Month: May 2019

First time @WordPress meetup

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You are interested in WordPress and you either have a blog, or you want to create a website. Maybe you are a web developer, a blogger, a web designer, a photographer. Or even someone with a shop and you wish to have an online presence for your products or an e-shop.

You search around in order to meet people and expand your network in the WordPress world. Trying to find information on how to advance your skills and knowledge on the topic, you experiment and study tutorials.

This is the right time to attend a meetup.
This is the purpose of WordPress Community and its’ events

Do your search at meetup.com for an event around you. Don’t feel alone, don’t feel like you do not fit. A meetup is not only for developers. If you are a woman, don’t worry if there will be mostly men attending the meetup, as this is common mistake. Everyone is highly welcomed at a local WordPress meetup, as well as at bigger events like WordCamps. People attending a WordPress meetup do not care about your sex, physical appearance, level of knowledge and skillset. WordPressers of the world do not mind if you are not a professional.

Introduce yourself at the meetup organisers and explain how or why you wanted to attend the meetup. Ask if you have a question after a speaker presentation has ended. There is not any stupid question. After all we all started from somewhere. Noone was born with all knowledge stored in their minds. Blend in with people, ask them if you have any questions. WordPress Community loves sharing, stories, success, failures, knowledge, information, feedback. Try networking. You have the chance to find a suitable person to assist you or to work with.

The desire to know how you can contribute and get involved is active.

If you want to contribute and get involved but you do not know how to do it… In case you have ideas you would like to share or to implement in order to assist in organising a meetup, speaking or sponsoring, let the organisers know. They will definitely inform you and take under consideration any suggestion you make.

Come forward. No fear. A meetup is a friends’ gathering where you can also gain something new in the WordPress world.

My first time

I first met WordPress GreekCommunity at the start of an autumn, back in 2015 (In Greece it seemed still summertime). After returning to my hometown a few months earlier, I had a job, but my contract was about to end. At that point, I saw a facebook post saying that “If you are interested in WordPress, we are going to have a cup of coffee at a coffee shop nearby.”. I have studied Computer Science and Communications, so I thought, this is around my interests and maybe I should try it. Learn more about it. If I don’t like it, I can always leave it behind.

I didn’t know anyone and I had second thoughts, before I left home and even when I arrived. After messaging them, I found the spot they were seated and I was suddenly at a table with 10 completely strangers. All of them men. Evangelos Athanasiadis, who organised the gathering, as well as everyone else, made me feel welcome. We introduced ourselves and explained why we were there. Evangelos shared his dream of an official meetup and there it was born, Larissa WordPress Meetup. Realising this was interesting and fun, I decided to let it open a new window in my professional and also personal life.

WordPress Coffee Time 24/9/15 – First Gathering for Larissa WordPress Meetup

Four years after that day, I am thankful for all the things I have learned, working with Evangelos for our hometown meetup and volunteering as an organiser at WordCamp Athens and Thessaloniki. Watching talks, taking part at workshops, asking questions or sharing my knowledge. Mostly though, I am thankful of the amazing friends I made during this journey. WordPress Greek Community is like a big greek hug. And everyone fits in… (Plus we usually share some pizzas in the end!)

These people are indeed my family!

#WCThess2018 – my PoV

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I am always late, but I can confirm this is an asset and not a disadvantage. It’s been a long while since December 2018, however I realise that memories come up whenever they wish…

Team of students that without any prior knowledge of WordPress, created their website for the initiative they manage

We met amazing people, discussed interesting topics, got inspiration and let teams and individuals set an example. Sponsors, attendees and speakers had the opportunity of networking and discussing and enjoyed a trip on the Internet and WordPress world.

And how do you react when a few days before the event you realise one of your speakers cannot attend due to late visa appointment?

Let’s have a Gutenberg panel conversation!

That’s the spirit of WordCamp Thessaloniki 2018! Felow WordPressers of the world, become always close friends.

You will find all photos of the event at the WordPress Greek Community’s flickr account in order to get a glimpse of the unique times of the first WordCamp Thessaloniki.

And all presentations of the event can be found in .pdf form at the WordPress Greek Community’s Speakerdeck account, in order to have notes of the things you heard or of the things you did not have the chance to listen to.

At the same time, you will find the videos of the presentations on WordPressTV and even more at the official YouTube account of WordPress Greek Community.

Infographic recap of all you need to know!
History

WordPress in the era of economic crisis in Greece, rises up with new companies, freelancers etc. choosing it to become their work tool. WordPress Greek Community writes its own history getting bigger and stronger.

Since 2007, we are making steps of progress. We are always in need of new people, adding value to the organising teams. It has been a great pleasure in Thessaloniki, that new local meetup ideas were born. And guess what… they started taking steps to getting established.

Then, we realised that the community can support two WordCamps per year. The decision for hosting a WordCamp Athens in spring and WordCamp Thessaloniki in winter is a fact. So we ask for your help.

WordCamp Thessaloniki 2018 was a blast and you can enjoy the video Nikolaos Magkoutas prepared with beautiful moments of the event

WordCamp Athens 2019 takes place at Athens Concert Hall in 17-18 May 2019 and tickets are still available, while WordCamp Thessaloniki 2019 is in early planning stages.

Come forward, volunteer, contribute.

Support WordPress and the WordPress Community.

 

Translation @WordPress Greek Community

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Translation has always been the easiest way to contribute in WordPress. Since the only prerequisite is to speak 2 languages. English and your native language.

WordPress is being translated in 148 languages so far and Greek is among them.

In Greece people enjoy learning other languages, even if that sounds bit of a stereotype.

When I first met Evangelos Athanasiadis, mostly known among the WordPress Community as @dyrer and the WordPress Greek Community, I learned about every way that I could contribute, not being a developer. So many ways and so many things to choose according to your skills, capabilities and of course your free will.

But how exactly you can contribute by translating and does anyone check and confirm you did indeed provide a correct translation?

I needed to find out more about procedures. (It is kinda known that I enjoy procedures and diagrams. I like it when I have some certain steps to follow. It makes my life easier.)

So where do I start from?

Evangelos was the right person to ask, as he is the head of translation in WordPress Greek Community. (You can find also information on WordPress.org, but I don’t enjoy that much reading handbooks. I prefer chatting with people.)

The team that approves and validates your translated strings consists by the GTEs (General Translation Editors). For Greece, these are Evangelos Athanasiadis, Iakovos Frountas (@ifrountas), Kostas Vrouvas (@kosvrouvas) and Konstantinos Xenos (@xkon). You can always find them in order to ask for assistance.

There is a glossary of words common, already used and agreed as the best translation which can be used. You select the project, plugin etc. in which you are interested in translating and… there you go! Find more information in general at the handbook for Translation available here.

And guess what?! There are translation days! Next one is Global WordPress Translation Day 4 this Saturday, May 11, 2019!

Greece is participating with local events at Athens, Larissa and Thessaloniki! Come on and we can do it together!

P.S. Don’t forget to check also Evangelos Athanasiadis presentation at WGTD4 regarding the 10 reasons why to translate in the Greek language at 18:00 UTC.