WordPress Singapore Meetup #1

0 • 28th Jun 2010 • My Notes, Life, My Notes, My Notes, Pictures, My Notes, Travels • , , ,

On the 18th June 2010, a small community of WordPress lovers met up for the first time under the banner of the Official Singapore WordPress User Group (SWUG). It was the beginning of a routine each WordPress user and developer would do every 3 months: meetup, talk about WordPress, makan, make new friends, do something interesting.

As the co-founder of this community, the progress of finally having a proper meetup was one of much satisfaction. The tribulations of the past year disappeared and now we’ve achieved a new goal of organising a WordCamp in Singapore in the year 2011.

This WordCamp will be special. Not only will it be the first WordCamp in Singapore, if discussions with our Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts progress, it would also be the world’s first WordCamp Asia. As many of our neighbours have already done WordCamps, in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, it would be more sensible to pool resources and have a regional conference with a different host country each year, instead of having 4 different WordCamps every year.

I’ve already set up a Facebook page for an Asian network under the shortname http://facebook.com/wordpress.asia. This is a Facebook page specifically for the Asian network of WordPress User Groups and I invite all Asian WUGS to join this facebook page and network with us.

But first, more on SWUG itself.


9 people (4 more than the people who RSVP), attended our 1st meetup. It was held at Qotion’s SmartSpace at the 2nd floor of 262 Waterloo Centre on Waterloo Street. This will be the default venue for the meetups and our de facto home, unless kind sponsors *hints* would like to sponsor their venue. SmartSpace is a lovely office, run by Mike Zhan, an NUS law grad, and I would like to thank Mike for offering his office to hold our quarterly event. The office is conveniently located less than 100m from the Bras Basah MRT. The next nearest MRT would be Bugis MRT and is about 600m away. If you drive, there is ample parking space at the Waterloo Centre basement carpark but you must enter through Queen Street as it is a 1-way road.

Here are the 3 presentations I gave. Click on the links for the Google Docs of the presentation.

Introduction to SWUG

  • Who can join?
    • Anyone who uses WordPress whether for publishing/ blogging or for development and anyone who isn’t but interested to.
  • What we do?
    • Share the WordPress spirit
    • Advocate using WordPress
      • For Blogging
      • For Website Content Management
      • For cool, niche website development
  • Activities
    • Meetups 4x a year. February/March, June, August, October/November
    • WordCamp Singapore
    • WordCamp Asia
    • WordConf (proposed)
  • Where
    • Meetups
      • Qotion SmartSpace at Waterloo St
      • OR Venue Sponsor
    • WordCamp/WordConf
      • University Halls/LTs
      • Hotel Event Halls
      • You decide
  • $$
    • Meetups are Free
    • WordCamps/Confs are not
  • Who runs SWUG
    • Interim Team
      • Hazrul Azhar Jamari
      • Lester Chan
      • Mike Zhan
      • Ridzuan Ashim
  • Governance
    • Not yet discussed. Will ask community’s interest in implementing bi-annual elections
    • Drawing up of SWUG constitution
    • Get involved! Email hazrul@verbeter.com

Rules of Governance for Meetups

  • Rules
    • Choose the path of least resistance. Everyone is welcome.
    • Minimum of 2 presentations. Max 15 mins per presentation. 1 Publisher Oriented. 1 Developer Oriented.
    • Please RSVP always.
  • Approved Topics
    • Publishers
      • Setting up MU blogs
      • How to use BuddyPress for social network
      • Increasing your PageRank
      • etc…
    • Developers
      • Plugin development done right
      • Write your first Theme framework
      • Why is Web Standards important?
      • etc…
  • GPL/Non-GPL?
    • WordPress is strictly GPL.
    • Discourage discussion of non-GPL WordPress themes/plugins.
    • Can bring non-GPL discussion outside.
  • Open floor discussion
    • Done after presentations
    • 20 to 30 minutes maximum
    • Questions related to presentation
  • Be nice
    • Greet guests just like you. Make everyone feel welcome.
    • Excuse yourself if need to leave.
    • Silent your phone during presentations.
    • Bring your own internet just in case.
    • Thank the sponsor. No meetup possible without them.

Call to Action

  • WORDCAMP SINGAPORE 2011
  • CALL FOR SPONSORS
    • Open for Venue, Goodie Bag and F&B
    • Sponsors Please email to hazrul@verbeter.com
  • CALL FOR SPEAKERS
    • Publisher or Developer Oriented
    • Please email to hazrul@verbeter.com

In future, all WordPress meetups will be documented at http://wordpress.sg. The next meetup is proposed to be on the 1st Wednesday of August. We’re proposing to call it WordPress Wednesdays so every meetup will be held on a first Wednesday. Makes it easier to remember when’s the meetup. I hope to see more people this August! 2 great speakers will be lined up and more details will be released soon.

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