Finishing up my slides today for a presentation about IndieWeb to the WordPress Santa Clarita Valley Meetup on Saturday morning. Everyone is welcome!

It’s not a necessary prerequisite for my talk, but I’ll try to pick up where Tantek Çelik (@t) left off in his invited talk right before the State of the Word at WordCamp US 2019.

RSVPed Attending Design for Cognitive Bias Launch Party!

Come celebrate the launch of my new book, Design for Cognitive Bias. Each ticket includes the price of a copy of the book!

About this Event

Our users have biases and so do we. My new book, Design for Cognitive Bias, explores how design and content strategy can help keep them at bay (or use them for good). Let's celebrate the launch!

  • We'll start with a book reading
  • Then I'll chat with Tiny MBA author Alex Hillman about the book
  • Then we'll do audience Q&A
  • Then we'll do something called an idea exchange. (I'll explain later but I promise it'll be fun!)

Like I said, price of admission includes a digital copy of the book. YOU get a book! And YOU get a book! And YOU get a book! (You get the idea).

Special thanks to Indy Hall for virtually hosting this event!

I'm really looking forward to this. It's been a long road to get here and I hope you'll celebrate with me! :)

My remarkable friend David Dylan Thomas has a a new book entitled Design for Cognitive Bias coming out on August 25th from A Book Apart. Knowing his background and abilities, it will be a must-read for any web designer or developer.

We humans are messy, illogical creatures who like to imagine we’re in control—but we blithely let our biases lead us astray. In Design for Cognitive Bias, David Dylan Thomas lays bare the irrational forces that shape our everyday decisions and, inevitably, inform the experiences we craft. Once we grasp the logic powering these forces, we stand a fighting chance of confronting them, tempering them, and even harnessing them for good. Come along on a whirlwind tour of the cognitive biases that encroach on our lives and our work, and learn to start designing more consciously.

 If you’re free on Friday, August 28th there’s also a launch party for the book! The price of admission also includes a discounted copy of the e-book. RSVP now.

I’m hoping I can talk him into doing a talk or presentation for my friends in the IndieWeb community. He’s a great and thoughtful person and speaker, so I expect to see him around the design and development talk circuit for a lot of the coming year. If you have a conference coming up, I recommend you book him now before he’s over-scheduled.

RSVPed Attending Homebrew Website Club West Coast 2020-08-05

Any questions? Ask in the IndieWeb chat!
Notes for the meetup's etherpad.
This week's event host: Chris Aldrich

Homebrew Website Club is a meetup for anyone interested in personal websites and a distributed web. Whether you’re a blogger, coder, designer, or just someone who wants to improve their presence on the web, this meetup is for you.

6:00pm–7:30pm IndieWeb Meetup

* Demos of personal website breakthroughs
* Discussion around the independent web
* Get to know other members of the IndieWeb!
* Create or update your personal web site!
* Finish that blog post you’ve been working on!

Join a community with like-minded interests. Bring friends that want a personal site, or are interested in a healthy, independent web!

RSVP (optional)

If your website supports it, post an indie RSVP.
Or, log in and click “I'm Going” on the event. If none of that means anything to you, don't worry about it; just show up!

Now weekly!

Check events.indieweb.org for next week's meetup! There are some meetups in European and US Eastern time zones as well.

I’m hosting Homebrew Website Club next Wednesday and hope you’ll be able to join us.
RSVPed Attending Santa Clarita Valley WordPress Meetup: Using WordPress to own your online data & social media presence w/Chris Aldrich

Online event
August 22, 2020 at 11:00 AM- 01:00PM

Corporate social media has been dominating the online space so significantly that the newest generation of Internet users now thinks that is what the "web" actually is. Fortunately, with WordPress as your platform, you can not only take back your online identity and presence, but you can use it to have a richer and fuller experience than the locked-down experience you get with the limits of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

Chris will explore some open web standards and technologies that open up WordPress to allow site-to-site interactions and easier posting functionality through the magic of a small handful of simple plugins. These are simple enough building blocks that the beginning WordPress user can do some powerful new things with their sites but are also rich enough that senior developers can build and extend them or find uses for them for business sites and even e-commerce.

I suppose since I’m the one speaking that I have to RSVP, right?! I hope everyone will come join me in talking about using WordPress and the IndieWeb.

You can also find a copy of the event on the IndieWeb Events calendar.

A Domain of One’s Own Meetup | July 23, 2020

I’ll be hosting a Domain of One’s Own meetup on Thursday, July 23, 2020 at at 10:30 AM Pacific / 1:30 PM Eastern / 7:30 PM CEST. Everyone who is interested in the topic is welcome to attend. We expect there will be students, teachers, designers, web developers, technologists, and people of all ages and ranges of ability from those just starting out with a domain to those running DoOO programs at colleges or even people running their own hosting companies.

We’ll use Zoom for this online meetup (here’s the link to the room which should be active about 15 minutes before we start). We’re planning on using an Etherpad for real-time chat and note taking for the event.

Attendees will be expected to have read and agree to the IndieWeb Code of Conduct which will apply to the meetup.

We will 

  • Have discussions about A Domain of One’s Own and the independent web;
  • Get to know other colleagues in the space;
  • Ask colleagues for help/advice on problems or issues you’re having with your domain;
  • Find potential collaborators for domains-related projects you’re working on;
  • Explore new and interesting ideas about what one can do or accomplish with a personal domain;
  • Create or update your domain

Agenda 

  • Welcome
  • Introductions: short 2 minute introductions of attendees with an optional brief demonstration of something you’ve done on your domain or purpose for which you’re using your domain.
  • Group photo for those who wish to participate
  • Main meetup: Ideally everyone should bring a topic, demonstration, question, or problem to discuss with the group. Depending on time and interest, we can try to spend 5-10 minutes discussing and providing feedback on each of these. If questions go over this time limitation, we can extend the conversation in smaller groups as necessary after the meetup.

RSVP

To RSVP to the meetup, please do one of the following:

Future meetups

While the time frame for this inaugural meetup may work best for some in the Americas, everyone with interest is most welcome. If there are others in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, or other locales who are interested, do let us know what dates/times might work for you in the future and we can try to organize a time to maximize some attendance there. I’m happy to help anyone who’d like to take the leadership of other time zones or locales to leverage some of the resources of the IndieWeb community to assist in starting future meetings to cover other areas of the world. 

🎉 Invitations 🎉 

Tim Owens, Aaron Davis, Cathie LeBlanc, Kartik Prabhu, Amber Case, Amy Guy, Greg McVerry, William Ian O’Byrne, Jim Groom, Kimberly Hirsh, John Johnston, Robin DeRosaAudrey Watters, Ken Bauer, Will Monroe, Jeremy Dean, Nate Angell, Jon Udell, Adam Procter, Amy Guy, Kris ShafferAnelise H. Shrout, John Johnston,  Mark Grabe, Rick Wysocki, Doug Holton, Jeffrey Keefer, Rayna M. HarrisDavey Moloney, Vicki BoykisJohn Carlos BaezDan ScottTaylor JadinKathleen Fitzpatrick (mb), Blair MacIntyre (mb), Doug Belshaw, Adam ProcterDan Cohen (mb), Dave Cormier, Scott Gruber, Kay Oddone, Kin Lane, Martha Burtis, Lee Skallerup Bessette, Adam Croom, Sean Michael Morris, Jesse Stommel, Cassie Nooyen, Stephen Downes, Ben Werdmüller, Erin Jo Richey, Jack Jamieson, Grant Potter, Ryan Boren (mb), Paul Hibbits, Maha Bali, Alan Levine, John Stewart, Teodora Petkova, Lora Taub-Pervizpour, Clint Lalonde, Clint Lalonde Sonja Burrows, Jonathan Poritz Chris Long, Mo PelzelMichelle S. HagermanAnne-Marie ScottTim Clarke, Amy Collier, Laura PasquiniMartin HawkseyZach WhalenDaniel LyndsTom WoodwardMark A. MatienzoLaura GibbsAutumn CainesChris LottJess ReingoldTerry GreenErin Rose Glass,  Trip KirkpatrickMeredith FierroLauren BrumfieldHelen DeWaardKeegan Long-Wheeler,  Irene Stewart Christina HendricksBill Kronholm, Xinli WangTineke D’HaeseleerMartin Weller Jeremy FeltJane Van Galen, Tanis Morgan, Library Carpentry

Know someone who would be interested in joining? Please forward this event, or one of the syndicated copies (linked below) to them on your platform or modality of choice.

Hashtags: #​phdchat#​DoOO#​edtechchat#​literacies#​higherED#​dh, #​ds106#​educolor#​WPCampus#​openscience#​clmooc#​digped#​altc

Featured image: Hard Drive Repair flickr photo by wwarby shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

Getting Started with WordPress, an IndieWebCamp Pop-up Session

I’ll be hosting an introduction to IndieWeb using WordPress and invite everyone to join me via Zoom (link to come).

Saturday, August 1, 2020 9:30 – 11:30am (America/Los_Angeles)

This will be a broad-based introduction to the IndieWeb session specifically focused on using WordPress. Our aim is to help people get set up and running a self-hosted IndieWeb-based website with WordPress though some of our discussion will work for WordPress.com versions as well.

  • Grab a cup of coffee and get an IndieWeb site up and running in just a few hours.
  • Have questions or problems with your current WordPress IndieWeb site? Stop by and get some help.
  • Just figuring out what IndieWeb is about? Much of what we’ll discuss is applicable to other platforms and may be useful to other beginners as well.
  • All levels of experience welcome
  • (Note: for those without a domain registered or web hosting, we may have a brief pre-session to help you out so we can be more productive during the main session.)

  • Notes for the session will take place at: https://etherpad.indieweb.org/WordPressQuickStart
  • Create week: Following the session, we’ll give people a chance to create something for their site to do remote demos.
  • Demos: When we’re done, we’ll have a short online demo session so people can show off the new sites and maybe demo their favorite functionality.

Would you like to volunteer to help manage the session? Add yourself to the list on the IndieWeb wiki or contact the organizers in chat.

Code of Conduct: indieweb.org/code-of-conduct

I’m planning on setting up up a regularly recurring Domain of One’s Own focused online meetup in the mold of Homebrew Website Clubs or WordPress meetups. People can ask questions, get help, collaborate, demo technology and ways they’re using their domains.

I’m thinking monthly to start, but I’m curious what days of the week and times might work best for people, especially across time zones?

Let me know if you’re interested in helping to organize or would like to join us to participate.

Featured image: Hard Drive Repair flickr photo by wwarby shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

IndieWebCamp 2020 West: June 27-28, 2020

Some of us have been wishing there were a , but it’s a LOT to organize and execute on an annual basis. To bridge a bit of the gap, I’m collaborating with some in the IndieWeb movement to do a free online-only (due to physical distancing) two day BarCamp-style conference on the weekend of June 27-28, 2020.

The broad ideas behind DoOO dovetail quite well and the IndieWeb community has a welcoming, inclusive, and helpful atmosphere with a solid code of conduct.

The upcoming event is called IndieWebCamp 2020 West (based roughly on the Pacific time Zone). I’ve already started proposing a few DoOO-related sessions on their organizing Etherpad. I’d encourage others in the community who are interested to register for the free two day camp to talk about what we can do with our websites and how we can improve them. Students, faculty, staff, and even hobbyists of all levels of ability are welcome. If you’ve got ideas for things you’re interested in doing on or with your website, feel free to propose your own topics (either now or the morning of day one).

We’d love to see everyone there.

Day one is a brief introduction followed by various discussion-based sessions on topics of interest to those who attend. (First time attendees are given the first opportunity to schedule topics.) Day two is a creator day on which people write, create, build, code, or otherwise improve something on their website. If you don’t yet have a website, people will be on hand to help you set one up, or get around obstacles you may have for being able to use and manage your website.

Details and RSVP information can be found here: https://indieweb.org/2020/West

If anyone has questions or needs further details or help proposing potential sessions, don’t hesitate to ask.

IndieWebCamp 2020 West is Officially On

IndieWebCamp West Coast is an online IndieWebCamp being held on
 

Tickets / RSVP

What is it?

Two days meeting up online to share ideas, create & improve personal websites, and build upon each other’s creations. Whether you’re a blogger, coder, designer, or just someone who wants to improve their presence on the web, there is something for you here. All skill and experience levels welcome.
If you’ve never attended an IndieWebCamp, we’ve got an article to describe what to expect.

I’m definitely attending, and I hope you’ll join us!

RSVPed Attending IndieWebCamp West 2020
June 27 - 28, 2020: Two days meeting up online to share ideas, create & improve personal websites, and build upon each other's creations. Whether you’re a creator, writer, blogger, coder, designer, or just someone who wants to improve their presence on the web, there is something for you here. All skill and experience levels welcome.
Coronavirus concerns have caused us to cancel the annual in-person IndieWebSummit 2020 , so I’m helping to co-organize this two day online event and welcome anyone who’d like to join.

Passionate about helping people to get online? Volunteer to help us out.

ONLINE: Homebrew Website Club West Coast on May 13, 2020

Working on your website? Want some camaraderie? Need ideas about what you could build next? Want to share what you’ve built with others? I’m hosting next week’s meetup on Wednesday. Come and join the fun!

May 13, 2020
Wed 6:00 – 7:30pm (America/Los_Angeles)

Join the Zoom call

We will provide a Zoom video conference link 20-30 minutes before the meetup here and in the IndieWeb chat. Here’s the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85315852710?pwd=OGlSSTQxV1A3blVmR2Y3R21XOW1FZz09


Homebrew Website Club is a meetup for anyone interested in personal websites and a distributed web. Whether you’re a blogger, coder, designer, or just someone who wants to improve their presence on the web, this meetup is for you.

  • Demos of personal website breakthroughs
  • Discussion around the independent web
  • Get to know other members of the IndieWeb!
  • Create or update your personal web site!
  • Finish that blog post you’ve been working on!

Join a community with like-minded interests. Bring friends that want a personal site, or are interested in a healthy, independent web!

RSVP (optional)

If your website supports it, post an indie RSVP. Or simply post a comment below. If none of that means anything to you, don’t worry about it; just show up!

Now weekly!

Check https://events.indieweb.org for next week’s meetup! There are some meetups in European and US Eastern timezones as well.

Gardens and Streams: Wikis, Blogs, and UI—a pop up IndieWebCamp session

There has been some sporadic conversation about doing impromptu IndieWebCamp sessions and thus far we’ve yet to organize one. Given our physical distancing and the dearth of bigger IndieWebCamps, I thought I would propose this single topic stand alone camp session to get something rolling. I’d invite others to propose and schedule others in the future.

April 25, 2020
Sat 10:00 – 11:00am (America/Los_Angeles)
Meeting ID: 950-1243-4695
Meeting Password: 021089
This is an online only event. We will provide a Zoom video conference link 30 minutes before the session here and in the IndieWeb chat.

Session Topic

We’ll be discussing and brainstorming ideas related to wikis and the IndieWeb, user interfaces, functionalities, examples of wikis and how they differ from blogs and other social media interfaces, and everyones’ ideas surrounding these. Bring your ideas and let’s discuss.

This is just a single one hour IndieWebCamp-like session (though we have the option to go over a bit since there isn’t a session following us) where we’ll brainstorm and discuss a particular topic. Hopefully the weekend time will be convenient for a wide range of people in Europe and North America who have previously shown interest in the topic. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Resources

To prepare for the session we’ll be using the following:

See also: https://indieweb.org/IndieWebCamps/Attending#Technology
This event is covered by the IndieWeb Code of Conduct. By participating, you’re acknowledging your acceptance of this code.

Questions? Concerns?

Feel free to ask in the IndieWeb chat: https://chat.indieweb.org/indieweb/

RSVP (optional)

If your website supports it, post an indie RSVP. Or, log in to indieweb.org and click “I’m Going”. (And if none of that means anything to you, don’t worry about it; just show up!)

RSVPed Attending ONLINE: Homebrew Website Club West Coast
April 1, 2020
Wed 6:00 - 8:00pm (America/Los_Angeles)
 

Join the Zoom call: link to come

We will provide a Zoom video conference link 20 minutes before the meetup here and in the IndieWeb chat.


Homebrew Website Club is a meetup for anyone interested in personal websites and a distributed web. Whether you’re a blogger, coder, designer, or just someone who wants to improve their presence on the web, this meetup is for you.

6:00pm–7:00pm Quiet writing hour

  • Finish that blog post you’ve been working on!

7:00pm–8:00pm IndieWeb Meetup

  • Demos of personal website breakthroughs
  • Discussion around the independent web
  • Create or update your personal web site!

Join a community with like-minded interests. Bring friends that want a personal site, or are interested in a healthy, independent web!

Chat archives

Please read through our Code of Conduct.

RSVPed Attending IndieWebCamp Online 2020

IndieWebCamp Online 2020 is a two-day online event for independent web creators of all kinds, from graphic artists to designers, UX engineers, coders, hackers, to share ideas, actively work on creating for their own personal websites, and build upon each others creations.

Been unable to attend an in-person IndieWebCamp? IndieWebCamp Online is an opportunity for you to interact with other members of the community. Zoom will be used to create conference rooms.

See the schedule for each day with links to the Zoom remote participation rooms at indieweb.org/2020/Online