Author: Jacob Martella

Topic: Getting to ROI – The Shift to Results Oriented Google Analytics

Tom McCracken is a 20+ year web industry veteran. He has a blended background ranging across web development, UX, marketing, content strategy, data analysis, and agile project management. His passion is helping organizations leverage technology to drive measurable impact. Tom has consulted on over 100 interactive projects for organizations such as AT&T, U.S. Bank Corp, Simon & Schuster, IBM, Miami Dolphins, NEC, McDonald’s, SMU, Abbott Labs, Pratt & Whitney, ADP, E*TRADE, Nationwide Insurance, and Tektronix. An avid open source contributor, he has built more than two dozen Drupal modules and WordPress plugins. Today, his core focus is developing results-oriented, data-driven tools to enable teams to deliver decisively better web experiences and ROI.

How did you get involved in WordPress?

We originally got involved in WordPress when we used it for our blog back in 2004. We built a plugin called Blog Matrix for our site to enable a multi-author, multi-category blogging. We built some blogs with it from 2005 to 2010, but our work shifted more to Drupal for several years.

More recently we got back into WordPress we got a lot of requests to port an advanced analytics module we built for Drupal to WordPress.

What do you do with WordPress?

Primarily our focus is helping people build more results-oriented, data-driven websites. We are working to build a community around that effort. We don’t build websites in WordPress, our goal is to help those that do, do it better.

What has your experience with the WordPress community been like?

The community is great. I have spent a lot of time in both the Drupal and WordPress communities. They are pretty similar. People are very helpful and passionate.

Why did you want to speak at WordCamp DFW?

Empirical, agile development is very powerful. The methodologies tend to only be used at the enterprise level. WordPress offers a much larger audience with a progressive mindset. Help to spread these concepts in WordPress is an exciting opportunity to make a much bigger impact.

Why did you decide to speak on project management?

There is already a lot of great content about the best way to do a lot of things in WordPress. There is not a whole lot on how to empirically measure what is best. A lot of people talk about how important ROI is, but there is not much on how to implement it. Most people only scratch the surface of what is possible with Google Analytics. Enabling people to unleash the full power of GA around ROI can take web project to a whole new level of success.

What do you hope the audience gets from your talk?

Insight into on why measuring results is so important to the future of websites and their business and a method to make all of their sites results-oriented and data-driven.

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s WordCamp DFW held on Nov. 11-12. There are also plenty of opportunities to sponsor the event or help run it. We hope to see you there!

Topic: WordPress for Non-Profit Organizations

I own a boutique agency in Van Alstyne, Texas, and built my first website in 1996. It was HTML and it was dial-up, because I wanted to share photos of my Pit Bull, Lucy. Lucy sent me down a path of advocacy and volunteering that informs my work today. My ideal project is one that helps people engage with local services or motivates them to give to a cause that lifts up our community. My passion is education. I support our public schools and serve on the board of a foundation that provides community college scholarships. My other job is as a shepherd of actual sheep.

How did you get involved in WordPress?

When Blogger, Movable Type, Joomla, and WordPress came out, I started experimenting with all of them, discovered WordPress, and never looked back!

What do you do with WordPress?

I have been using WordPress since 2007. I have been most energized over the last couple of years when I have been focusing on projects for local government and non-profit corporations supporting public service, public libraries, and education.

What has your experience with the WordPress community been like?

This will be my fifth WordCamp as an attendee and my first as a speaker. When I attended my first WordCamp, y’all had -women’s t-shirts-. That thoughtfulness impressed me. And now, two women keynotes at WordCamp DFW 2017? Heaven! I wish this inclusiveness had been the norm in my early tech career.

Why did you want to speak at WordCamp DFW?

I felt that I have gotten so much out of the WordPress community that it was time for me to give back.

Why did you decide to speak on WordPress and non-profits?

As a volunteer, board member and communications professional I have seen non-profit organizations fail to attract the resources they could have because their websites made it difficult for people to engage. WordPress is the ideal platform to address this, because it’s highly adopted, flexible, easy to use, and allows multiple authors with different levels of permissions. Thanks to the e-commerce capabilities that have developed over the past few years, WordPress even makes it easy for donors to give non-profits money.

What do you hope the audience gets from your talk?

Whether you create WordPress sites for clients or as a non-profit employee or volunteer, this session will help you use WordPress to engage donors and volunteers, represent the organization as a good steward of donors’ money, and protect its security and reputation.

We will discuss needs assessment, plugins, and project management and maintenance issues. This toolkit will also be useful for those who work with faith communities, local government, and education.

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s WordCamp DFW held on Nov. 11-12. There are also plenty of opportunities to sponsor the event or help run it. We hope to see you there!

Topic: SEO, Design, and Analtyics – The WordPress Tifecta That Brings In More Traffic, Leads, and Income

Treva Marshall is the owner of Marshall Web Studio, where she uses her signature SMART Website System™ to help small businesses create a powerful website that’s not only beautiful but also search engine optimized (SEO) to bring them a steady flow of warm traffic to their business. Prior to starting her website design and technical support business, Treva spent over a decade in the IT industry as a Senior Software Developer for companies such as ExxonMobil and Atmos Energy. A teacher at heart, Treva’s passion lies in combining her technical skills with her love for helping small businesses thrive by teaching online and in person workshops and through her signature program – The SMART Website Academy™. Treva is also an Adjunct Professor in the Business College at Richland College and her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Search Engine Journal, and more. When Treva isn’t geeking out on websites, SEO, and internet marketing, you can find her reading a classic period piece novel or planning our her family’s next road trip adventure.

How did you get involved in WordPress?

When I started my business, I researched various website platforms.

What do you do with WordPress?

I design smart websites for small businesses

What has your experience with the WordPress community been like?

The community is very informative and helpful.

Why did you want to speak at WordCamp DFW?

To help others understand the importance of having the total package (right platform – WordPress, right traffic for conversions – SEO , a means for tracking and monitoring – Google Analytics) in order for a website to be a valuable business asset.

Why did you decide to speak on SEO, design and analytics?

It’s a topic that I’m passionate about.

What do you hope the audience gets from your talk?

Take-aways they can implement or have someone implement for them.

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s WordCamp DFW held on Nov. 11-12. There are also plenty of opportunities to sponsor the event or help run it. We hope to see you there!