We had been looking forward for more than a year and a half to the return of one of our favourite institutions: the WordCamp Greece, due to a pandemic, had changed its plans. Finally, the date was renewed online for 16 April 2021. Papaki was there as a gold sponsor, for another year, actively supporting the event and the WordPress community.
What is WordCamp?
Almost half of all websites are built with the open source WordPress software. It is a CMS (Content Management System) a website building platform, whose use is constantly increasing, especially in Greece. WordCamps are conferences that talk about WordPress but also about the internet and technologies in general. They bring together professionals from many different fields, such as design, programming, marketing, startups, eCommerce, etc. and are held in more than 120 countries worldwide!
All events, including Greece, are supported by the WordPress Foundation, which aims to preserve the openness of WordPress.
Why WordPress?
At Papaki we love WordPress. We use it for ourselves - our blog and other projects are set up on WordPress - but we also recommend it to our clients. Here you will find services like Managed WordPress Hosting and Managed WooCommerce for eShops. Our team has also developed a number of Plugins to provide solutions for every WordPress user.
To WordCamp Greece 2021
Different from all other years, this year's event was hosted on the Airmeet online platform, 16-18 April, where we had set up our digital booth.
There, as at the other sponsors' booths, we had a video about Papaki, information and virtual swags - gifts for those who "visited" us. The Papaki team took turns at the booth to answer any questions visitors might have and many of us attended the talks.
It was natural to miss networking intensely and the friendships formed at WordCamps. An online conference is difficult to provide direct, human contact. However, the organizing team went out of their way to set up a well-organized event.
The talks lasted 2 days, were very interesting and covered a wide range of topics. They were of interest to businesses looking for online solutions: useful tips to avoid your site being "hacked", as well as current issues, e.g. online accessibility for people with disabilities (WCAG 2.0), multilingual websites and SEO tips. There was a lot of extensive reference to Google web vitals and how these will improve speeds and user experience.
There was also simultaneous interpretation for deaf people, which was very positive.
Finally, there was the After Party which, although online, managed to break the ice of the online event.
It is important to support similar events, especially to maintain their non-profit character. But also to have an overview of "what's going on" on the internet, to get feedback and to meet a lot of people with a tremendous interest. We look forward to the next WordCamp which we really hope will be live!
See the programme and more here: greece.wordcamp.org
