As I already established yesterday, WordCamps are awesome. That being said, organising one (along with other community events) is a lot of work. So then – why did I get involved in organising these things? More importantly though – why is a good idea for you to do it too?
Initially I became involved in my local community (as well as organising WordCamp Cape Town) for two reasons – the previous organiser had stepped down from the job, leaving a bit of a vacuum, and I really wanted to find out more about how the WordPress community works. Since then, my motivation has been much more single-tracked: I just want to see our local community grow bigger, better and stronger.
That being said, organising community events isn’t necessarily as altruistic as it sounds – on a personal level I gain a lot from being involved. Here are three reasons why you should do the same:
1. You’ll meet awesome people
This goes without saying really – WordPress is awesome, so by definition the people who work with it are awesome (OK, so that’s not strictly true, but it should be!). By organising community events I’ve met loads interesting and fun people who have taught me plenty of new things and have become solid friends.
By organising WordCamp Cape Town for two years running, I’ve learnt some incredibly valuable management skills as well as how to deal with frustrating suppliers and all of the other joys and challenges that come with an event of this kind. These skills are transferable to any industry and are absolutely invaluable.
3. You’ll directly benefit from a stronger community
A stronger local community benefits everyone who’s a part of it – including you. As your community grows, you’ll meet more people, learn more things and face more challenges. Plus, the more you encourage your community to contribute back to WordPress itself, the better the software will become.
So how do you start getting involved in your local community? I recently wrote a few tips on how you can do this, but really the best thing you can do is just throw yourself into it. There’s nothing in your way and no one’s going to stop you, so just get down to business and do it.
What are you waiting for?
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