This is the current version of the talk ideas post having been updated once. The update added the theme announced for the event and a second list of topics to consider.

The theme of the event is Gutenberg and the WordPress of Tomorrow.

Read about the theme and what it means for speaker submissions in the Gutenberg and the WordPress of Tomorrow theme announcement post.

Apply now and submit your talk.

The WordPress ecosystem encompasses a broad and diverse range of topics as befits the world’s most popular authoring and publishing platform. If you are stuck for ideas or to get the ideas flowing for our themed event, here is an alphabetically ordered list of broad topics for the non-Gutenberg sessions. Each has a group of sub-topics. These are examples and and no session proposal would be expected to address all or even most of the sub-topics in any one of them.

1. Digital workplace/business/transformation or digital marketing: what you can do with WP to provide and/or use web services for your own business or clients’ marketing, CRM, event management, information/data management, project and task management (pick 3 or 4 and describe the service provided or received, how implemented, costs, maintenance)
2. Ecommerce and competing with Magenta, Shopify (comparisons, WooCommerce and other plugins, SEO strategies (including local), payments and gateways, success stories)
3. Mobile-first design and development (why it’s important and perhaps crucial, how theme designers address mobile now, the changeover options for existing sites, what makes mobile different, native vs HTML5)
4. Moving to a more secure world: HTTPS/SSL (overview and context, compliance, strategies (absolutism), plugins (there are many guides and the challenge is how to deliver the content at the event, not the content itself)
5. SEO/SEM: importance (its role), latest developments (the arms race), keywords, what “intent” means, Yoast/AIO plugins, analytics, structured data, penalties for insecure sites)
6. SEO and lead conversion without wrecking your theme and design: how to select, configure and use banner ads and CTAs, popup or slide-in mailing form or special sales offers; chatbots for converting casual scanners; push notification; social media icons; related posts and sponsored readings; tooltip and popups for getting noticed ads
7. Theme/page builders (the context (developments in the last couple of years), design trends (color palettes, typography, animation, sticky elements, mobile first, micro-interactions), design’s relevance (who can and should use them), best practices, Gutenberg impact), changeover from PHP to JavaScript, site, page and landing page builders including theme included, addon and slider plugins
8. WP beginners: starting from zero, getting a WP site up and running for the new beginner: why WP (set the context); defining basic requirements (business, hobby, personal), hosting, 5-minute install, theme selection, essential plugins, security, privacy, backup, updates plus a start-up checklist, important WP limitations, getting help
9. WP open to the world: APIs rule, WP’s REST APIs (purpose, level of development), headless, WP as an app (incl POC, MVP), using WP content in other systems/platforms and visa versa (use cases), GraphQL (a competitive spec for building and consuming APIs)

This alphabetically ordered list of generic topics for the non-Gutenberg sessions is not exhaustive. It’s to spark your imagination. If you have any other topics you think our attendees will love, submit your talk idea.

Apply now and submit your talk.

The survey we are conducting contains an extensive list of topics. In regard to the survey, see Have you filled out the WordCamp Toronto 2018 survey? | WPToronto.

The talk ideas provided for WordCamp Europe 2018 speaker applicants is another useful source of topics.

Submitting a talk on plugins or tools? We’re looking for talks that informs our audience of their options so they can choose what is best for them. For example, consider a talk on form plugins. We would expect you to compare/contrast/cover an array of options such as Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, WP Forms, Contact Form 7 and so on. If you’re addressing premium/paid plugins, remember to cover at least one of the free alternatives.

Important dates:

• Submissions close Monday, October 15th, 2018 at midnight.
• Selections will be made by Wednesday, October 31st, 2018.
• All applicants will be notified in the following week whether their applications have been accepted.
• Speakers selected will be announced at the beginning of November.

Please understand that, as volunteers, we won’t not be able to provide a detailed response to each submission.

If you have any questions, contact me at mailto:wcyyz18+speakers@gmail.com.

Robin Macrae
Co-Organizer, WPToronto & WordCamp Toronto 2018