WordCamp Raleigh schedule is announced

WordCamp Raleigh is just over one month away and today we are pleased to announce that the schedule for the two day conference is now available. If you haven’t seen the list of great speakers that are coming to WordCamp Raleigh then check out the schedule posted at wordcampraleigh.com/schedule.

We think we’ve lined up one of the best programs for a WordCamp with something for every level, from beginner to developer, blogger to business owner. We have three tracks – Users, Power Users, and Developers. And we still have more to add with some exciting announcements coming soon!

So if you haven’t bought your ticket yet then visit the Registration page and sign up! Watch for some exciting announcements and news coming soon.  Follow us on Twitter, hashtag #WCRaleigh.

Special room rate ends soon!

Hurry! Your special room rate ends soon!!!

If you’re planning on attending WordCamp Raleigh and you want to stay at the Sheraton Raleigh then you will want to book your rooms soon.  Sheraton Raleigh is offering a special rate for anyone attending WordCamp Raleigh in May.  The rate of $109.00 per room per night is only available for a limited time.  You have until Wednesday April 21st to take advantage of this great rate.

This is a beautiful hotel right at the heart of downtown Raleigh.  Rooms are available for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at the special rate.  To make your reservation go to the special reservations page here.

Speaker Spotlight: Dave Moyer

Dave MoyerHere’s another great addition to our Speaker line-up for WordCamp Raleigh, Dave Moyer, founding President of Bitwire Media, parent company of the popular WordCast network, a leading destination for WordPress, blogging and social media shows.

Session:

“Breaking the Trust Barrier: Establishing Personal and Professional Brand Reliability”

Dave has worked in tech and media since age twelve and experienced firsthand the stigma that comes along with being the “kid with a blog”.

Just like nearly all bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and even twitterers, he started at square one: from scratch with no audience. Moving beyond square one and connecting with an audience takes time, effort, and careful control, especially when your age is considered a detractor.

Many of the barriers Dave has overcome and the experiences he had whilst growing and establishing both a personal and corporate identity in social media are universal, and can be applied to any individual or group.

This session is designed to share the lessons learned through Dave’s own experiences, and explain crucial points in breaking past notions of unreliability to establish one’s personal and professional presence as something that an audience can trust in, depend on, and turn to.

Bio:

Dave has more web experience than people twice his age (17) and he is a vlogger, blogger, podcaster and producer of WordCast, along with being a traditional media personality in the Denver, Colorado area.

He keeps very busy as the president of the Bitwire Media network and multimedia production company, and he writes for his personal site, Dave Moyer, and guest blogs on many sites around the web.

His recent speaking credits include WordCamp Phoenix, San Francisco, Denver, and Dallas 2009, CSIA DEMOGala 2009 and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Summit 2009.

Follow Dave:

Blog: DaveMoyer.org
Twitter: @davemoyer

Speaker Spotlight: Patrick O’Keefe

Patrick O'KeefeWe have fantastic addition to our Speaker line-up for WordCamp Raleigh with Patrick O’Keefe, founder of iFroggy Network, a network of websites covering various interests.

Session:

“Building Community Around Your WordPress Blog”

Blogs can be communities – in fact, most of the most visited blogs on the internet are communities.

Learn how you can encourage the community around your WordPress blog to grow.

This presentation will include things you can do within the blog format, new features and add-ons you can install and how blogs and deeper community areas, like forums, can benefit from one another.

Bio:

Patrick has been managing online communities since 2000 and is the author of “Managing Online Forums,” a practical guide to managing online social spaces.

He has been responsible for the cultivation of communities like phpBBHacks.com, KarateForums.com and PhotoshopForums.com.

He blogs about online community at ManagingCommunities.com and his favorite record label at BadBoyBlog.com, plus more at patrickokeefe.com.

Patrick’s past presentations include everything from WordPress & Blogging to Social Media to Online Communities, for SWSXi, Blog World & New Media Expo and more.

Follow Patrick:

Blog: PatrickOKeefe.com
Twitter: @iFroggy

Sponsor Spotlight: WP e-Commerce

We are excited to announce that WP e-Commerce is a Gold Sponsor of WordCamp Raleigh. Not only is WP e-Commerce a sponsor but Dan Milward, the founder and owner of Instinct.co.nz the creators of WP e-Commerce is also a speaker.

WP e-Commerce is a free plugin for WordPress that turns your web site into a powerful online store. The WP e-Commerce Plugin has been downloaded over 700,000 times and has over 10,000 paid upgrades. Dan recently started GetShopped.com which is built on the WordPress multi-user platform and allows users to get their store online in minutes.

I’d like to thank Dan for his support and generosity. Come out to WordCamp Raleigh and meet Dan in person.