There are many advantages to being self-employed, although working alone from a home office can be isolating. I talk to and meet with clients regularly, still I also feel the need to connect with other Web Design Professionals. Through the web I am able to have virtual conversations but I really value face-to-face interactions. What I enjoy most about attending local “Unconferences” such as WordCamp, PodCamp or Freelance Camp are the f2f networking opportunities.
At WordCamp 2010 I heard about a WordPress Toronto Meetup Group (#wpto) and I was quick to join. What I enjoy most about these Meetups aren’t the presentations, not to knock them – they are informative and interesting – but the one-on-one discussions. At the Meetup, I’ve met great people who are open and generous with their knowledge. We’ve discussed great WordPress themes and plugins, we’ve also talked about non-WordPress specific tools. The group is a mix of WordPress Newbies and WordPress Professionals: WordPress Plugin Developers and Programmers, WordPress Designers and WordPress end users. I’ve been able to send some work to my #wpto friends and some work has come my way too.
Feel free to check out the WordPress Toronto Meetup Group.
Great hashtag-logo! The main reason I joined the WPToronto Meetup group was and is for the opportunity to interact with other WordPress interested people. The chance to talk about the inner and outer working of WordPress and other related topics is the best thing about the group and also why I have volunteered my time to help with organizing the meetings.