Author: Jesse Fowler

Contributor Day at WordCamp Maine 2016

Are you already involved with the WordPress community or looking to get your feet wet?
Join us on Contributor Day!

What is it?

Contributor Day is a convenient opportunity to meet up with many of the different groups that give back to the WordPress community.
This is not limited to those with experience. We encourage anyone interested in teaching, helping, or sharing to join us!

The Details

When: 12 – 4:45 PM on Friday, May 13th ‘16
Where: Maine College of Art @ 522 Congress St, Portland, ME 04101
Get tickets or view the full schedule.

Ways to Contribute

WordPress contributions are categorized into different teams. Check out the options below and click the links for more detail.
If you aren’t quite sure which to select, there will be people available that day to point you in the right direction. Teams are also flexible, allowing you to switch if you change your mind.

Core. Write code, fix bugs, help make decisions and development.
Accessibility. Maintain accessibility for the WordPress core and other resources.
Support. Respond to questions in the support forums or IRC.
Meta. Make WordPress.org a better place by providing support and tools.
Flow. Test, document, and report usability on the WordPress ecosystem.

Get Prepared

Don’t forget to get your ticket to WordCamp Maine, bring a laptop, and your enthusiasm!

Have a WordPress Question? Stop by the Happiness Bar!

While you won’t find an IPA selection at WordCamp’s Happiness Bar, a team of experts will be serving up answers to your most pressing WordPress questions. Is there something that’s had you stumped for weeks or months? Stop by the happiness bar on Saturday! Here are some things you should expect from a visit to the Happiness Bar.

“Dumb questions” do not exist.

No seriously – we were not born tiny WordPress experts. Everyone was a beginner at some point and the Happiness Bar is available for attendees at all skill levels. Don’t hesitate to approach us with any WordPress-related question!

Bring some friends.

Overhear someone talking about a WordPress issue? Tell them about the Happiness Bar. If they’re too shy to go alone, tag along and let them know we don’t bite.

While all questions are welcome, some answers can get complicated.
Sometimes you need more than a quick-fix. We will do our utmost to solve each problem, however some cases require extensive coding. If we don’t have time to delve in, we’ll point you in the right direction.

We encourage you to bring gadgets.

Show us your problem! We’ll walk you through the solution on your smartphone, laptop, or tablet. If you’d rather leave your device at home, we’ll have paper and pens available for note-taking.

It is possible to stump us.

Although it’s tough to admit we don’t have every answer, we can find someone to solve your mystery! Fortunately, in most cases we just turn around and ask a friend.

WordCamp is more than an event, it’s an experience. Our community is made up of people who are passionate and excited to share ideas. We welcome WordPress users of all levels, from newbies to veterans. The Happiness Bar volunteers will be eagerly awaiting your conundrums at WordCamp Maine on Saturday May, 14th. Stop by and say “hi”!

Thank you to WordCamp Casco Bay Sponsors

Along with our global sponsors that help make WordCamp Maine happen every year, we are delighted to have local sponsors join us and support the event as well. A big thank you to Hall Marketing, OSC Web Design & Yoast.

 

vistaprint-hall-logo-white

Started in 1999, our company was founded with the belief that an internet marketing strategy reaches well beyond just having a website. Since then we have been passionately creating internet marketing strategies and websites that deliver great results. Our team of industry experts brings together data, technology, strategy and creativity to drive success for our B2B and retail clients.

osc-webdesign-logo-large-4-12-16

OSC Web Design’s mission is to help create helpful websites for small businesses. We are determined that regardless of your size, you should have a website that speaks your ideas and helps you grow. As a small business ourselves, we understand how important flexibility is to our clients while still maintaining a high level of quality. OSC offers a free 30 minute consultation to discuss your project before starting or signing a contract.

Yoast_Logo_Large_RGB

At Yoast, we optimize websites in a holistic way. Not just one aspect of websites, but every aspect. Making sites more usable, easier to navigate, faster and more reliable. In other words: we make websites work. For the owner ánd the visitor. The added bonus is that if you do all that right, a website becomes easier to find as well.

With over 4 million active installs Yoast SEO is the most popular SEO plugins around. And there’s more!

To help people create awesome websites we offer: plugins that make optimizing and analyzing websites easy as pie;website reviews that provide an in-depth analysis and lots of practical tips; online courses and eBooks that give people the skills and the knowledge to start improving their own site.

Facebook: facebook.com/yoast
Twitter: twitter.com/yoast

p1ws-vert-logo

Located in the heart of Portland, Maine’s Old Port, Page One Web Solutions offers web design, web development, and internet marketing services to our clients. We take the time to listen to our clients’ challenges and goals then create custom campaigns tailored to their needs. We specialize in WordPress website design/development, WordPress Multisite Development, WooCommerce eCommerce platform, SEO, Paid Search, and Google Analytics.

Thank you to WordCamp Bronze Sponsors

Not only does WordCamp Maine have some great sponsors to help make this event happen, but we also rely on those who really get behind WordPress and sponsor globally. A huge thank you to our WordCamp Bronze Sponsors; WPML, Plesk & DreamHost.

 

wpml-web-300x86
WPML turns WordPress websites multilingual. It works with caching, SEO and E-Commerce plugins, and allows the building of complete multilingual sites. WPML powers simple blogs as well as corporate and enterprise sites.

WPML allows users to translate everything in the site, including content, menus, widgets and even theme and plugin texts. WPML powers over 500,000 commercial websites from all over the world.

More information about going multilingual can be found at WPML.org

We are looking for talent. If you are a smart programmer you are welcome to contact us here: http://wpml.org/home/were-hiring/.

plesk_logo_positive_rgb-501x198

Plesk simplifies web management activities to align with the way infrastructure is used today for hosting websites and web applications. A widely used web management solution, Plesk provides everything a web professional needs to set up a website quickly and securely – including a WordPress Toolkit, an easy-to-navigate control panel, server level automation, supportability tools, and complete protection with our server-to-site security core.

dreamhost-940x198

DreamHost is a global Web hosting and cloud services provider with over 350,000 customers and 1.2 million blogs, websites and apps hosted. The company offers a wide spectrum of Web hosting and cloud services including Shared Hosting, Virtual Private Servers (VPS), Dedicated Server Hosting, Domain Name Registration, the cloud storage service, DreamObjects, and the cloud computing service DreamCompute. More information can be found at  http://dreamhost.com.

Thank you to our WordCamp Silver Sponsors

A huge thank you goes out to GoDaddy & Pantheon WordCamp Silver Sponsors that allow great WordCamps exist. We’re getting close to this years event and look forward to seeing you all there!

GoDaddy_Pro-940x198

GoDaddy’s mission is to radically shift the global economy toward small businesses by empowering people to easily start, confidently grow and successfully run their own ventures. With more than 12 million customers worldwide and 57 million domain names under management, GoDaddy gives small business owners the tools to name their idea, build a beautiful online presence, attract customers and manage their business.

New-Pantheon-Logo-Black

Pantheon is the website management platform top developers, marketers, and IT use to build, launch and run all their Drupal & WordPress websites.

Pantheon includes all of the tools professional developers need to build best-practice sites—like staging environments, version control, backups and workflow. Powering 100,000+ sites with hundreds of millions of page views, Pantheon’s container-based infrastructure allows you to launch websites faster, without worrying about traffic spikes, security or performance. It’s free in development. You can scale in software on the same infrastructure from day one, and never touch a server again. Create your free account now!

Thank you to our WordCamp Gold Sponsors

WordCamps wouldn’t be possible without the sponsorship of companies who care about WordPress, and WordCamp Maine is lucky to be supported by some great firms.

bh_logo_2015

Bluehost has been a WordPress partner since 2005 and powers over 1 million WordPress sites worldwide. Their objective is to help customers, whether novice or pro, create a thriving online presence at an affordable price. With a team of in-house tech experts available 24/7, Bluehost dedicates time and resources to providing the best support and services in the industry. Join millions of other site owners and see what Bluehost can do for you and your online presence.

jetpack-horizontal-white-bg-940x198

Jetpack is a free WordPress plugin that simplifies managing your sites. This single plugin enables Photon (a global CDN for images), uptime monitoring, brute force protection, traffic-boosting tools, single sign on, multiple-site management, and automatic or bulk plugin updates. Additionally Jetpack includes several features that help you customize the look and feel of your site without installing other tools. More information can be found at jetpack.com.

woocommerce_logo

WooCommerce is powered by WordPress and built by WooThemes. The goal of WooCommerce is to allow you to sell anything online – beautifully. You can integrate with payment processors, easily manage shipping methods and inventory, set up flexible tax rules, and view detailed store reports all from your WordPress dashboard.

With hundreds of extensions available, WooCommerce can easily be customized to power all types of online stores. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, WooCommerce was built with a focus on ease allowing anyone the ability to sell anything online.

Be sure to stop by the WooCommerce booth to meet the team and learn how they can help you sell online.

Places to See While Attending WordCamp In Maine

If you haven’t already heard – WordCamp Maine 2016 will be taking place at the Maine College of Art from May 13-14th! Although this event is exciting enough on it’s own, you may want to take advantage of your visit and explore other attractions in Portland, Maine. If this is your first time stopping in Portland, you’re in for a treat.

Since we are fortunate enough to attract many people who aren’t originally from this area, we’ve compiled our top 13 favorite local places to check out. In a city like Portland, Maine, you can never encompass all of the great places to go, so we encourage you to add your own to this list in the comments.

Good Food

Otto Pizza

If you’re looking for the best pizza in Portland (maybe even the world) look no further. Otto Pizza has a very unique selection of gourmet pizzas. How many restaurants can turn mashed potato into a delicious pizza topping?

  • When: Sun-Thurs 11:30am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11:30-2am
  • Where: (Two locations) 225 Congress St. & 576 Congress St. Portland, ME
  • Food price range: $10-$21 for whole pizza
  • Find them: http://ottoportland.com/

DiMillo’s

A staple of Maine, this restaurant doesn’t just have a view of the water, it’s on the water. DiMillo’s serves guests fresh meals aboard a floating ship. Visit this restaurant for savory dishes and a true experience of the coast of Maine.

Eventide

You can’t visit Portland, Maine without indulging in seafood from the Gulf of Maine. Eventide is famous for their oysters, but they have a many other seafood options. Their menu changes daily to ensure guests enjoy the freshest catch.

Grace

Unless you know what to look for, you might just walk by this building not realizing it’s a restaurant. Set inside a renovated church, Grace takes fine dining to another level. Like Eventide, their menu changes often and their ingredients are always fresh and first-rate.

  • When: Tues-Sat 5-10PM, Fri & Sat 5-10:30
  • Where: 15 Chestnut St. Portland, ME
  • Food price range: $10-$40
  • Find them: http://restaurantgrace.com/

Little Tap House

Sometimes all you want is a burger. Little Tap House features a locally sourced farm to table menu. Their burger, ‘The Tap House Burger’, leaves you feeling healthy and satisfied, ready to tackle the next day at WordCamp.

Fuji

For fresh sushi and hibachi, Fuji sets a standard few other Japanese restaurants can live up to. The interior is very traditional and clean. If the weather happens to warm up (fingers crossed) there is outdoor seating as well.

  • When: Mon-Thurs 11:30am-9:00pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-10:00pm, Sunday 12:00- 9:00pm
  • Where: 29 Exchange St. Portland, ME
  • Food price range: $5-$15 & special sushi platters $50-$60
  • Find them: http://fujimaine.com/

    Liquid Riot

    Better known for their craft beer and appetizers rather than full courses, Liquid Riot features local brews that will make any beer lover drool. The brewery section is visible from the bar and the entire place has a very “Portland, Maine” vibe. Stop by for a small bite and drinks, head elsewhere for dinner.

    • When: Tues-Thurs 3-11pm, Fri & Sat 12-1am, Sunday 12-11pm
    • Where: 250 Commercial St. Portland, ME
    • Food price range: $5-$11
    • Find them: http://liquidriot.com/

    Fun Stuff

    Bars & Nightlife

    Keep an ear out for the WordCamp after party, which will be announced here on the site as well as on our Facebook page, so make sure to like us! Novare Res, Gritty’s, Ri Ra, and Bingas are popular choices, but it could be anywhere!

    Take a look at this giant list of Portland bars and clubs.

    Portland Head Light

    No trip to Maine is complete without checking out the local scenery. Just a short drive from MECA you can check out one of the most photographed lighthouses in all of Maine. Take a walk around the area and check out the forts that continue to have a mystique about them.

    • Where: 1000 Shore Road Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
    • Price: Free – just take a cab or ask a local friendly WordCamper to take you over!
    • Find them: http://portlandheadlight.com/

    Open Mic Night

    The Couch showcases both comedy and music every Sunday evening. Local musicians and comedians take the stage for this FREE event!

    • When: Every Sunday, music 6-8pm, comedy 8-10pm
    • Where: Empire at 575 Congress St. Portland, ME
    • Do it: Free. First come first serve.
    • Find them: https://holdmyticket.com/

    Distillery Tour

    If you’re a big gin, whiskey, and/or rum fan, you might enjoy a tour at a local distillery. With a legacy that dates back to the 1850’s, New England Distilling knows how to create quality spirits.

    Portland Sea Dogs vs. Binghamton Mets

    The Sea Dogs are Portland’s proud baseball team. Watch them square off against the Mets, and don’t forget to grab a Sea Dog Biscuit (ice cream cookie sandwich).

    Retro Arcade

    Ready to geek out and reminisce with an Atari 2600 or Donkey Kong? If you’re looking for a more chill environment after WordCamp, stop by the Portland Arcade to blow off some steam. While it’s not technically located in Portland, it’s in Portland’s sister city South Portland.

    Show up for WordCamp Maine and make a trip out of your visit by enjoying one of Maine’s most iconic cities. Check out WordCamp’s event on Facebook for updates and get your tickets here!