WordCamp San Francisco With Grace

It’s October 24, 2014 and I’ve just landed in San Francisco via Austin. I am now less than 24 hours away from my very first WordCamp! On paper, I have traveled somewhere around 1,800 miles to be here. Truth be told…it’s been quite a journey.

Just two short months ago I was living in Washington DC and working as Director of Social Media for Animal Planet. My days consisted of developing social media campaigns for television shows like the Puppy Bowl, reporting on breaking animal news, and conducting hard hitting research on the latest in cat video technology.

Recently, I accepted a position with WP Engine as their new Social Media Manager and relocated to Austin, TX with my partner. Yes, it is a very drastic change; however, there is no doubt in my mind that this will go down in history as one of the best decisions I have ever made.

So here I am, a social media veteran who is a rookie in the WordPress world. So far it’s been an incredible learning experience.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from WordCamp San Francisco. Will they like me? Will they hate me? Will anyone sit with me at lunch? Once the nerves dissipated and I started to soak everything in, one thing became glaringly apparent—I am surrounded by incredible minds.

One of these incredible minds is Paul Clark, Director of Recruiting at 10up. He spoke on how WordPress empowers relief workers in Southeast Asia to make better decisions and engage with local governments. “We are microphones,” says Clark, “our tools amplify the actions of others.”

With local citizens’ access to WordPress and the resulting amplification of their message, governments have been forced to address critical human rights issues long ignored.

Wow. This is huge. WordPress, a platform that is easy to use (and difficult to master!) has made a tangible, tremendous difference in the lives of thousands of people who had previously gone unheard.

If I had to specify a kind of ‘vibe’ surrounding WordCamp, I would say that it’s a mix of being both proud of and humbled by being a part of something so much greater than ourselves. This year’s State of the Word (WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg’s annual keynote) only further enhanced that feeling.

Today, WordPress is more popular than ever. A whopping 23% of the world’s websites are built on WordPress. In a recent survey conducted by WordPress, 25% of respondents said that they made their living solely through WordPress. “That easily represents more than a billion dollars of economic activity per year,” Mullenweg proudly states. The gargantuan figure is made more tangible when he adds, “People pay their mortgages, feed their families, and send their kids to school…with WordPress.”

Aside from loving everyone I met, my major takeaway is that WordPress never has and never will be able to be defined by one sentence or blog post. It’s a sounding board, an international collaboration space, and an economic powerhouse. Needless to say…the list goes on.

I didn’t come close to scratching the surface of all things WordPress this year but damned if I won’t keep trying. Over time, I look forward to meeting and getting to know many more members of our growing and fascinating community.

PS – Thank you to all WordCamp presenters who incorporated kittens into their presentations. It is much appreciated.

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You can find Grace Suriel on the WP Engine marketing team as a Social Media Manager. Grace has spent the last 10 years honing her skills as a marketer, digital media hound, public relations professional, and cat video connoisseur. A recent Austin transplant via Washington DC, in her spare time you’ll often find Grace exploring Austin’s eclectic mix of food, culture and outdoors with her partner.