Speaker Spotlight: Using WordPress as an app framework with Nathan Tyler

Nathan Tyler of Tyler Digital will address the discussion of using WordPress as an app framework. In this talk, he’ll take a detailed look at the ups and downs of using WordPress to build a web app (hireotto.com) with:

  • WP REST API Endpoints
  • OAuth Authentication with 3rd party services
  • WP Cron & Job Queues
  • 3rd Party API integrations
  • Webhooks
  • User Registration & Account Management
  • Recurring Billing

He’ll provide an overview of how all these components work together, where WordPress saved development time, and where it caused headaches.

This talk is not an endorsement or condemnation of using WordPress as an app framework. Each project is different, and the goal is to openly discuss the tradeoffs so developers can make informed decisions for their own projects.

Don’t miss Nathan at 10 AM on July 10 in the Dwarf Star

Speaker Spotlight: Using scalable vector graphics (SVGs) with Jacob Arriola

SVGs provide designers, developers and users with an array of benefits including performance, styling and animations. In Jacob Arriola of Zeek Interactive’s talk, theme developers will walk away with the benefits of using SVGs in their themes, understanding the different approaches to rendering SVGs, and adding some styles and animation to help bring sites and applications to life.

SVG support is now widely accepted across browsers. Despite the wide support and its many benefits to the user, designer and developer, usage doesn’t seem to be very widespread. Jacob will show the ease of getting started with bringing in SVGs into a WordPress theme. Users will see live demonstrations of adding SVGs to their themes in a multitude of ways and will have enough information to take immediate action in their existing projects.

Don’t miss Jacob in the Dwarf Star at 2 PM on July 9.

Jacob is a front-end developer and WordPress developer at Zeek Interactive. He’s been building custom themes for over 5 years and has a joy for sharing new ideas and collaborating with others. He takes pride in his ability to communicate complex items with passion and enthusiasm.

Speaker Spotlight: WordPress for kids with Tabby Chapman

Our fast moving technology means that kids are using gadgets way earlier each year. Tabby Chapman will discuss how children can utilize WordPress.

If you’re looking to teach the children about WordPress, don’t miss Tabby at 4:30 PM in the Nebula on July 9.

Tabitha Chapman (a.k.a Tabby) is an Academic Applications Developer at University of California, Irvine where she works on WordPress plugins and themes for the School of Biological Science.

Speaker Spotlight: Erick Hitter shares what he wishes he knew when he started using WordPress

WordPress provides a lot of convenience functions, and all too often, new developers reinvent the wheel when WordPress Core already has a function or utility to accomplish the same. In this workshop, Erick Hitter of Automattic reflects on when he first started building WordPress plugins, and shares the times he could have saved himself hours and anxiety if he had known where to look for a cleaner solution in Core.

Learn about the more obscure features of Core and where to find them in this development workshop at 9 AM in the Comet.

It took Erick a while to figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up, which led him through a few different careers. After experiments in audio engineering and accounting, he now works on Automattic’s VIP team, serving enterprise WordPress users. Erick lives near Los Angeles, loves craft beer, and longs for enough free time to go hiking in the mountains that surround LA. He blogs at ethitter.com and i.ethitter.com.

Speaker Spotlight: Thomas Patrick Levy’s developer’s guide to support

Thomas Patrick Levy is a developer, and for a while thought his work was done when the product or site shipped. And then he learned that the real work starts after launch when the emails and forum posts start rolling in.

Ever screamed over customer questions or cried over customer complaints? Join Thomas at 3:40 PM on July 10 in the Dwarf Star as he shares what he’s learned as a developer about interacting and empathizing with non-developers looking to him for help, education, and respect no matter how absurd or obvious the question may seem to him.

Thomas is a poet, weightlifter, and web developer.

Speaker Spotlight: oEmbeds with Jason Tucker

oEmbed has been around for a while – typing or pasting a YouTube URL in your post results in an embedded video on their website. But, there’s more to it. In Jason Tucker’s presentation, he’ll explain how oEmbed works, and how you can make changes to one or all oEmbeds on your site.

If you’re new to embedding content in your WordPress posts, don’t miss Jason’s talk at 11:30 AM in the Nebula on July 9, 2016.

Jason is an IT Director for a church and has been working with WordPress for well over 10 years. He’s been a podcaster as well for many years, and runs two podcasts, WPwatercooler (along with several co-hosts from the OC WordPress community) and WPblab, a question and answer show.

Speaker Spotlight: Content development with Greg Taylor

Business owners with websites compete not only with each other, but with much bigger companies for attention. “Good” will never be good enough again – only superb content will move the needle for your business goals and get you noticed. Greg Taylor of MarketingPress will help you navigate the waters between good and superb.

Check out this marketing-focused talk at 10:40 AM on July 9 in the Dwarf Star.

After working in marketing and business development for over ten years, Greg decided to pursue his passion for WordPress development and content marketing by starting his own company. Tired of seeing sites that look great but don’t achieve results, he founded Marketing Press to help business owners find the best of both worlds.

In addition to leading the company, Greg has become well-known in the WordPress community as a speaker and teacher. He has presented at several conferences (including TechPHX, WordCamp LA, WordCamp Phoenix, and WordCamp Vegas), been featured on industry podcasts (such as BusyMarketer and Hit the Mic with Stacy Harris), and regularly appears on popular shows (like WPwatercooler and his very own Marketing Press TV).

When he’s not working on code or content, Greg spends his free time mentoring at Gangplank, taking in and playing live music, or hanging out in his home state of New Jersey.

Speaker Spotlight: Designing for complex content with Michelle Schulp

We’re all enamored with the minimalist websites that employ only the most essential use of color, images, and space. But what happens when the volume of information can’t be boiled down to something that simple? Michelle Schulp of Mark Time Media’s presentation will explore how to use design principles to organize and display elaborate user experiences like mega-menus, massive news sites, high-information catalog pages, and multi-level interactions.

Using current examples and a focus on actionable complex items including enterprise clients, Michelle will walk you through how to make lots of information feel intuitive to the user. Don’t miss her presentation at 9 AM on July 9 in the Nebula.

Michelle is an independent graphic designer in Minneapolis (formerly Chicago). Before beginning her career, she went to school for print and design, with studies in Psychology and Sociology. Together, this resulted in a love of How To Solve Problems. Lately she has been specializing in WordPress theme development and high-end presentations for her clients. She loves the open source community and speaks/volunteers/organizes at WordCamps and other events around the country.

Speaker Spotlight: Converting clients with Candice Gillatt

As a website designer, you can drive yourself crazy with the on-again, off-again roller coaster of building websites. The opportunity for you to engage clients beyond the website build exists and can lead to long-term stability.

Candice Gillatt hopes her presentation “Get Off The Workflow Roller Coaster” will teach you:
– How SEO can to turn a one-time website build into a long term opportunity with your clients
– The critical point when you must introduce SEO in order to create happier clients and more referrals
– SEO secrets you can use right away to wow your clients and keep them coming back for more
– How to turn SEO into profits – whether you do it yourself or outsource it to an expert

 

Let Candice show you how at 2 PM on July 10 in the Dwarf Star.

Candice Gillatt is anxperienced internet marketing guru who thrives on strategy, data-driven decisions, and empowering clients and employees.

Speaker Spotlight: Mika Epstein and the Dependency Inferno

We want our code to be fast, to work well, and look good. But do we really need all the bells and whistles? Understanding the burdens we place on end users when we code, such as large plugins and themes with stringent requirements, is just as important as security.

Her talk “Dependency Inferno” will touch on the use of shared libraries, the perils of dependencies, the conscientious loading of JavaScript, and how to decide what to bundle and what to omit. While Mika may not have all the answers, she will strive to bring awareness to the developer community that all those fancy things we want to add to our code may just be hurting us in the end.

Hear Mika’s best practices and recommendations at 4:30 PM on July 9 in the Dwarf Star.

Mika Ariela Epstein is better known as Ipstenu, the Half-Elf Rogue. Working for DreamHost, specializing in WordPress hosting (aka ‘WordPress Guru’), Mika helps make WordPress and hosting better for everyone. When she isn’t reviewing plugins she’s helping in the support forums and speaking at WordCamps worldwide about code and open source technology. A self-taught guru on Multisite and .htaccess, she has a passion for writing and technology and blogs about them whenever possible.

WordCamp Orange County 2016 is over. Check out the next edition!