Well here we are into the new year …. 2008 brought some great things to the DC/Baltimore area. We had SocialDevCamp’s, Twin Tech events, Social Media Club’s, and so on and so on. The area is starting to gain some traction and be recognized as a hub for the technology scene. So I am really happy to be able to report to you another event that is coming to our area that is sure to draw some more buzz, WordCamp Mid-Atlantic 2009 !
Date: May 16, 2009
Location: Strategically located between Philadelphia and Washington D.C. in Baltimore. University of Baltimore Business Center.
Who Should Attend: Any blogger, developer or designer who claims WordPress as their platform of choice.
The idea of a WordCamp in the area has been kicked around for a while here and Jesse Thomas got the ball rolling and since then Aaron Brazell of Technosailor has picked up the ball and run with it. And now I am also happy to let you know I have volunteered to help Aaron out and co-organize the event with him and Alex Hillman of Indy Hall helping us out in the Philly area.
I know I am a little early with this news, as it is not taking place until May, but we are very excited to have such a great event in the area that will tie together that Amtrak Corridor and bring some great publicity to the area. The speaker lineup so far is equally exciting. Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress will be delivering the keynote to be simulcast to another WordCamp taking place in Ohio that same weekend. Also Anil Dash, Community Manger of SixApart. Now some might ask why a community manager for a company whose product, TypePad, is a direct competitor to WordPress would be a speaker ? But I think Aaron said it best in his announcement post
The premise of the offer was to provide Anil an opportunity to speak directly to the WordPress community with the understanding that we all learn from each other, regardless of the platforms we choose to use. This is an opportunity for a coming together, and an opportunity to learn.
So like I said, I am on board and trying to help Aaron in any way I can, and part of my first opportunity to help is to go out and get some sponsors to help out with costs and provide a great experience to the attendees and speakers alike. So if you are interested in helping out and at the same time getting some incredible visibility for you and your company, please contact me at jimmy [at] eastcoastblogging [dot] com or on twitter @jjgardner3. We would love all the help we can get.
Keep an eye out here, the WordCamp Mid-Atlantic web site and also the twitter hash #wordcampmidatl to stay abreast of new developments and other news about the conference.
