Community Roundup Week Ending August 25 (and WCUS)

WordCamp US – It’s a Wrap!

I returned home from WCUS (and the Community Summit) last night. Home less than 24 hours and filled with gratitude for all the people who planned and executed such an amazing WordPress week, to the attendees who made it amazing, and to the sponsors who made it possible.

My takeaways are vast and yet can be summed up in a few brief thoughts:

• People are people. They will agree and disagree. Sometimes that causes incredible pain. Sometimes it brings learning and education. Words in a blog post or a tweet an X post can carry a lot of weight and need a lot of unpacking and conversation. And healing.
• People are amazing. The speakers, the organizers, the sponsors, the volunteers, and event the venue staff pulled together an amazing week. Ideas. Discussion. Opportunities. Conversations. Recaps. Plans for the future. The mind trust in this community is phenomenal.
• The past is so good. The future is so bright. Listening to the conversations throughout the Community Summit, WCUS, and the presentations by Josepha and Matt make me beyond hopeful for an even more cohesive community, better inclusion for underrepresented populations, and an amazing trajectory for the software that brings us all together.

Thank You

Through the 100+ photos that were taken with me to promote the #MichelleAndMe fundraising challenge, together we raised $5,500 this year!

With this money, we:

• Donated $1250 to Big Orange Heart
• Sent 3 underrepresented organizers to WCUS
• Sent 1 underrepresented speaker to WordCamp Nairobi
• Are sending 1 underrepresented speaker to WordCamp Finland
• Are sending 1 underrepresented speaker to WordCamp Rochester
• are in talks with other underrepresented organizers and speakers for future WordCamps

So thank you for all the photos and money to help move the needle for so many.

Join Us on Meetup

Join us for our Meetups! Details on our Meetups are available on our Meetup page.

• September Professionals Meetup September 19
• Post Status Product Owners Meetup September 20
• August Agency Owners Meetup September 21

Quick Links:

• Kathy Zant’s Blog: WordCamp US 2023: I got what I needed
• Big Orange Heart Blog: Why Mixed Emotions are OK
• HeroPress Blog: From WordPress To Emma
• WPPodcast Podcast: [Especial] Community Summit 2023
• WordCamp Jinja September 4-5
• WordCamp Netherlands September 7-8
• WordCamp Kathmandu September 8-9
• WordCamp Malaysia September 8-9
• WPCareerSummit October 20

Check out more WordPress events on WP.Events, a site I curate through StellarWP.

Photo of the Week

Today’s photo of the week comes from Samuel Wood (Otto) on WordPress Photos.