My Proposal for WordCamp DFW 2014

The following is my first WordCamp Proposal.  In fact it is the first time I have ever written a proposal to speak for anything, let alone WordCamp,  This will be my second WordCamp, and after the excitement at WCNYC I look forward to seeing what is here in my hometown.

WordPress is Free, Your Time is Not.

When many of us take the dive to set up our first WordPress site, whether it’s for yourself or a client it’s easy to lose enormous amounts of time. For many veteran WordPress developers it is very easy to forget that first experience of stumbling through the dashboard, or sifting through countless plugins. I intend to walkthrough the process of getting a domain to launching a basic site. I will explain the practical use for premium plugins (and well established free or fremium plugins.) These will include:

• Gravity Forms
• Jetpack
• WordPress SEO by Yoast
• Backup Buddy
• ithemes security
• Pods Frame Work

I will also briefly touch on eCommerce  using:

• WP eCommerce
• WooCommerce
• Easy Digital Downloads

I will discuss the many uses of Jetpack:

• the many sharing/publication/social settings
• widget visibility
• custom content types
• wp.me shortlinks
• photon
• Site Stats
• google authorship
• site verification (and setting up Google and Bing webmaster tools)

I will then briefly cover some best practices when it comes to SEO.  I will outline the importance of headings (that they are used for organizing content not for styling), good titles are nearly as important as good content, and I will mention rich snippets; what they are for, some generators that exist and how to check your site with the rich snippet testing tool.

My goal is that a developer new to WordPress will walk away with some useful tips and tricks to save time on their next project.

Or a business owner that already has a WordPress site feels empowered to expand their sites role in their business; or their role with the website.

Or a historian with little technical skills, whose entire livelihood revolves around their writing, may have the courage to make the jump from traditional publication to including an online archive of their works.

This presentation is for non-coders, though as stated developers new to WordPress may find it helpful as well.  As I feel there is a lot of content to cover here I will use a slideshow and not an interactive demonstration.