Reno’s second annual WordCamp was a huge success! Thanks for everyone who came out. Check out pictures from the event!

Reno-Tahoe WordCamp 2010 is in 9 days! Here are the shirts for this year’s event, designed by Diego Sabogal. Only the first 150 registered attendees will receive a shirt so sign up now!

Here is video from the presentation I did at the Orange County WordCamp 2010 discussing specific methods for using WordPress as a content management system, including when WordPress is best for your site and how you can optimize your WordPress use for a complete site.

Video provided by Blaze Streaming Media

Here are my slides from my presentation at OC WordCamp this weekend. It was a great event and I hope everyone learned a few things! If you’ve never been to an event like this and you use WordPress, or are interested in learning more about the platform, look for a WordCamp in your area. The 2nd annual Reno-Tahoe WordCamp is just around the corner on June 12th!

I consider myself a minimalist. I do my best when my life isn’t cluttered. However, if you look at all the things I have own, all the things stacked in my closet and my garage overflowing with crap, you would have a hard time agreeing with me.

100 Thing Challenge

So the big question now is, can I purge the material possessions from my life and reduce the number of things I own to just 100?

I’ll be following the few rules that were outlined by David Bruno when he started his own 100 thing challenge.

Things not included:

• Non-personal stuff, like dishes, cleaning supplies, etc.
• Books.
• Tools.
• Collections count as one item.

I think I can do this and I have a few reasons for wanting to do so:

Packrat Tendency
I really don’t know all the things that I own. I have containers full of electronic parts and broken components that I’ve held onto with the hope of one day fixing them or using them in some spontaneously inspired project in the future. For most of these things, those days never come and the collection just continues to grow and collects dust. I have clothes that no longer fit right or that never have. I look forward to inventorying it all, keeping only the essential and donating/selling what I don’t keep around.

Financial Freedom
I currently am working on freeing myself of all types of debt. I don’t have a lot but starting Reno Collective and Lively Labs in the last couple months required everything to be bootstrapped. I never took any loans or funding from banks but rather used two credit cards and income from web development projects.

Clarity
Most people are more productive and even happier when their environment is sparse or supportive. I find I am most productive at work and most relaxed at home when both places are clear of clutter and distractions. Physical clutter is mental clutter and I don’t need any of it.

Why?
While there are certainly a good number of items that I will rely on, the things I enjoy most are the experiences I have with the people that I love here in Reno and hopefully abroad.

100 Thing Challenge

1. Stick to the 100 possession limit. New items will have to mean the replacement of an existing item
2. Get rid of cable at home (I never watch TV anyway)
3. Get rid of the paper trail – I have A LOT of files and things that should and could be digitized so that I can not only get rid of the clutter but also find things quickly in one place
4. My goal list of 100 things

I submitted an application to Google’s Summer of Code last year on building a CMS Theme Framework for wordpress and I’m back at it this year.

An IDE for WordPress Plugins & Themes

My proposal for GSOC 2010 is an integrated development environment for WordPress to allow for integration between the code editor, publishing, developer collaboration and the WordPress codex.

Features

• Open Source: Built on Eclipse
• Code Share: Share and collaborate on WordPress projects with fellow developers using Git or SVN
• Publishing: Setup FTP to allow for publishing your plugin to a WordPress installation to see your progress and test out functionality
• WordPress Codex Autocomplete: Start typing out a wordpress tag and the IDE will display autocomplete options and relevant parameters for each.
• WordPress Codex Wizard: Forgot what codex tags to use when you’re developing a theme or plugin? The Codex Wizard can help you browse the WordPress Codex and build your queries without leaving the IDE.

Example of a WordPress Theme developer’s workflow in WP Builder

1. Start Eclipse
2. Create New Project
3. Select WordPress Theme Project
4. WP Builder will create a project with a basic template structure (index.php, page.php, single.php, etc.)
5. Edit theme files within Eclipse
6. Browse the Codex for template tags within the Codex Wizard
7. Enter FTP information for a WordPress installation to see changes live on the web

Example of a WordPress Plugin developer’s workflow in WP Builder

1. Start Eclipse
2. Create New Project
3. Select WordPress Plugin Project
4. Select options such as “Include backend admin panel, etc.”
5. WP Builder will create a project with an empty plugin shell
6. Share project files with another developer across the world using a GitHub repository or SVN
7. Enter FTP information for a WordPress installation to see changes live on the web

Future Roadmap Features

These features are a little ambitious for the GSOC program timeline but as future features could include:

• Testing & Debugging
• WYSIWYG editor for theme development

It’s a busy time in the world of WordPress. The Lively Labs crew will be out and about for various WordCamps over the next couple months. We use WordPress heavily as our content management system of choice for most projects and are always glad to be involved and contribute to the community.

April 24th: Orange County WordCamp

I’ll be presenting on “Using WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS)”  at the OC WordCamp down at UC Irvine. Come check it out!

May 1st: San Francisco WordCamp

Ed, Chelsea and I attended SF WordCamp last year and it was great to meet a lot of new people in the WordPress community such as our friends over at Shane & Peter and NextSpace. We are definitely looking forward to it again this year.

June 12: Reno-Tahoe WordCamp

The 2nd annual Reno-Tahoe WordCamp is going to much larger than the first. We have already confirmed it will be held in the ballrooms of the university thanks to sponsorship by the UNR Business Student Council. This event is key to the development of Reno’s tech culture. We have a lot of great developers, bloggers and more in this town and we want to continue to help them in any way possible. The call for proposals is now open so if you’d like to speak, make sure you get your presentation submitted! A new website is going up soon but for now, you can find details at www.renotahoewordcamp.com.

The first Reno-Tahoe WordCamp was a great success and we are looking forward to an even better one this year. We have a lot of great things lined up but we can’t make the day a success without your help!

Are you a WordPress guru, blogger, podcaster, writer or community builder? If so, then you should consider submitting a proposal to present on  June 12th April 10th.

The official website for Reno-Tahoe WordCamp 2010 will be available soon with more information. If you have any questions, feel free to send an email to renotahoewordcamp@gmail.com.