What an amazing and inspiring weekend. I attended my first WordCamp ever, in Wellington, New Zealand over the weekend. The conference was small enough (~90 people) that I had the chance to interact with many of the participants – designers, developers, personal bloggers, trainers, entrepreneurs. I loved hearing how people got involved using WordPress, their passion about the product, and how they use it.
The sessions covered a wide variety of topics – blogging for kids and how to ensure that’s safe, WordPress security and keeping your site safe, how BuddyPress is evolving, a short talk from New Zealand’s most popular blogger, group deals, and general overall tips and tricks to make blogging easier and more fun.
WordCamp NZ was held in the Te Papa Tongerewa which is an awe-inspiring venue. After the sessions ended on Sunday, a few of us explored the museum. We learned about faultlines (New Zealand straddles one), earthquakes, immigration to New Zealand throughout history, refugees, colossal squid, pounamu stone, and so much more. Our favorite exhibit, though, was an interactive technology one, where you could take photos or videos, upload them to a wall, then manipulate them with a magic wand. Look, there we are!
After the conference, we convinced a few of the attendees to try a reverse bungy jump. Three of us were strapped in to an open seat, and springs attached to a couple of cranes were pulled taut. All of a sudden, we were released, slingshot-ed into the air, high in the sky. We laughed, we screamed, we flipped – an incredibly exhilarating two minutes.
LoriLoo 