This is my first real trip to Vegas (been in the airport before), and I’ve stretched my dollar pretty well so far. $20.99 to register for WordCamp Las Vegas and I got to see Matt Mullenweg, the founder of Wordpress, as well as some pretty great speakers/bloggers like Jim Kukral and Chris Brogan. Well worth it.
Matt Mullenweg was very fun to hear. What’s great about Matt is that while bloggers blog their passion, he coded his passion, so now bloggers can blog their passion. So who’s more influencial? A passionate coder or passionate blogger? Interesting.
I also like the fact that Matt was very into typography and the design of early web 2.0 blogs and themes like ‘Kubrick’. So many people overlook design on the web, but it can be truly inspiring and influential.
Matt announced the upcoming release of the Wordpress Handbook and wordpress.tv, which seems right on the money to me. They’ve spent so much time developing, but now see the need to teach and give writers and bloggers the knowledge they need to “kick ass”.
Chris Brogan is completely unfiltered – which is how alot of influential bloggers are – heck, they make a living having an opinion! But it’s very cool that his mantra is to be ‘helpful’, making posts that answer questions for the everyday kind of person. Another great point Chris made was the concept of brevity in today’s culture, making information available in portions that are “snackable”. I love that.
Jim Kukral’s presentation intertwined with several points that Chris made. 1) People are on the web to solve a problem. So being helpful is key. 2) No one tolerates interuptions anymore. Even when network tv tricks us into watching ads while we’re fast-forwarding our DVR, we get mad – we don’t have patience for people wasting our time. We want our information to be bite-size.
Jim also underscored the importance of embracing failure – not hiding from it or being ashamed. Failure’s lead to successes, but only if you keep trying, and learn from your mistakes. Being lazy, uninspired or afraid to fail will cause most people to give up. Good things to take home.
And last but not least, Lorelle (who I wasn’t familiar with before today) talked about meaningless stats, and ignoring the worthless one’s while tuning into the actionable ones. She highlighted the fact that often times we think readers that stay longer on our site are more satisfied. While in reality, those who have truly found what they’re looking for are here and gone, yet more deeply appreciative. They may bookmark you or just remember you next time they need help.
That’s all I’ve got for now. I’m looking forward to more great speakers tomorrow.
