MAY 15th: Social about
WordCamp
• share contact info

17. See everyone
tonight