Why I’m not speaking at @yyjWordCamp and why I think you should attend anyways

When I announced on Twitter a few weeks back that I wasn’t going to be speaking at WordCamp Victoria 2011 (which is organized by two of my very, very good friends Paul Holmes and his wife Katharine Holmes along with an amazing group of volunteers), some people looked puzzled. After all, I have spoken at several WordCamps, my websites are all designed and implemented in WordPress (even the UBC ones, as I am using BuddyPress on those). And I even code my own stunts. AND it’s organized by good friends of mine.

There is one key reason that in my brain, made sense for me not to pursue more aggressively proposing a talk at WordCamp Victoria (and now the programme is full). My main activity is NOT in the field of web development. Not even in writing. Heck, not even in blogging. All of these are side gigs of mine. My core activity is academic and consultant, and in 2011 I am presenting academic papers at the very least at 6 different conferences.

It makes more sense for me to speak, for example, at Social Media Camp Victoria 2011 than it does at WordCamp Victoria 2011. Why? Because I *use* social media tools in higher education, politics and public policy. I advise governments, non-profits and academics on how to use social media. This is an area where I am both knowledgeable and I see the immediate benefit.

But my most successful WordCamp talk so far has been Building Your Online Community with WordPress. And that’s literally a Blogging 101 talk. So, I’ll leave it to other WordPress experts (many of whom are dear friends of mine, in fact) to go and impart their wisdom on to you. You should attend, it’s totally worth it. And for the record, organizing a WordCamp doesn’t benefit anyone more than the community. The organizers work a lot to get the conference done for YOU, attendees.

You can RSVP here and you probably want to do that soon, as it’s selling out.