WordCamp Fraser Valley (#wcfv on Twitter) finally happened today. We were proud to sponsor this event and help bring together some of the most talented social media personalities in the Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

The event was held in an unassuming room at the Surrey Campus of Simon Fraser University. In fact, the venue was so modest that I spent the first 30 minutes walking around the area looking for WordCamp Fraser Valley signage, but no. Room 2170, the one holding the event, was yet another classroom in a university.

But it wasn’t about the flare; it was about the talent… and the Timbits. All presenters were remarkable and I wish I could extend my comments on all of them, but would make this post way too long. Most presenters, however, have provided more information through their sites.

First was the Beginner Track

Unfortunately, I didn’t find the place on time and missed Raul Pacheco’s (@hummingbird604)presentation: Accessorize Your Blog: 10 Ways To Maximize Reader Experience. Fortunately, you can check out his presentation on his blog, and I’m sure it’s worth it.

Glenda Watson Hyatt (@GlendaWH)- Wow, what an inspiration. This was the first time I heard a presentation from someone with a disability like Glenda’s: cerebral palsy. Her presentation was delivered through text-to-speech software and it covered blog accessibility.

I’ve heard my share of Web accessibility presentations, but Glenda’s presentation was perhaps the most engaging and helpful of all. I encourage you to check out her presentation published on one of her sites, www.blogaccessibility.com.

Rebecca Bollowitt (@Miss604) presented on the ability of Wordpress to work not only as a blogging software, but as a Content Management System as well.  Check out her blog, she also wrote about it.

Then the Intermediate Track

Lorraine Murphy (@raincoaster) presented on blogging for creativity. Indeed, her presentation gave good everyone good ideas. A particular suggestion that many liked is using Tumblr as a scrapbook. Posting random pieces of information to feed of later.

Dave Zille (@dazil) presented on Wordpress “custom fields”. If you used Wordpress, there’s a good chance you’ve looked at the “custom fields” and wondered, “what the heck is that for?” Well, I don’t use these, and when the time comes, I’ll ask Dave for help – you need some PHP to make them work.

Kulpreet Singh (@KulpreetSingh) was short but to the point. His presentation was shortened because of “technical difficulties” but it was good, concentrated advice. He went through a few tips, tricks and  Wordpress plugins to enhance the Dashboard experience: Custom-Post-Template, Custom Write Panel, and Custom Fields GUI were the most important.

On the developer’s track

To be honest, most of the information presented here was over my head. I’m not a developer. Nonetheless, here’s the gist of what they said.

Jeff Kee (@jeffkee) commented on what he calls, “the most powerful plugin for Wordpress.” That plugin is Pods. I could explain it, but not really. Sorry.  Check out the plugin’s website instead.

John Biehler (@johnbiehler) talked about WAMP and MAMP. Even though I’m not a developer, I know enough to say, “this is awesome”. They simulate LAMP on Windows and Mac.

George Plumley (@seehowtwo) talked about “Child Themes” for Wordpress. Cool stuff for those who know how to make them. Give George a call and ask more about it.

Finally we talked about Twitter

Lastly Gary Jones (@bluefur) and Rainer Schmoll (@thinkreferrals) encouraged everyone to get creative with their brand on Twitter. Without a doubt, @bluefur comes up with pretty entertaining avatars. He also said that, for him, Twitter is not about pushing sales. In fact, he rarely posts links to his site. And it works wonderfully.

All in all, it was a great event. I hope we get to catch you at the next offline opportunity. If I missed anything, feel free to comment on it.

Posted on Monday, August 24th, 2009 and filed under Events, Online Marketing, Out-Smarts, Social Networking.