WordCamp Milwaukee was held at the UWM Continuing Education Center at the Grand Avenue Mall, July 25-27. UWM’s Continuing Education Center was a great location. Thanks to the WordCamp Milwaukee team for organizing this event. Thank you to the sponsors and speakers for making the event possible. It was a great weekend for learning more about WordPress, Web Development and Business.
As with other WordCamps, it can be difficult to choose which sessions to go to. They offered sessions for developers, designers, marketers and business people. Here are my notes from a few of the sessions I went to.
Brain Based Conversions!
Luke Summerfield talked about how to increase website conversions. By using learning about how psychology and neurology affects our decisions. Luke gave us some techniques for optimizing your website and marketing.
- Demonstrate Authority by adding Testimonials, Case Studies and Awards and partnering with authorities (experts).
- Show Social Proof by adding or letting users post photos and videos. Include a way to add reviews and ratings. Let people see that you are active on social media.
- Demonstrate Reciprocity by sharing others content, random acts of kindness and offering free content.
SVG is for everybody
Chris Coyier explained what SVG is, how to use it in web design and resources to help you incorporate it into your design. SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics. It uses XML to define the image. Which means the image can be scripted, searched, indexed and compressed. You can create them with any text editor or drawing software. SVG’s can be resized without a problem. They can be used as: an image, in a background and inline HTML. Most browsers support SVG. You can use caniuse.com to see if your browser supports it.
Tools Mentioned By Chris
The WordPress JSON REST API
Rachel Baker and Ryan McCue talked about the WP-API. A plugin that provides an easy way to use REST API through HTTP and JSON. Why is this needed? As WordPress moves towards becoming an application framework, new tools are needed. WP API provides a simple and easy interface to WordPress. You can talk to WP Query, users API, posts API and more.
Where can we use it? Plugins, Forms and Validation, Front-end content editing and displaying content on another WP site or multisite. Anything that you can think of for CRUD (create, read, update and delete). Where can you get it? The JSON REST API plugin is available on github.
How to tell a customer they’re wrong and make them love use
Marc Benzak talked about a time when a customer had an issue with their website and believed it was Marc’s tool, ServerPress, that caused the issue. After working carefully with the customer on this issue, Marc’s team determined that the problem was with the additional programming that the customer had hired out prior to using ServerPress. Marc gave us tips on how to handle a stressful situation with a customer who is panicking and angry.
Ask these 4 questions
- Is there any truth (Did we really screw up)?
- Am I reacting logically or emotionally?
- What are they really saying between the lines?
- Are they really calling my baby ugly?
Your customer is upset because of trust, pressure, unexpected issues, lack of education and information and panic.
Before addressing the customer, remember:
- It’s a team effort
- Your ego doesn’t count
- There is no place for emotion
- Don’t take it personally
When you address the customer, use this equation:
(Apology + Resolution + Education) + Apology = Satisfied Customer
Summary
WordCamp Milwaukee was a great event for learning and connecting with designers, developers and business people. These tips on web design, development and managing customers are just a sample of what can be learned and shared at a WordCamp.
If you have a WordCamp happening near you, plan to attend to learn more about WordPress and the community.