Perisphere at WordCamp US 2015

This year was the inaugural WordCamp US held in Philadelphia. We were privileged to be able to attend and to learn about the path WordPress is taking for the future, as well as how others are using the platform.

The event consisted of two packed days of sessions, followed by a day of contributing to the platform from the WordPress community. There were more than 1,800 people in attendance, with an additional 700 people streaming the live video feed. Capping out the sessions was the “State of the Word” given by Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress.

What Did We Learn?

We already knew this, but if there had been any doubt left, WordPress is definitely not just a blogging / small site platform anymore. There were several talks about WordPress supporting sites like The New York Times, StoryCorps, Nomad Base, national level museums, and many more.

There was a great emphasis placed on helping everyone in the community improve their processes both user experience and development-wise.  Source control was emphasized over and over. Mistakes happen, but being able to quickly and safely revert is every developer—and business’s—best resource.

We also learned a lot about the more recent push for more integrated accessibility functions in WordPress. There were three separate talks about this topic. WordPress now has a team of contributors focused around this area.

Another big point was security—and one way to improve that is with SSL. There was a lot of talk of new services available to lower the price point of certificates and make them available to everyone.

Lastly, we got a peek at what the future holds for WordPress: The transition from CMS to App Framework. That change is bringing about a request from Matt Mullenweg for all WordPress developers to improve their JavaScript skills, as the integration of APIs and scripts will be the future of WordPress and the Web. Fear not PHP developers, it is not going away, PHP7 just released.

For a full detail of the State of the Word, check out WP Tavern’s post.

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A small-organization focused recruiting firm focused on professional and trade associations, charitable, education, and other nonprofits, and high growth companies

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Political party organizing and promoting Libertarian policies and candidates at the local, state, and federal level for the state of Maryland.

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