Have a question about technical blogging? Fire away in the comments!

If you’ve followed me for long, you know I rave about WordCamps: the locally organized, all-volunteer conferences for all things WordPress and online creation.

WordCamps have taken me everywhere from Canada to Missouri and are usually the focal point of my summer travel plans.

That’s certainly changed in 2020, but WordCamps worldwide have risen to the occasion by offering free, online conferences. I’m so excited to have been a part of WordCamp Denver 2020.

Technical blogging has meant everything to my career. My clients have come from the content I produce.

I also see technical blogging as a way to build my community’s knowledge base and make learning social. Some of my most popular blog posts come from a friend asking about how to do something in Excel.

The posted talk description is below:

The WordPress community thrives when we share our technical expertise with each other. But, we’ve likely all met someone who is technically brilliant but struggles as a teacher.

In this talk, I will share my tips and tricks for developing effective technical instruction from over six years of blogging and online content creation. While my background is in data analytics, users in web development, technical writing and other fields will benefit from a discussion of blogging effectively about tech (particularly code). And for those want to take their blogs up a notch like never before, click here.

Not only will attendees have a path forward for developing solid technical blog posts, I will lay out the win-win that this skill will have on their careers and the community as a whole.

In the presentation, I mentioned my own data education resource library. I hope to share this as an example of what technical blogging can ultimately amount to: as a wholesale solution for organizations hoping to compete in tech.

The resource library is completely free and I continue adding to it. For exclusive free access, subscribe below.

The post Blogging Effectively about Coding (WordCamp Denver 2020) first appeared on Stringfest Analytics.

The talk is a mix of content marketing, network science, and community-building. It encourages you to consider yourself an artist and walks through what that means for how you build a network. 

Special thanks to the WordCamp Kent 2019 organizers for giving me this opportunity to present to the WordPress community on Father’s Day 2019. 

The post Slides from WordCamp Kent 2019 first appeared on Stringfest Analytics.

The post I’m speaking at WordCamp Kent #WCKent2019 first appeared on Stringfest Analytics.

I spent this weekend at Wordcamp in beautiful Kent, Ohio. I really enjoy Wordcamps: the lessons learned, the cheery demeanors, and the motivation to keep growing the blog.

After each Wordcamp I like to share a few notes from some of the sessions. It helps me solidify some thoughts from the weekend. It’s also my way to say thanks to the wonderful speakers and organizers of Wordcamp — all of whom are volunteers.

Your Green Apron is a shield, too

This machine neutralizes trolls

Saturday opened with a keynote from Carrie Dils, a renowned WordPress developer and trainer. (Turns out I had taken one of her courses on Lynda.com without even making the connection.) 

Carrie opened with a story not unfamiliar to many young people: she worked at a job at she hated, and needed to get out. One thing led to the next, and she found herself at Starbucks, where she found “her people.”

Of the many opportunities presented at Starbucks, Carrie shared one in particular: the Green Apron (i.e., the Starbucks uniform). That apron gave Carrie the license to be more outgoing and positive than she otherwise would be. 

The apron also allowed her to distance herself from customers who took their negativity out on the staff. She just had to listen and take it and know it was not about her. The green apron, while a license to be outgoing, is also a shield from destructive negativity.

I love that my blog has put me in touch with such wonderful readers and co-bloggers that I would never had contacted myself. But the dozens of shares and likes can feel like nothing to the one nasty comment. But my blog is my apron. 

Make your client a scientist 

Science is fun. It can also help you manage clients.

Mike Demopoulos offered an outstanding last-minute presentation on A/B testing.

Mike offered some great ideas for designing A/B tests while also providing pointers on actually applying it with clients. A/B testing is a fun, inexpensive way to yield big results. But what is “big”, anyway?

The only way to know is to get specific with the client. “In a year from now, what do we have to do to make this a success?” Identify, define, and quantify the outcome variable. 

While I am inclined to think of myself as a scientist, I would never have considered thinking of clients as scientists. You want to work with them to frame a null hypothesis that can be observed and tested, i.e. “A successful project is defined as X (quantified result, etc). Agree to it, then fail to reject that sucker. 

Escape theme tyranny

Tracy Apps (yes, that is her real last name!) offered a fantastic session entitled “Design is Dead–Long Live Design! (Why does every website look the same?)”

Showing us the typical website with the headset hottie stock art and three large icons at the middle of the page, I agreed. “Yeah, every website does kind of look the same. What’s up with that?”

Opening with the memorable line, “Remember the days when you had to call the Internet?” Tracy provided an answer, beginning with a history of web design, highlighting the good, the bad, and the (mostly) ugly (dancing babies, anyone?)

Microsoft.com, ca. 1994

While the early web was a design free-for-all, resulting in some real gems (like Microsoft’s first website, above), there was a certain frontier creativity. Designers were more likely to experiment.

What happened? Why do all websites look the same now? Part of it is structural. Many far-out designs of the past would simply not work on mobile devices. But some of it is the widespread use of themes and frameworks. They are excellent tools (I use them, too!). Do they stifle creativity? Tracy offered some fantastic suggestions for stimulating new ideas for building websites: it was design thinking at work. 

Happy camping

Busy weekend, right? This is just a sample of the sessions and thoughts I take from Wordcamp. If you’ve got any interest in design, digital marketing, or web development, find one in your area and enjoy.

Thanks so much again to the organizers and speakers of Wordcamp Kent. Looking forward to next year already. 

The post Lessons Learned at Wordcamp Kent first appeared on Stringfest Analytics.

We just finished Day 1 of Wordcamp Dayton. 

If you’re not familiar with Wordcamp, think of it as the TEDx of WordPress. They’re independently organized events featuring talks on all things WordPress, the platform used to build many websites, including mine.

And, no, these are not just for “IT people.” There is a lot of great material for bloggers, small business owners, and artists.

In particular, I learned a great lesson today on the nature of social media.

Social media is a slow burn

Cyrissa Carlson of Immerse Photography had a great line about using social media:

It’s a slow burn.

You have to be okay with getting two likes on an awesome post. Keep posting valuable, regular content with a targeted message and your little flame will grow.

Frustrating. But the slow burn has advantages.

Fireside chats

The “slow burn” analogy reminded me of FDR’s famous fireside chats. These were conversational broadcasts delivered via radio, a much more personal media than print. It felt like hearing from the president over an intimate campfire.

The long burn of social media is the ultimate fireside chat. Even better than radio, you can build two-way conversations with customers. The best bloggers are incredibly giving of their time — I still can’t believe James Altucher replies to texts, and Seth Godin returns emails.

Burn first, pay later

At another session we covered how providers and customers ought to collaborate. The slow burn of social media is an advantage here, too.

Because it’s a two-way conversation, customers become more like collaborators. You share ideas. Customers ask and you give freely. The value proposition is established. Once this trust is established and you offer premium products, price becomes a secondary factor. 

Get the writer’s runs

At another session, we covered ideas on tackling writer’s block.

For me at least, the slow burn of social media has given me the opposite of writer’s block. I call it the writer’s runs.

Knowing the importance of posting regularly (SEO 101 — another topic today), I come up with more post ideas than I can cover. I stay within a theme (insights useful to analysts just starting out), and it’s self-directed writing, but writer’s block really has not been an issue.

Knowing that social media is often not an overnight success story, I’ve committed to write something every day. I don’t post something every day, but I will at least think of topics or write outlines.

I suggest James Altucher’s technique of writing ten ideas every day about something. This exercises the “idea muscle” and provides more content than I know what to do with.

Day Two and Beyond

I’m still building traffic and finding my voice. Low engagement can be a downer. Today, Wordcamp taught me through various channels the importance of keeping at it.  

Slow burn on! More insights to come tomorrow.

Read more and subscribe at georgejmount.com

The post Feel the Slow Burn: #WCDayton Day One first appeared on Stringfest Analytics.

I spent much of this weekend at WordCamp North Canton, a forum on everything WordPress.

Here are my takeaways from Day 2. You can read about Day 1 here.

1. Set micro-goals.  Dr. Phil Kim encouraged us to name a goal that we wanted to achieve by the end of the year. He then asked us to “chunk” that goal into smaller tasks we could get done each month. From there, we could set a daily task that would get us to that micro-goal.
Dr. Kim’s own example of this is his habit of writing 15 minutes a day. This small but relentless habit he has formed has allowed him to write three books, blog posts, and more.

2. WD-40 is a “failure” in more ways that you know.  Most people know that WD-40 is so named because it was the 40th try at a water displacement formula.
What’s less known is that WD-40 was meant to be used in rockets, not on high-school lockers. Norm Larsen, its creator, was an actual rocket scientist. He never considered a use for his formula outside of rocket science.

Rather than seeing this as a “failure,” Dr. Kim tells us, Larsen allowed his customers to take his product into areas unimaginable by him. Sometimes we present our craft and others take it into entirely new directions. We should see this as the joy of sharing, not as a failure.

3. Your ideas need grandparents.  We are the “parents” of our ideas. Parents spend every day with their children doing the messy work. Grandparents, on the other hand, get to see the bigger picture.

“My, how you’ve grown!” is something only a grandparent could say. Parents lose this perspective when they see the child daily.

When you’re working on an idea, it’s hard for you to notice growth. To stay encouraged, you need someone to tell you how much your idea has grown. So send someone a weekly project report. Use this as a “to-done” list of your accomplishments. This helps you and your “idea grandparent” see the growth of your idea.

4. Fight impostor syndrome.  Who knew there was a clinical diagnosis for this? Three WordPress users led a talk on fighting the demons of “I’m not good enough.” In a room full of bloggers, designers, and business owners, the fear of putting oneself out there was particularly acute. However, we learned that the only way to fight impostor syndrome was to keep doing our craft – it’s the only way to get more comfortable with our work.

5. Low expectations, low results.  This was an interesting point made at the panel by someone with a disability. “People see me and don’t expect much from me,” he said. “So I could be tempted to produce low results.” But when it comes time to produce something valuable, it can be hard to get others to expect much.
We’ve all been there — whether because of our age, skill level, or educational background. We’re tempted not to try because nobody expects anything from us. Don’t let others’ expectations guide your results.

6. This is the future.  This was my first Wordcamp, and I was quite impressed. Like the open-source software itself, Wordcamp is fueled by collaboration. PhDs and retirees alike were learning and contributing. There were web developers, consultants, and writers alike. What brought everyone together was a desire to improve their craft with WordPress. Seminars were offered for every skill level imaginable.
In the connection economy where finding one’s voice is essential, groups like this are important. Find a conference to polish your craft.

—

I am looking forward to more WordCamps — fortunately, they are held all over the world!

Thoughts? Comment or email: [email protected]

Photo courtesy user Alexis on Pixabay.

The post Lessons from #WCNC2015 (Day 2 of 2) first appeared on Stringfest Analytics.

I spent much of this weekend at WordCamp North Canton, a forum on everything WordPress.

A casual user of WordPress myself, I attended to meet other users and learn how to get more out of the software.

I particularly enjoyed how much of the conference was focused on business and entrepreneurship vis-a-vis WordPress. I learned about how successful businesspeople do market research, SEO, and content strategy for their sites.

Here are my lessons from Day 1.

1. Network in reverse.  This one came from Joe Rosza of Trailer Trash Design. Joe said that when he first started freelancing, he didn’t understand the point of networking. What’s the point of chumming around with a bunch of people just like you? Then he looked at networking “in reverse.” This means heading not just where people know what you do, but where people need what you do. Find these people and give to them.

2. Persuade, Inform, Entertain.  These are the three purposes of content, according to Sean Manion. When crafting your story online, think about which of these you’re targeting. (For example, the purpose of this piece is to inform about WCNC — although it could even persuade you to come!). Be clear in your intent.

3. Always give clear signals. Good websites will give the user clear signals about next steps. Do you want the user to join a mailing list? Buy an ebook? Don’t muddle your purpose — but give something to the user first.

4. Manipulation is not the answer. One way people try to look good in Google is by manipulating loopholes. Not a good idea, says Stoney deGeyter. The scores of PhDs at Google are smarter than you, and short-term mischief like this is only going to hurt you later on.

5. Don’t paralyze your customer with options.  Some websites, especially in ecommerce, attempt to display a list of all their merchandise on the homepage. The designer thinks he’s being helpful by showing off the assortment, but this only leads to “analysis by paralysis.” A better design is to break the assortment into broader categories from which the customer chooses. Then drill down. Guide the customer, don’t just read him the bill of goods.

6. FInd your partner.  I was surprised at how many attendees were small family affairs: husband-wife, mother-son, etc. This was a reminder that the most creative rarely work alone: they have a creativity partner.  While it’s common for bloggers or web designers to work on a freelance basis, that does not mean they don’t collaborate.

7. Don’t try new ideas, combine old ones.  A running joke of the conference was Taco Bell’s “Waffle Taco” (or now, the “Biscuit Taco.”) It would have been difficult for Taco Bell to create an entirely new category of fast food. But how about combining two of them? This is often how the ideas are born.

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Makes you want to attend a WordCamp, right?

Check out my thoughts from Day 2.

Thoughts? Comment below or email: [email protected]

Photo courtesy of user NatashaG on Pixabay.

The post Lessons from #WCNC2015 (Day 1 of 2) first appeared on Stringfest Analytics.