Category Archives: Uncategorized

Thank You to GoDaddy, Partner Sponsor

Thank you GoDaddy for being a Partner level sponsor for the first ever WordCamp Jackson!

GoDaddy’s mission is to radically shift the global economy toward small businesses by empowering people to easily start, confidently grow and successfully run their own ventures. With more than 12 million customers worldwide and 57 million domain names under management, GoDaddy gives small business owners the tools to name their idea, build a beautiful online presence, attract customers and manage their business.


Tickets are still available for WordCamp Jackson 2017:

https://2017.jackson.wordcamp.org/tickets/

A Special Thank You to LearnDash, Partner Sponsor

Thank you LearnDash for sponsoring WordCamp Jackson! Generous partners like you help make WordCamp possible, and we’re so grateful for your contribution.

LearnDash is taking cutting edge elearning methodology and infusing it into WordPress. More than just a plugin, we provide practical and experience driven guidance for individuals and organizations interested in setting up online courses.

Learn more at https://www.learndash.com/


Tickets are still available for WordCamp Jackson 2017:

https://2017.jackson.wordcamp.org/tickets/

Thank You BoldGrid, Advocate Sponsor

Thank you BoldGrid, for being an Advocate Sponsor of WordCamp Jackson!

BoldGrid is a website builder powered by WordPress. It is a free set of WordPress plugins, themes, and other content that allows site creation and management similar to non-WordPress web builders. Created for both design professionals and corporate webmasters, BoldGrid is also being used by DIYers getting started with WordPress.

Experience WordPress as a website builder with BoldGrid.


Tickets are still available for WordCamp Jackson 2017:

https://2017.jackson.wordcamp.org/tickets/

Introducing Our Third (Final) Round of Speakers!

Introducing Our Third (Final) Batch of Speakers!

Here’s the third and final batch of speakers for WordCamp Jackson, happening this coming Friday and Saturday May 5-6! Get your tickets if you haven’t already.

AJ Morris

AJ is the Managed WordPress Product Manager for Liquid Web, a fully managed hosting company. In his position AJ is responsible for the leading product and go to market strategy for Liquid Web’s Managed WordPress product line. He oversees initiatives focusing on open-source, community and spreading the love of WordPress.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Starting Your First Online Business with WordPress and Getting started with WP-CLI, a command-line tool to automate your life


Nicole Arnold

Nicole is a software developer at Alley Interactive, a full-service digital agency focused on news media, where she develops WordPress sites for high profile clients such as Digiday and The New York Post. She also contributes to WordPress as part of the Documentation Team, and has spoken at Detroit area meetups and several WordCamps across the U.S. and Canada.

WordCamp Jackson topic: More Core Functions You (Maybe) Don’t Know Exist


Tessa Kriesel

Tessa has more than a decade of experience as a front end developer, including both freelancing and working for creative agencies and corporate companies. She is also an Instructor for the Minneapolis chapter of Girl Develop It!, a national nonprofit that teaches women to code, where she manages curriculum and teaches courses.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Introduction to Configuration Management


Steve Bennett

Steve is co- founder of Real Big Marketing in Jackson, MI which leverages WordPress to enhance the web for it’s clients. Steve has 9 years of experience with the platform and enjoys sharing his enthusiasm at Meetups and WordCamps. You may find him online at @BigActual.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Moving your business to WordPress


John Parkinson

WordPress user since 2010. Volunteer with WordPress TV since 2014.

WordCamp Jackson topic: The Accidental Vlogger


Courtney Boatin

Courtney Boatin is a WordPress site designer, HubSpot partner, and agency owner since 2008. She specializes in B2B and Medical inbound marketing and website design.

WordCamp Jackson topic: How to turn your B2B website into a lead generation machine


Rich Collier

Rich has been building websites since the beginning of the web. He discovered WordPress in it’s early years and has made many core contributions and authored several plugins. He worked as Director of Engineering at a major publisher in the United States and has now settled in at Automattic, building the next generation of Jetpack and VaultPress.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Coding With Jetpack

Thank You Advocate Sponsor Jetpack

Another great WordPress tool is an awesome plugin called Jetpack! And they’re another one of our top level Advocate sponsors for WordCamp Jackson.  Thank you, for making our event possible!!

Jetpack – Grow and Secure your WordPress Site. jetpack.com

Jetpack can supercharge your self-hosted site with a suite of the most powerful WordPress.com features. Whatever sort of site you’re running, Jetpack keeps your site secure and helps you increase traffic. Jetpack connects your site to the global services, community, and support provided by WordPress.com so you can focus on the stuff that matters.


Tickets are still available for WordCamp Jackson 2017:

https://2017.jackson.wordcamp.org/tickets/

A Special Thank You to Advocate Sponsor WooCommerce

We’d like to give a special thank you to another one of our Advocate Sponsors, WooCommerce – with out their help, WordCamp Jackson would not be possible.

WooCommerce, self-billed as the best ecommerce platform for WordPress, is one of the most popular eccomerce solutions used by developers.  Being popular means that others are using it, developing tools for it and there is a large community that probably are dealing with the same issues that you are going to deal with.

Check out Woocommerce at https://woocommerce.com/


Tickets are still available for WordCamp Jackson 2017:

https://2017.jackson.wordcamp.org/tickets/

Introducing Our Second Batch of Speakers!

Introducing Our Second Batch of Speakers!

Here’s the second batch of speakers for WordCamp Jackson, happening this coming Friday and Saturday May 5-6! Stay tuned for a third batch of additional and equally awesome speakers tomorrow.

Eric Malcolm

Web Designer, Developer and Strategist working in the front-end and with WordPress.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Woocommerce: Products, Memberships, Subscriptions and more


Topher DeRosia

Topher DeRosia is a WordPress developer.

WordCamp Jackson topic: How to Deal with Negative Feedback


Laura Eagin

Laura and her business partner, Leeann Drees, run the web development studio ellell & co, where they roll up their sleeves and craft beautiful custom websites for small businesses.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Panel: Starting and Running a WordPress Agency


Ian Wilson

Ian Wilson is Creative Director, Chief Technical Overlord, Captain of Podcasting and co-owner at build/create studios, a WordPress agency in Ann Arbor.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Imposter Syndrome


Andy Melichar

At night, Andy can be found throwing up a WordPress website for a family member, friend, or local non-profit. During the day, Andy and his team at A2 Hosting work to create solutions that make the WordPress hosting experience easier, safer, and more robust for their customers and the community at large.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Takes Two


Clay McAndrews

Clay McAndrews is a graphic designer with 5 years professional experience in a corporate environment.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Design – A Crucial Step to Any Business


Janelle Reichman

Janelle Reichman is the owner of Continuum Design + Web, a company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan offering custom WordPress website design and development to small business owners as well as musicians and artists.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Panel: Starting and Running a WordPress Agency


There you have it, the second round of speakers for WordCamp Jackson. Can’t wait to hear these people speak? Make sure and get your tickets today. Stay tuned until tomorrow for our third batch of speakers.

Thank You to Bluehost for being an Advocate Sponsor

Our valued sponsors help support the WordPress open source project by donating to WordCamp Jackson. Without them this event simply would not be possible. We are grateful to Bluehost for giving us their support!

Bluehost has been a WordPress partner since 2005 and powers over one million WordPress sites. Their goal is to provide outstanding hosting services and customer support for the best possible price. Bluehost is also constantly innovating and upgrading their services and infrastructure at no additional cost to their customers. Join the millions of other website owners that have already chosen Bluehost and see how they can help you with your site.


Tickets are still available for WordCamp Jackson 2017:

https://2017.jackson.wordcamp.org/tickets/

Thank You to A2 Hosting and Our Other Awesome Sponsors

We’d like to give a huge thanks A2 Hosting for all of their support in making this inaugural WordCamp Jackson great! We are counting down the days, and looking forward to seeing you all there.

A2 Hosting is active in the WordPress community – they sponsor over 20 meet up groups across the country including the following local meet-ups:

We’ll be posting throughout the next week about our Contributor, Advocate, and Partner sponsors that have made this first WordCamp Jackson possible. Keep an eye on our website and social media pages for more info on this very special event happening right here in Jackson!


WordCamp is a casual, locally organized conference covering everything related to WordPress. For more information about the event, and to purchase tickets, please visit https://2017.jackson.wordcamp.org/ #WCJXN

Introducing Our First Batch of Speakers!

Introducing Our First Batch of Speakers!

Here’s the first exciting batch of speakers for WordCamp Jackson, happening this Friday and Saturday May 5-6! Stay tuned for a second and third batch of additional and equally awesome speakers in the coming days.

Kyle Maurer

Kyle is basically the guy who takes care of any guitar solo related needs at Easy Digital Downloads…and occasionally some support tickets as well. He’s been developing websites since 2009 and loves making WordPress plugins.

During the day, Kyle divides his time between organizing WordPress events in Jackson and Ann Arbor, preparing talks for WordCamps, building WordPress sites for cool businesses, hacking on his latest plugin project and helping EDD customers make their online stores flourish.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Digital eCommerce for Beginners


Seth Alling

Seth Alling is a Detroit-based developer turned designer turned developer, who has been working with WordPress since 2009 and currently works as the Lead Developer for Ranch House Designs. When he’s not developing (or designing), you can find him running, playing soccer, or spending time with his wife and sons.

WordCamp Jackson topic: DIY WordPress


Patricia Robertson

Patricia is a writer, speaker and blogger. She is a retired minister and a teacher. She has had a WordPress website for the past three year and has been blogging for over five years.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Grow Your Reach Through Blogging


Paul Douglas

Paul Douglas is a WordPress professional with over a decade of web development experience, 5 years working with WordPress as a user first, then developer. He builds custom websites and WordPress themes using Genesis framework. He is in constant study, refining his modern workflow as technology evolves.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Modern Workflow Tools & Overview


Sara Dunn

Founder and Project Lead at 11Web, a three- person remote agency based in Battle Creek, MI. A code junkie since junior high, Sara started her business with just a cell phone, a laptop, and a load of enthusiasm in 2012. Since then, 11Web has served over 100 clients, all thanks to referrals and word-of-mouth.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Get Website Visitors To Actually Take Action and Panel: Starting and Running a WordPress Agency


Mike Hale

Mike Hale is a developer at Rainmaker Digital where he helps build the Rainmaker Platform. He has worked in software development for almost 20 years, and started working with WordPress in 2010, specializing in developing custom plugins and sites using the Genesis Framework. He is also a writer, puppeteer, podcaster and co- organizer of the WordPress Naperville Meetup.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Building a Developer Friendly WordPress Plugin and Imposter Syndrome


Leeann Drees

Leeann and her business partner, Laura Eagin, run the web development studio ellell & co, where they roll up their sleeves and craft beautiful custom websites for small businesses.

WordCamp Jackson topic: Panel: Starting and Running a WordPress Agency


So there you have it, the first round of speakers for WordCamp Jackson. Can’t wait to hear these people speak? Make sure and get your tickets today. Stay tuned until tomorrow for our second batch of speakers.