Aaron Holbrook on Community Building and User-group Organizing | UGtastic Archive
Aaron Holbrook started the McHenry County WordPress Meetup to connect WordPress enthusiasts and provide resources for learning and networking. The meetup format includes open-form Q&A sessions, plugin tips, and beginner-focused lectures. Meetup.com played a significant role in attracting participants.
The Interviewer
Mike Hall
Interviewer, UGtastic
The Guest
Aaron Holbrook
community building and user-group organizing
Mike Hall
Interviewer, UGtastic
▶ Speaking
Hi, it's Mike with UGtastic again. I'm sitting down with Aaron Holbrook who has started up a user group, a WordPress user group in McHenry County, Illinois. And he's also spoken at several of the WordCamps and he's actually getting ready to start up another WordPress-oriented conference. So, thanks Aaron for sitting down with me. So, what is the McHenry County WordPress Meetup?
Aaron Holbrook
community building and user-group organizing
▶ Speaking
That's right, and thanks for having me, Mike.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, UGtastic
▶ Speaking
I really appreciate it. Yeah, so I started just recently, in the last couple months, McHenry County WordPress Meetup. So, basically, there was no user group, there was no really community out where I live, which is northwest suburb of Chicago, McHenry County. So, I decided to put one together. Okay, great. And why WordPress, though?
Aaron Holbrook
community building and user-group organizing
▶ Speaking
I'm a big WordPress developer. I've been using WordPress since 2005. So, I'm pretty fanatical about it and it's about 95% of what I do. So, I'm really dedicated to WordPress and using it in my business and really giving back to the community and helping other people learn how to use it and answer their questions. And, you know, networking with the community, so people that are also interested in WordPress. Well, I think it's interesting because I've mostly approached WordPress as a... Just as a purely blogging platform, but what I was reading up a little bit before we spoke is that it's a lot more than just that. Yeah, it really took a turn in about 2009. Custom post types or content types were rolled out and it turned WordPress from a blogging platform really to a full-fledged CMS with a lot of really, really good features. Especially the client ease of use. The client ease of use and the ability for end users to be able to use it to maintain their site is really, really good. So, that's a really nice feature of WordPress. So, what kind of... What do you guys talk...
Mike Hall
Interviewer, UGtastic
▶ Speaking
What's your format for your meetup?
Aaron Holbrook
community building and user-group organizing
▶ Speaking
Well, like I said, we just started a couple of months ago, so we've only had a couple. But it's been... We've had, you know, like open form with Q&A questions, you know, sessions where people just bring a list of questions. And we just kind of have some drinks and some pizza and dinner.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, UGtastic
▶ Speaking
And we just kind of talk about, you know, what can you do on WordPress?
Aaron Holbrook
community building and user-group organizing
▶ Speaking
You know, what should... Hey, I'm a beginner.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, UGtastic
▶ Speaking
What should I do? Or, like, what plugins are good?
Aaron Holbrook
community building and user-group organizing
▶ Speaking
We just... Our most recent, we actually had Heather Acton, who leads the Lake County WordPress meetup. And she's really, really smart. And she's got... She gave a whole lecture on, like, the best, you know, tips and practices for beginners. And, you know, like, what you should do when you first, like, get involved with your WordPress site. So, that was pretty good. Yeah, so...
Mike Hall
Interviewer, UGtastic
▶ Speaking
How's that?
Aaron Holbrook
community building and user-group organizing
▶ Speaking
I know. That's perfect. Well, yeah, the... Sometimes this happens. I get tongue-tied. But what I was going to say is, as far as, like, how many...
Mike Hall
Interviewer, UGtastic
▶ Speaking
Have you been able to reach many people?
Aaron Holbrook
community building and user-group organizing
▶ Speaking
How do you...
Mike Hall
Interviewer, UGtastic
▶ Speaking
I mean, is there a pretty vibrant WordPress online community? That you were able to reach out to?
Aaron Holbrook
community building and user-group organizing
▶ Speaking
Or how do you... Yeah, there's actually... In and around Chicago, there is a really tight-knit group of WordPress contributors and community members. And I've since gone to WordCamp Chicago in 2010, I think it was. It was my first time. And... No, actually, I take that back. It was last year. Yeah, last year was the first time I had gone. 2011. And I got to talking with the organizer, who, like I mentioned before, her name is Heather Acton. She was lead organizer last year. And I was wondering, because, like, I had applied to speak, and I didn't get accepted. So I went up to her and I asked why. And, you know, I was like, what can I do better to, you know, get an opportunity to speak at one of these? And so we got to talking, and it turned out I had Git in the title of my presentation. And that was... They weren't sure if they should use that because, you know, it wouldn't necessarily be neutral. So... But I got to talking with her, and I met a great bunch of people. And, yeah, it was... I'm sorry. Going back to the question, I got lost. Oh, I'm lost, too, now. That's okay. That happens sometimes. No, I was... Mostly I was asking about how did you reach the people that were... Oh, right, right.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, UGtastic
▶ Speaking
Did you go online or...?
Aaron Holbrook
community building and user-group organizing
▶ Speaking
Actually, meetup. com did a spectacular job of just letting people know, like, if they were looking for something like that. So I didn't do a heck of a lot of... I didn't do any marketing. I just kind of told people, and then when I went to the WordCamps, I let people know. But, yeah, meetup. com did a great job of... People just started showing up. I put it out there, and then people just started showing up to it. I think you asked also... Sorry about the long tangent. You asked about how, I think, big my group is. Right, right. Or, like, how active it is. I think we have about 50 people signed up in the group, but really it varies between, like, 10 and 15 people show up in person. Oh, that's pretty good. So, I mean, that's... Especially as far out... I'm also from the same neck of the woods as you, so I know how hard it is. How hard it is to get people out to meetings. I used to run a group called Software Craftsmanship in McHenry County, which is kind of just a little bit up the road from where you're at. It's very much a software-oriented group, but that's another thing. It's, like, it's the focus of your group on how to use and administer WordPress, or is it how to develop plug-ins, you know, PHP and all that? From what I found, like, I'm more of a higher-level developer. So, you know, I'm talking about version control and, you know, things that are way past beginners. And I would love to do more talks like that, but unfortunately... Well, I mean, it is what it is. Like, a lot of people are just learning about WordPress, so we have a lot of beginners, which is fine. Like, that's totally fine. We just have to gear the content and the topics more towards that. So, yeah, there's more. I would love to get more of the developers, like you and me, you know, people out to some of these, because I think not only could they help contribute, but I would love to meet, you know, more developers. Well, I can personally say that the SCMC group is looking to move their blog, and they could certainly use some help with getting off of Posterous. Well, give me a call. All right, great.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, UGtastic
▶ Speaking
Well, thank you very much for taking the time to sit down with me. Really appreciate it. No problem. Thanks for having me, Mike.
Critical Insights
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"WordPress has evolved from a blogging platform to a full-fledged CMS with excellent client ease of use."
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"Community platforms like Meetup.com can be effective in reaching and engaging potential attendees."
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"Beginner-focused content is crucial for attracting and retaining members in a WordPress user group."
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"Networking with other developers and contributors can lead to collaborative opportunities and mutual support."
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"WordPress development skills, such as version control, are valuable for more advanced users and can attract more developers to the group."