Sessions

Content strategists distinguish between storing content in unstructured “blobs” and storing content in structured “chunks.” Where do Gutenberg “blocks” fit in? How is Gutenberg-edited content stored, and how do we get the benefits of blocks without going all blobby?

Drupal is an open source content management system and is in many ways similar to WordPress. It’s used to make many of the websites and applications you use every day. Over the years Drupal and WordPress have matured alongside each other — borrowing many of the features or techniques that work best along the way. In this session, I’ll offer an introduction to Drupal’s functionality and best use cases while comparing and contrasting what we already know about WordPress.

Key takeaway: “I can be a better developer and site builder by leveraging the diverse community in other open source projects.”

Digital projects bring together a wide range of stakeholders to solve deeply impactful, cross-functional challenges. Everyone wins! But everyone defines winning differently. From initial website strategy, to SEO goals, to the designer’s vision and client expectations, my goal is to help you (or your team) translate client objectives into clear project requirements.

It’s tempting to believe that great brands achieve their iconic statuses because of serendipity, an unattainable magic formula, or even the genius of a single visionary leader. However, it’s something any startup can achieve. Great brands can be built, and I’ll show you how.

WordPress coding standards exist for a reason. WPCS is a set of rules PHPCS (PHP Code Sniffer) that makes it super easy to comply with WordPress coding standards by showing you the areas of your code that do not comply. In this session, we will cover setting up PHPCS with WPCS as well as other tools to help make your code beautiful.

Tired of building WordPress sites or plugins and having no cash to show for it? Do you feel like you’re running in circles trying to make money, but are trapped in a constant state of cash insecurity? In this session we’ll cover how you can break the wheel of inconsistent cash flow.

In this talk we will discuss the why, when, and how of using SVG’s (Scalable Vector Graphics) in your project. At code42, we decided to exclusively use SVG’s for iconography and logos across all our production websites. I will share what we learned throughout this process, the use cases, edge cases, best cases, and worst cases. Also, we will take a in-depth look at anatomy of an SVG. Finally we will compare capabilities SVG vs .png, CSS, JavaScript. You will leave this talk excited and prepared to implement SVG’s in your next project.

Even if you’ve never used SVG before, come learn how to get started with this amazing element.

Join us for outdoor activities, lunch & beverages at our afternoon after party!

Loring Pasta Bar

327 14th Avenue SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612–378–4849

Join Us at the State Fair

After deploying code most of us go look at the home page (and other templates) to make sure things okay. It’s a cumbersome task that, let’s be honest, we probably can do more thoroughly. In this talk we will look at using visual regression testing to automate this process and let tools do the work!

This talk will explore the pitfalls and growing pains that come with the transition from Freelancer to Agency owner.

From not knowing how long tasks really takes to the unexpected expense of management tools and lost billable hours. It will also share both online & online resources…

In this fun, fast moving presentation we look at how to become the Action Hero of Your Own Life by overcoming procrastination and distractions, building stronger habits, developing self-control, and employing laser focus. All so you can be more efficient with your time and energy.

We’ve been hearing for years about WordPress’s famous 5-minute install. The plugin ecosystem makes sites infinitely extensible, and WP-CLI provides additional flexibility for the platform. What if we introduced another modern tool to the mix? In this session, I will discuss Composer, a command-line utility used to easily pull in code that your project needs, including WordPress itself.

Got Customers? Part of your job likely includes project management.

As developers, we want to make websites. But in order for a project to be successful, we need to apply some project management. We will cover some tools to help, discuss scope creep, and explore ways to keep your projects on track.

Anyone can UX. Come learn some UX tips & tricks curated from years of user experience design projects, large and small!

Automated build tools like Webpack, Gulp and Grunt speed up development time, catch bugs before they become a problem, and are important for an easy workflow. This talk will focus on using these tools in WordPress themes or plugins to make your process and code easier to work with and maintain.

“Agh! Again?!”, I sulked as I started what would be my 3rd all-nighter of the month.

My freelance biz was messy.  Real messy.

“No longer!” I vowed, as my 4-month-old daughter screamed from the bedroom.

During our conversation, I will share 10 life–changing things I did to tidy up my freelance WordPress biz and concurrently work magic in my life.  With real-life examples that you can take action on TODAY to free up headspace and make your freelance biz the work of your dreams!

Marketing automation integrations continue to offer more opportunities to increase marketing potential of any WordPress website. I will cover basics very quickly and discuss and show a variety of free and paid automation tools you can use. We will also cover a simple workflow.

ElasticPress is an open source plugin that can supercharge your WordPress search with the features of Elasticsearch. But did you know that ElasticPress can do so much more? From related content to faceted filtering to complex taxonomy queries, ElasticPress can power it all!

What has been bugging you most about search engine optimization? Ask this panel! You’ll find a wealth of insight with this group and friendly answers for all levels of experience.

Successful professionals move ideas and people from here to there. Along the way, you will be asked to do things you’ve never done before. It’s easy to feel inadequate and incompetent, despite evidence that suggests that you’re good at what you do. Unpack ideas to help you reach your full potential.

WP-CLI is fantastically awesome, but did you know it’s surprisingly easy to make it even moreso? Come to this session and you’ll learn how to write your own WP-CLI commands, while also getting inspired by how we’ve used it at my agency to really speed up all our custom development work.

If you can never seem to find time to redesign your own website or launch a new service because you’re too busy with client work… you’re not alone, and this talk is for you! You’ll leave with a clear strategy and helpful tools to accomplish your goals and grow your business.

Everyone starts with 0 sites, but how do you grow to 3, 5 or even 10 sites? With 6 easy to follow steps, we’ll layout the roadmap for growing your WordPress freelance business.

Agile project management emphasizes working in small chunks. Oddly, many teams attempt one giant leap to switch themselves to processes that are all about baby steps. This session will suggest that web agencies treat their own project teams as the product on which they iterate.

Betcha your hacking wasn’t covered on MTV. Mine was. After lifting myself up from the depths of embarrassment, I took security seriously, re-evaluated my blogging philosophy, resurrected my site, & cooperated/collaborated with similar sites, to reach common goals. You too can recover from disaster.

I blog out loud. I use my phone to capture my voice and turn it into text content. I copy and paste the content into a new post. Now all I have to do is add a few images and links. In just 15 minutes, you can have your next blog post written.

So you’ve probably heard about Gutenberg, but how do you start building your own Gutenberg blocks? We’ll cover tooling and the basics to create simple blocks. I’ll also walk through a simple example to help attendees feel comfortable enough to get started.

As the web evolves, your website should evolve with it, but don’t get too distracted by the shiny new things. Sometimes we all need to take a step back and focus on the basics. In this session, we’ll talk about things your website should be doing, or doing better. From accessibility to security, I’ll give insight and resources to help keep you current and your customers happy.

My session will provide examples & how-tos on community building IRL. We will go into social media platforms & how it’s a start, but then dive deeper into IRL engagement; What does this look like? How can one start?

This talk will go into the importance of community & how intentionally building community will directly affect the social trajectory of our neighborhoods all the way up to our nation

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression”. It can be applied to everything from meeting your future in-laws for the first time, to selling your home, to…you guessed it, having an compelling website.

Is your website content presented in the best way possible to attract and keep readers? Stumped on how to take a great photo or find a fabulous graphic? How can I put my best foot forward if I’m not a trained journalist, graphic designer, or professional photographer?

We’ll talk about practical resources and advice that beginners to seasoned veterans can use to improve their content and their perception to their audience.

Learn smart ways to consider and estimate time-based resources for deliverable work. Understand how uncertainty can be accounted for, but also conveyed in an estimate. Use these tools to estimate your efforts better and faster.

We’re seeing a renaissance in design tooling with the rise of Sketch, Abstract, and more. At Modern Tribe, we rebuilt our design system from the ground up to leverage these new tools resulting in faster production, higher quality, deeper systems thinking, and increased efficiencies in developer handoff and coordination. Closing the gap between design and dev for the betterment for both.

CSS Grid is here! Finally, we can build flexible, accessible, and dynamic layouts without all of the tricks, hacks, or complicated frameworks. In this session, you’ll get a taste of the potential CSS Grid opens up, learn the basics of this new layout model, and modernize your web layout game. Explore this new world of layout possibilities and get comfortable with CSS Grid.

I’ve asked nearly 100 people one pointed question: “How did you build that?” I’ve gotten a lot of great answers and they’ve helped me grow as an entrepreneur. In this talk, I’ll share what I’ve learned with you.

Any good content strategy starts at the beginning, but too often, the ‘strategy’ becomes clients creating their own content plan. When they realize they don’t know what to do, we are asked to rescue them and their content right before launch. We will cover tools you can use to get your client to the finish line. It’s not going to be pretty, but they will help us get an MVP strategy done.

Working as a freelancer or running a WordPress agency can take a significant toll on your personal relationships. Running a business is stressful, isolating, and wrought with the kinds of challenges that can cause friction in the even the most connected couples. In this talk, Dr. Sherry will walk you through tried and true strategies for protecting your most important relationships in the midst of the growing your professional WordPress career.

Don’t leave whether you’ll have a great team to chance. Learn how great teams can be produced through intentional design.

Michael, using his experience as a core contributor and release manager for Joomla, will lead a discussion on the importance of collaboration amongst open source and why each one of us are responsible for steering the open web.

Is client work flooding in and all you do is play catch up? Is your business running you instead of you running your business? In this session, you will learn how to strategically prepare for growth, connect with resources, and implement practical tips for understanding what changes need to happen and how to facilitate those changes to improve your overall WordPress business and your life.

In this session we will cover effective theme design, theme development standards, coding best practices, Retina and responsive styling, and theme optimization.

This talk will give beginning theme developers a solid foundation of knowledge that they can use to make more informed decisions about how they can build their themes, and theme development knowledge, in the future.

Be Smart and Be Helpful: Success, Generosity, and the Business of People

TBD

Onboard New Clients To Set Expectations And Create Extraordinary Experiences

Onboarding is the process of getting new clients educated and up to speed so you can work together effectively, gather information, and have a great relationship. It increases confidence and satisfaction, improves productivity and performance, and reduces stress and confusion. In this workshop, discover how to onboard clients, review a successful onboarding system, and learn how to create your own

WooCommerce And You – A Love Story

In this 2 hour workshop you’ll learn step by step how to set up a WooCommerce site. Bring your laptop. We’ll go into payments, shipping, taxes, how to setup products, and where to go after your store is working and you’re ready to make it even better.

Building Your First Plugin – A Complete Newbie’s Guide to Creating a Plugin

This talk will cover everything you need to know in order to create a plugin to start using on your own site. You won’t need to have any prior PHP or other coding knowledge to walk away with something you can use right away.

If you want to learn programming, you need to study problem solving, data structures, and algorithms. These coding basics will take you far, no matter the language. These are the 3 areas I want to cover in this workshop. We’ll do a basic overview of data structures, and discuss how they’re used in PHP. Then go over problem solving techniques and allow attendees to break into groups to do a few exercises. Then we can close out the workshop but putting it into practice. We’ll show example functions and walk through how to make them more performant by improving the data structures and algorithms used to solve the problem.