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Sponsor Spotlight – Carbon60 Networks

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Simply put, Carbon60 provides a reliable, scalable and secure WordPress hosting platform in Canada and beyond for companies that can’t afford to be down. We cater to agencies and customers with websites that are high-traffic and high-visibility where any issues can have serious impact to their brand. Our depth and nimble structure can adapt to important deployments or events to help clients be successful – always.

We’ve tailored WordPress over the past several years to work effectively on our platform for our customers and it just works. As an increasing number of businesses in the private and public sector realize the benefits and economies of WordPress, they can focus on their content and messaging while we manage the platform infrastructure and security.

WordPress managed hosting is a niche that Carbon60 has built. Enterprise clients tend to have governance and in some cases regulatory requirements. We start with a high bar for security to help these customers specifically, but all customers small to large also benefit from this approach. The WordPress hosting business also very easily translates to our broader managed hosting business for the same customers.

Visit Carbon60

Make sure you have your ticket to #WCTO before they sell out!

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Sponsor Spotlight – BoldGrid

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BoldGrid is a suite of WordPress plugins that make it easy to quickly create beautiful, dynamic WordPress websites. When used in totality, the BoldGrid plugin suite creates a website builder environment within WordPress to streamline the creation process. Or you can use individual BoldGrid plugin solutions to easily schedule automated backups, create a staging environment, grade your on-page SEO, and much more. More than just a page builder, BoldGrid brings the best parts of the website builder experience to the open source world.

More than 25% of the internet utilizes the WordPress platform and for good reason, it is a powerful and versatile tool. Our aim is not only to provide tools to improve the WordPress experience for webmasters, but also ease the learning curve for new users.

We exist to serve and grow the WordPress community. Without it, we would not be around. WordPress has continued to attract a larger and more varied audience over recent years which gives us the interesting task of identifying and solving new user pain points, as well as finding faster ways to accomplish routine WordPress tasks.

You can try BoldGrid today as a free trial at www.boldgrid.com! Web Hosts and Agencies interested in BoldGrid can also contact us at our website.

Make sure you have your ticket to #WCTO before they sell out!

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The spirit of community is alive at WCTO

By Robin Macrae

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Every so often, something happens which makes you smile in appreciation of someone’s thoughtfulness.

As a speaker in #WCTO 2017 next month, I received an email a few weeks ago from Martha Chan offering to put up a speaker in her home and save the expense and bother of a hotel for the two nights of the conference. She included a drive in on both days.

I couldn’t resist replying just to express my appreciation for her offer notwithstanding that I’m in Toronto and not in need myself. She replied and, in our exchange, it occurred to me Continue reading “The spirit of community is alive at WCTO”

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James Strang – Featured Speaker

James is one of our local speakers. He is speaking Sunday morning at 11:00 am in Room 149. His topic is an introduction to online advertising.

I’m from a small town in Ontario near the GTA.  I started teaching myself HTML when I was 12, things just picked right up after that.  I have run a couple businesses, worked in a handful of startups, and I really enjoy helping people and contributing in multiple communities.

Growing up in a small town I have really come to appreciate the outdoors and nature.  I will often set up my laptop out doors so I can hear the birds and feel the breeze while working.

In addition to web development and the outdoors I also like to build stuff with my hands.  Metal, Plastic, Wood, Electronics, I’m always looking into ways to build new things.”

The online ad industry is insanely complicated.  There’s no one stop solution for anyone.  What I’m attempting to do in my presentation is give you the tools to be able to make decisions relating to your online ads.

My goal is that people can make informed decisions about how to optimize their ad revenue.  And I do go over a little about how to put ads on a WordPress site too.”

If you have ads on your site, or you’re thinking of putting ads on your site you will probably get the most out of my presentation.

Even beginners with no coding skills should be able to follow along in the presentation easily.

If you work as an Ad Ops Specialist, then I don’t think you will get much from this workshop.”

Being from a small town, I like going to Toronto and seeing all the large buildings and fancy architecture.  I like WordCamp because of the people I meet there.

Connect with James through his speaker profile.

Make sure you have your ticket to #WCTO before they sell out!

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Sponsor Spotlight – GoDaddy

GoDaddy Pro is for all the web designers and developers who build and maintain websites – particularly WordPress sites – for other people. It automates routine maintenance tasks, consolidates client management tools into one dashboard and gives you 30% off all new GoDaddy products plus 5% in-store credit on every new purchase. And it’s 100% free.

WordPress is not only easy to use but recognized throughout the world as a standard in website creation. It’s more advanced than the typical website builder and has a huge number of plugins available to help users customize their sites and make them function at the optimal level for each individual user.

WordPress collaboration has helped to provide all WordPress users, including GoDaddy customers, with more robust options to achieve their best, most successful online presence.

Let’s be real, you’ve all heard someone’s opinion about GoDaddy’s services for people that use WordPress and build sites for others. It’s because of those vocal opinions that we’ve been able identify areas for improvement and make changes and we want you to try it for yourself. Find Andy McIlwain if you’re interested in checking out the changes for yourself.

Visit GoDaddy

Make sure you have your ticket to #WCTO before they sell out!

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City Stops Traffic Around WordCamp Toronto!

Has #WCTO become so big the City has to stop traffic around the venue?

No joke. Saturday, 30 Sep, Bay St. is closed between Dundas St. W.  and Richmond St. W. starting at 8:00 am.

Queen’s Park Crescent (around the parliament buildings) is closed starting at 3:30 pm.

And Queen St. W. is closed from Yonge to University starting at 6:30 pm.

They’re shutting down the streets around us! But is it for us? And what does this mean for parking at the event?

There are a couple of things happening at the same time as WordCamp Toronto.

Invictus Games

The closing ceremonies of the Invictus Games happen Friday, 30 September at the Air Canada Centre (ACC). The ceremony starts at 7:30 pm.

Traffic in and out of downtown is going to be slow. Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams and Kelly Clarkson are just three of the entertainers at the Invictus Games closing. And you can bet the TTC is going to be crowded, too.

Prince Harry is also here for the Invictus Games. Expect road closures and extra security around the ACC.

The #WCTO Welcome Dinner starts at 6:30 pm. We’re at Yueh Tung restaurant at Dundas St. W. and Elizabeth St. – very much downtown. Be sure to give yourself extra time to get there.

The Welcome Dinner is for speakers, sponsors, and volunteers. It’s the final opportunity for people to meet each other before #WCTO. You’re welcome to bring a date. Just pick up a +1 ticket.

Nuit Blanche

Road closures for Nuit Blanche start Saturday morning.

Since Bay St. is closed beside the venue, you can access the Green P parking under City Hall via Chestnut St. Go two blocks west on Dundas St. W. from Bay and turn south. Chestnut St. runs directly into an entrance to the Green P parking.

There is also parking at the Eaton Centre. The entrance is off Yonge St. at the corner of Yonge and Shuter. It’s on the east side of the Eaton Centre between Queen St. and Dundas St.

Scavenger Hunt

You have closed streets to walk along at the start of the scavenger hunt. There may also be crowds.

Two of your first stops are City Hall and Old City Hall. There is likely to be a crowd at City Hall getting ready for Nuit Blanche. Of course, the real crowd starts after sunset.

Nuit Blanche runs from sunset Saturday to sunrise Sunday. And it happens all around the #WCTO After Party.

#WCTO After Party

The after party happens at the Duke of Devon, 66 Wellington St. W. Nuit Blanche happens on Front St. to the south, Queen St. and Bay St. to the north, and Queen’s Park Crescent even farther north.

The scavenger hunt takes you from #WCTO to the after party. Then you go from the after party to Nuit Blanche in a few steps.

Of course, remember that #WCTO starts at 10am Sunday. You might want an hour or two of sleep before starting Sunday.

WordCamp Toronto is two days of all things WordPress. Join us for an intense weekend of networking, fun, and discovery.

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Jeremy Josey – Featured Speaker

Jeremy is coming to us from Bedford, Nova Scotia. He is speaking Saturday afternoon at 4:00 pm in Room 149. His topic is on adding Sass to your work.

Let’s get to know Jeremy…

I’m a Full-Stack Web Developer  who has been developing websites for over 17 years. I have been developing WordPress sites and plugins for 4 years now.  Currently i work for a company called Newcap Radio , a broadcast company that has over 100 broadcast licences across the country. I love coding , making my daughter laugh and in my spare time ( I’m a single dad i have no spare time…lol)

Add Some Sass to your Next Project ! An introduction to Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets

if you work on the front end of websites , find yourself changing css and you currently don’t use Sass you owe it to yourself to come to this talk…….it will change your life and make css so much easier.

https://github.com/mandozza/sass-examples-and-presentation”

Come to my presentation if you have never used Sass before…..it will change your workflow forever. Sass is amazing!  Using  it along with Browsersync will  make you love developing in the browser.

Love coming to Wordcamp Toronto due to the quality of talks, the great WordPress Community Toronto has and how well organized the camp is.

Connect with Jeremy through his speaker profile.

Make sure you have your ticket to #WCTO before they sell out!

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John Gamboa – Featured Speaker

John comes to us from Austin, TX.  He is speaking Sunday afternoon at 2:30 pm in Room 149. His topic is on how to navigate a censored internet.

One of my hobbies is collecting hobbies; knowing just enough to be confused as an expert by others. Primarily, though, travel is the most important as it feeds my other hobbies. Whether it’s a short road trip to go camping in the Texas Hill Country, or flying halfway across the world, travel is always my first choice. It allows me to take photos, write, hike, drink (and sometimes bring home) unique beer and build my collection of antique maps.

Navigating the Censored Web

Most of us enjoy the fruits of an open Internet: unfettered access to the web to share ideas, discuss changing landscapes and feed their passions. But not all are so lucky. With the experience I earned developing sites behind the “Great Firewall” of China, I will try to explain how WordPress and the Internet is censored in different corners of the world. You will learn how website owners and developers can best reach users and community behind restricted national networks.

I’ll be visiting Toronto for the first time for this WordCamp! I guess that means I need a selfie in front of CN Tower? I enjoy WordCamps because it shows the diversity of ideas and thoughts in the ever-growing WordPress communities. Talks and panels range in wide variety and help me look at WordPress in ways I never even imagined. I’m excited to see what Toronto will provide.

Connect with John through his speaker profile.

Make sure you have your ticket to #WCTO before they sell out!

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Sponsor Spotlight – GreenGeeks

GreenGeeks logo

GreenGeeks is the leading provider of green energy web hosting offering cutting-edge hosting services for WordPress such as 1-click installer, auto updates, real-time security scanning, WP-CLI and more.

In addition to this, we’re the environmentally friendly. Not many people know this, but the Internet is a huge polluter of the environment. For every amp we pull off the grid, we replace 3 times back in in the form of renewable energy credits. This means that when you host with GreenGeeks, your website is actually carbon-reducing.”

WordPress makes it easy for just about anyone to start a website or blog and grow it to become successful. There’s a huge following and that’s what makes it one of the best open-source projects ever. It’s intuitive, it’s well thought out and it just works!

The mass adoption of WordPress has made web hosting providers think about how to properly handle and service WordPress-based websites. So yes, WordPress has definitely impacted the web hosting industry and continues to do so simply because of the sheer amount of users who are using WordPress.

Don’t be shy. Stop on by our table and say hello. We look forward to meeting everyone — and most importantly, enjoy the camp!

Visit GreenGeeks

Make sure you have your ticket to #WCTO before they sell out!

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Outsourcing a WordPress site build, a show and tell story

By Robin Macrae

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Can a professional website be created by the ultra low cost freelancers sourced in
one of the many freelance marketplace sites?

Why not find out first hand?

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That’s the task that Guy Gentil, a WordPress freelancer recently arrived in Toronto, set out for himself. Have a site built with a commercial theme, a custom logo and original content. Use offshore freelancers with whom he would Continue reading “Outsourcing a WordPress site build, a show and tell story”

WordCamp Toronto 2017 is over. Check out the next edition!