I have purposely chosen to not revisit the actual message delivered at State of the Word. There has been a lot already said and I don’t really need to add to that pile. In fact, I have listed a few posts at the end here that will give you that overview.
I arrived in New York City late Tuesday evening. The SOTW was not beginning till noonish on Thursday. But I was pretty sure Wednesday would be my “hang out with friends and community day”. Of course I was not disappointed.
Community is where community goes
Mid-morning on Wednesday, I ran into Michelle Frechette and her friend Julia in the hotel lobby. Hungry and in need of caffeine, I joined them for a bit of time at Starbucks. Returning to the hotel, we ran into Rich Tabor, and set a time to find a restaurant and have lunch. The four of us ended up at an Italian place, which would be the first of two that day.
Then came a break before I met Robert Jacobi, Rich Tabor at Nancy’s Whiskey Bar across the street. Where eventually we were joined by Robbie Adair and Bud Kraus. Although we didn’t get a group shot then, Robert did grab a shot of Rich and myself.
After that came dinner. I shared a bit of that experience on my podcast over on Do the Woo, which in a nutshell ended up being a fantastic Do the Woo dinnner in a heated patio at yet another Italian restaurant.
Following that feast, a few of us ended up at the Rockefeller Center.
And that was the day of true community. Friends coming together and just simply having a great time.
State of the Word Day
Of course the day of the State of the Word has it’s fair share of community. From a casual get together at a cafe beforehand, to the event itself and rounding that off with a small dinner with Robert Jacobi, Robbie Adair and Nev Harris.
The entire day, day two, filled with community. Old and new friends.
Conversations at SOTW
I cannot possibly share with you the conversations I had at the event, primarily because I had too many and cannot recall each one. But a couple of instances stick in my mind.
First, I met Zandy Ring, COO at Tumblr. This was not only a fun conversation but also very timely as I dive into the Tumblr world as BobWP. It’s been an interesting platform to sort out. And the insights that Zandy shared with me confirmed I was doing the right thing by taking my time and finding my groove there.
Secondly, I had a chance to chat with Matt Mullenweg a couple of times. The best thing about the SOTW event if Matt is in his element there. The smaller crowd gives it a much more relaxed feeling and I sense that he is truly enjoying himself.
And the cool thing. There would never be the opportunity where I would be able to share with him the new stuff we are doing over at Do the Woo in the new year. But this event gave me that chance. And even better, he loved what we were going to be doing.
Now with both of these conversations, I was fortunately to be given the opportunity to have them. But I did for two simple reasons.
The WordPress community is incredible, no matter who you meet
I am extremely fortunate to have such amazing sponsors for Do the Woo that made it possible for me to represent DTW at the event.
Learn more about the State of the Word
Matt’s SOTW was great and there was some really cool stuff he shared. But I am not into reinventing the wheel, so here are a few options for you to catch up with it if you haven’t already.
Over on WPTavern, State of the Word 2022: Matt Mullenweg Highlights Gutenberg’s Progress, Announces New Community Tools
The WPMinute has an audio version if you are on the go, as well as some key takeaways.
And of course, over on WordPress.org, you can catch the full video.