The 10th year reunion for WordCamp happened Feb. 15-17, 2019 downtown Phoenix which has provoked reflections and had hit the refresh button for me as well.

For those of you that don’t know, WordPress is a free and open-source software content management system for websites. Over 32% of the internet is using WordPress and so are many well knows brands are, here’s a list. In Phoenix metro, we have a tremendous WordPress and tech community here.

WordPress gave me the tools and resources to move into online marketing on my own without the need to pay someone to build or manage a website. So thankful for this. This meant I didn’t have to pay someone to manage my website, that was painful.

So, ten years later, what’s changed? Well, the biggest change has happened this past year with the new Gutenberg editor. I swear, I almost cried the first time I used it, it was that much of a welcomed change. An editor is what you use to publish your posts in WordPress and it’s really

The other notability take-a-ways from the weekend I’m still sorting through. Many good presentations with great information and because it’s WordCamp, they’ll post the videos and slides of the presentations online, which is something I’m looking forward to reviewing them all.

Happy to share this information as it comes in, and other events I attend to support our Arizona Food Service Network community with their marketing efforts. One of the best things to come out of this weekend was a reminder of my WHY for doing all of this in the first place.

One of my first steps moving forward is more automation and to refine the newsletter marketing. Will post what I did when I’m finished. Focusing on automation is something we all benefit from as it’s a time saver and a more efficient way to manage your marketing.

Two other commitments to come out of this is attending regular WordPress Meetup’s and listening to more podcasts from the WordPress community. For the Meetup events, go to Meetup.com and type in “WordPress” in the search bar to find a listing of events in your area. Make sure you choose events based on your skill sets and goals.

For Podcasting, here’s an article noting “16+ of the Best WordPress Podcasts to Listen to in 2019“. It’s as good as any place to start, something to needs to fit you, and your skills sets and goals.

More to share as it develops, much follow-up on my end for now. Highly recommend checking out the WPPhx schedule and making note of sessions you’re interested in listening to when released. I’ll revise this once they are.

Happy Marketing!

Madonna Kash