WordCamp 2008 – Snapshot of the Changing Social of Conferences

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I’m still reeling and processing all the exciting events associated with WordCamp 2008 in San Francisco. Saturday was packed with so many of the best speakers – the best of the best in blogging, SEO, WordPress, PHP, Theme and Plugin development – it was blogging and WordPress overload.

Today’s conferences and events are true definitions of information overload and blogs and social media play important roles in the over-abundance of input. They are also part of the new online social networking surge, allowing attendees to share their experience of the event with the world through various media and social networks.

While attending the conference and afterward, there was so much information being shared on different services – it was difficult to keep up. Many were live blogging the WordCamp event on their blogs while others were using Twitter, Tumblr, and other microblog services to share the event. Many were also discussing the event on Twitter, Pounce, Plurk, and other social services.

It used to be that event coordinators would put most of their energies into the event specifics, corrdinating speakers, attendees, social functions, and logistics. Today’s events must also prepare and monitor the online world to help coordinate and track discussions, news, and feedback before, during, and after the event.

Here are some of the coverage from different services about WordCamp 2008 in San Francisco, a mere sampling of all the coverage.
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WordPress Wednesday News: WordCamp 2008, Copy and Paste in WordPress iPhone, Count Your Comments, WordCamp South Africa

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WordCamp 2008 in San Francisco was a hit! The WordPress Scavenger Hunt fundraiser was great fun. WordPress hosts the US Government, as well as Britain. WordPress 2.6.1 released. The first WordPress Plugin API for a WordPress Plugin announced. Want to copy, cut, and paste in your iPhone with WordPress? How about a beautiful comment count chicklet added to your blog? Could be a new competition. How many comments do you have? Super Cache WordPress Plugin updated. WordCamp South Africa this weekend.

WordPress News

US Government Agencies Using WordPress: Attendees at WordCamp 2008 in San Francisco were stunned when Matt put up a list of US Government agencies using WordPress for their blogs, CMS, and intrasite networks. Mark Jaquith has published the list which includes the US Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Goard, the Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of State, Department of Treasury, DEA, FBI, CIA, SNA, and more. Matt’s point was that if they are using it, WordPress must be doing something write with security – especially with these security concious agencies helping the WordPress community.

WordPress 2.6.1 Released: WordPress 2.6.1 has been released. They cleaned up the problems with the right-to-left languages and fixed over 60 things needing fixing. Ajay of Techtites has released a WordPress 2.6 to 2.6.1 Upgrade File to make the process of updating your blog easier.

Ozh Offers the First WordPress Plugin API for the Admin Drop Down Menu WordPress Plugin: Planet Ozh updated the popular Admin Drop Down Menu WordPress Plugin with localization, fun icons, and an API that will allow others to hook into the Plugin with their Plugins. This is the first time a Plugin has had its own API that I know of. Think of the possibilities!

Sticky Posts in the Future: Lester Chan reports that WordPress 2.7 will incorporate a simplified version of his popular WP-Sticky WordPress Plugin into the core of WordPress, allowing users to “stick” a post to the front page of their blog. [Read more…]

WordPress Wednesday News: iPhone, 10 Downing Street, WordCamp UK, WordPress 2.6 Rocks, WordPress International, and WordPress Themes Directory

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WordPress iPhone mania sweeps the WordPress Community. WordPress will now rule an entire nation. WordCamp UK a resounding hit. WordPress 2.6 appears to be a stable release. The new WordPress Themes Directory is now an extend. WordPress working hard on improving localization and international translations. Go VOTE for your favorite new WordPress Plugin.

WordPress News

iPhone for WordPress: It’s the talk of the web. The WordPress for iPhone brings your WordPress blog to your iPhone. It is Open Source and compatible with iPhone 3G, iPhone, and iPod Touch and works with full-versions of (2.5.1 or higher) and . You can download it for free from the iTunes App Store. There is a WordPress iPhone frequently asked questions page to help, and a place to report iPhone WordPress problems. A walk-through video on WordPress for iPhone is on the Automattic Publisher blog. CNet Webware gives a positive review of the iPhone WordPress app, including pros and cons such as uploading photos from your Media Library or from your phone’s camera, and a good post preview. The downside is not being able to copy and paste links and text. It’s all hand HTML coding, too. There are a lot of WordPress mobile options for blogging and keeping up with your WordPress blog via your cell phone.

WordPress Now Rules a Nation: Simon Dickson announced at WordCamp UK that Number 10 Downing new site will be on WordPress.
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Give Your Blog a Voice With BNarrator

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If you think text blog entries are too one-dimensional, and don’t have the time or patience to produce a podcast, BNarrator could be for you.

Simply place a widget on your blog and the Website will be notified every time you update content. This text is then sent to a human narrator (aka voiceover person) to read. Voila! Once you approve the audio, people can listen to the content on your blog.

The service is free, relying on an ad-supported model to pay the bills. A brief ad will be played before your entry is read.

I certainly can see the benefit for elderly visitors and the visually impaired. However, unless your topic appeals to these audiences, I don’t think the widget will bring a sizable amount of traffic. Knowing that, there is another benefit to adding BNarrator to you blog. The company shares the revenue, giving site owners 30% of the take – with 5% supporting charities for the blind.

If you decide to give the widget a try, let us know how it works out.