In a recent post and at a session at last weekend’s WordCamp NYC Jim Groom questions how much commercialization belongs in the WordPress community.  A post on the WPMU.ORG blog, holds that WordPress’ future is in premium, purchased plug-ins, a point Jim takes great exception to.  He points out that the strength and quality of WordPress is a direct result of the active, sharing community, and if increased commercialization displaced this shared ethos, then WordPress might well suffer.  And while I agree with Jim, I also wonder if this isn’t an inevitable phase in the growth of WordPress and other active open source projects.

Read the rest of this entry »

At WordCamp NYC 2009, Ramil Teodosio’s session on WP Intranets was just what I needed for an upcoming project.  In the session he walked us through a project management site he uses for software development in a group/team setting.  He uses categories in some really clever ways along with a couple of plug-ins to build a pretty powerful application.  In his words WordPress has become his “swiss army knife”, a flexible tool that can adapt to many different needs.

Read the rest of this entry »

The WordCamp NYC Educators Roundtable featured Matt Mullenweg, Joseph Ugoretz, Jim Groom, Luke Waltzer, Tom Woodward,  facilitated by Mikhail Gershovich.  I have the audio posted below, and with a crew like this you know the discussion is worth listening to.  So my apologies, as the audio is less than perfect.  I only post it here because I didn’t see anyone else recording it.  At least you know it is live and unedited!

Read the rest of this entry »

I caught a video from WordCamp Portland, where Duane Storey was talking about the “Mobile Frontier.”  He mentions some interesting statistics, such as most people using a mobile phone to web browse prefer a mobile-friendly web site, while at the same time the majority of web sites don’t offer a mobile-friendly theme.  Seems like a bit of a disconnect.  And completely unnecessary, as getting a mobile design for your site couldn’t be easier — especially if you use WordPress.  But the resources offered below also have options for Drupal and others.  I use the MobilePress plug-in on my site — it is really easy to use, allows multiple versions for various browsers, and I like the way it displays on my blackberry.

Read the rest of this entry »

I got my reservation set to WordCamp NYC!  Take my advice and don’t wait — last year I got shut out by the time I got around to making the committment to attending.  Not much on the schedule yet, although Matt Mullenweg will be there.  But it is WordPress and the Big Apple – you know it is gonna be good.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last February I helped plan a day long WordPress in education workshop.  We had a great crowd who left the day energized, informed, and full of great ideas to take back to their workplaces.  Plans are underway for a second WordPress in education event as part of the NERCOMP SIG program, and I would love your input.  Here are the details:

Read the rest of this entry »