I was remarkably honored to be asked by Jane Wells to speak at WordCamp NYC this weekend- notably, the popularity, format and experience of AYSA classes led to the invite.

On Saturday morning, I helped lead the “Newbie” track. If you’ve ever attended one of AYSA’s How to Wordpress classes, imagine that…. times 12. With a room of 80 people, sketchy wifi, a year of free hosting and sketchy wifi, we spent four hours trying to impress the wonder of WordPress. Definitely a different format from AYSA, and everyone was very patient and good natured. I was VERY pleased (and relieved) that Jane related happy reviews later that evening.

After a quick lunchtime planning session for WordCamp Boston (mark your calendars!) I ran to my next speaking gig, “Wordpress as a Content Management System for Non Profits“. I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants girl, so I skipped the powerpoint, grabbed a whiteboard, promised my first born for an eraseable marker and just conversed with the audience.

I’d expected mostly 501c3s in the room, but was surprised that most of the people in the room were developers who work WITH non profits. In some ways, I think the talk benefitted them more, making them aware of some NPO specific issues.

In classic AYSA manner, candy was thrown, quips were made, and at one point a volunteer was dispatched to our room to actually ask that we “not laugh as loud. there have been complaints”. Luckily, the whole thing was videotaped, so I’m happy to post it soon. We even got a few noms for the “best of” ignite session.

We had TONS of requests from attendees about AYSA classes, consulting and upcoming venues. We’d LOVE to come to NYC to teach some classes in January- enough interest and we’ll rock the city AYSA style. We consult in person or over the phone on an hourly basis if you’d like some assistance at a reasonable rate, and mostly, we’d love to hear from you. Just hit that button to sign up for updates, or just contact us. Press on, Wordcampers. If you attended our sessions, please- let us know what you think in the comments.

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