Organizers

I’ve been around WordPress long enough to see how often accessibility gets treated like a checkbox: a last-minute task squeezed in before launch. Or worse, an optional feature, to address only if there’s budget left over.

I think both approaches miss the point completely.

Accessibility isn’t an edge case. It’s the baseline for building things that work for everyone.

Especially in Canada.

In this country we have a deep commitment to inclusion — not just as policy, but as a cultural value. From coast to coast, we’re proud of our diversity and our social responsibility. We recognize that public goods, like the web, need to begin and end with everyone in mind.

Everyone.

Including people with disabilities. People with different learning needs. People at every age, and people using assistive tech. All of those folks, those people, are a vital part of every user base.

When we treat accessibility as a core value instead of an afterthought, something amazing happens: our work gets better for everyone.

Navigation gets clearer. Content is easier to understand. Interactions get more consistent— and easier for all of us to use. And above all, we build trust. Because we’ve shown we’re thinking way past what’s convenient and far beyond what’s trendy.

Real Innovation Starts with Inclusion

It’s easy to chase the latest flashy design trend (especially if someone’s already coded it up in a cool new JavaScript framework!) But real innovation in the WordPress space — and on the open web — starts with solving real problems for real people. That means building tools and experiences that are usable and equitable first. Then you can worry about what’s impressive in a portfolio.

When we lead with accessibility, we are not limiting creativity. We’re expanding it. We’re building smarter, more sustainable codebases—and systems that adapt and scale. We’re writing better documentation—and sending a clear message: you belong here.

Canada’s Role in the Global Web

As Canadians, we have a real opportunity to model accessibility-first thinking on the global stage: our government has made accessibility the law. Our developers and designers build WCAG and usability into everything they do. And our WordPress community is full of people who care deeply about equity, inclusion, and doing the right thing — even when no one’s watching.

We’ve already seen this in action at WordCamps across the country. Talks that make the case for accessible design. Workshops that teach inclusive development. Communities that make sure events welcome everyone.

We don’t just have the knowledge — we have the will.

Accessibility at Carleton

Carleton University is an especially great Canadian example of leadership in accessibility. WordCamp Ottawa has convened at Carleton in the past, but it will be my first time there in October. When we landed on Carleton as our venue, I started to research it so I could start describing the amenities to prospective sponsors, speakers, and attendees.

Accessibility came up a lot!

All of Carleton University’s 45 buildings are wheelchair accessible over ground. Richcraft Hall’s theatre and classrooms have accessible door buttons, adjustable height podiums, assistive listening devices, and flexible seating.

There’s accessible parking. There’s a para transpo system that connects with all of Ottawa and the 211 system. There’s a tunnel and skyway network connecting all campus buildings. There’s support for service animals.

The Accessibility Commons brings together all of Carleton’s numerous, multifaceted accessibility services, programs, systems, and resources.

Unsurprisingly, Carleton’s Accessibility Institute is the national headquarters of the Canadian Accessibility Network and has a unique, multidiciplinary, post-graduate Collaborative Specialization in Accessibility program.

Everyone Benefits from Accessible Spaces

As Cathy noted in a previous post, everyone will deal with disability in some form at some point in their lives. If you’re over 50, like me, odds are you also struggle reading small print especially in low light. For others, it’s worse or maybe it’s hearing loss.

For me, it’s a lifelong, progressive, neuromuscular disease that (combined with age and injuries) limits my mobility more and more.

I don’t have huge needs, but I notice the significant barriers and limitations more when I’m in very inaccessible spaces that are hard to navigate on foot, require a lot of walking — or worse, climbing or prolonged standing in place.

At WordCamps I’m on my feet more than usual, and I usually just accept the discomfort, which is easier when I’m having fun. But I don’t look forward to the flights and airports.

I am looking forward to exploring the Carleton campus, coming from the airport and going downtown on the O-train, and spending time in and around Richcraft Hall.

Let’s Keep Leading

If you’re part of the WordPress community — whether as a builder, a contributor, or a content creator — I challenge you to stop thinking about accessibility as an enhancement. See it as a foundation.

It’s not about compliance. It’s care.

Let’s make accessibility something we’re known for — not just in Canada, but across the WordPress ecosystem.

Let’s lead with values. With empathy. And build the web we all deserve.

Join us at WordCamp Canada!

Get your tickets, bring your curiosity, and join us in Ottawa this fall for an unforgettable celebration of WordPress, community, and the open web! 🌐

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now, and we’ve secured discount rates for you at area hotels. 🏨

Last year I restarted the Edmonton WordPress Meetup after a long period of inactivity. I had moved to Edmonton about the time the local WordPress and tech community was suffering some setbacks that would soon be followed by the global pandemic. Where there was once a vibrant meetup and startup scene that supported several WordCamps, there was just a gap waiting for people to fill. So we did, just like other local WordPress meetups across Canada.

Find your local WordPress community

If you haven’t connected with the WordPress community in your neck of the woods, please do!

• Matt Graham set up this fine wayfinding site to help you find a meetup near you.
• Marcus Burnette created thewp.world to connect everybody, and he adds some new features just about every month. Currently you can search for other members in the directory within a certain distance of selected town or city. Here’s everyone 500km from Ottawa.

This week, Marcus also kindly emailed all resident Canadians in the directory to remind them to get their tickets for WCEH! 😊 There are no borders in the WordPress community, however. Just being in the Great Lakes region again this year makes WCEH both a regional and international destination. This is true anywhere in Canada, certainly along our border with the United States. As always, we are welcoming attendees and speakers from the US and all over the world.

Connect with a local university

In WordPress, more than most open source communities, we’ve always believed that open exploration is the heart of learning and growth. Whether you’re a student curious about the web, a seasoned developer, a solo creator, or someone running an agency—WordPress gives all of us a common ground to experiment, create, and push boundaries.

Students are special, however! It’s been my privilege to help connect students from NAIT and the University of Alberta with each other and the WordPress ecosystem through the Edmonton Meetup.

WCEH is taking place this Fall on the Carleton University campus with a “Back to campus” theme centred on learning, exploration, innovation, and community. Meanwhile, the WordPress Campus Connect program has been growing. Interested students and faculty should check it out, consider starting a campus club, connecting with a local meetup, or taking advantage of the new WordPress Credits internship program.

Introducing WordPress Credits: A New Contribution Internship Program for University Students

Meetups make learning social

Exploration isn’t just about shiny new tools (though we love those too); it’s about asking better questions, trying new approaches, and discovering how technology can meet human needs. From the Site Editor and block themes to open web ethics and inclusive design, there’s always something new to unpack—both technically and socially.

That’s where the meetup comes in.

WordPress meetups bring people of all ages together from all walks of life to share their knowledge, test ideas, and learn from each other. We explore how WordPress empowers individuals and communities, and how it intersects with broader topics like digital literacy, privacy, accessibility, and the open source ethos.

It’s one thing to tinker in isolation. It’s another to explore together. When we connect, ideas move faster. Confidence grows. Projects come to life. That’s the real power of exploration — turning ideas into action through community.

Find your people to explore web tech with together

Exploration is where innovation begins. It’s the moment we stop asking “what if?” and start doing. In the world of WordPress, exploration isn’t just curiosity—it’s a superpower that turns ideas into action.

Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just getting started, pushing boundaries is where the magic happens. Trying a new block theme, diving into custom post types, or integrating APIs can take your site from standard to standout. The WordPress ecosystem is vast, and the tools are always evolving — exploring them opens new creative possibilities.

New features like the Site Editor, patterns, and headless WordPress options are transforming what’s possible. By stepping outside the familiar and experimenting with these tools, we unlock better workflows, cleaner designs, and more dynamic experiences for users.

Don’t wait for the “perfect plan” — exploration thrives in action. Sketch the idea, test the plugin, build the block. WordPress is built for creators, tinkerers, and trailblazers. The only limit is how far you’re willing to explore.

Curious? Come to a meetup. Bring your questions, your half-finished ideas, your goals. You’ll find a welcoming space to learn, share, and build — together.

There’s something powerful about building things together. It’s more than just writing code or pushing updates—it’s the feeling of being part of something bigger. That’s the heart of open source, and it’s exactly what we’re celebrating at WordCamp Canada 2025.

WordPress has always been more than software.

It’s a community: of people who believe in sharing knowledge, creating opportunities, and supporting each other. It’s a global project: built across the world, but powered by local voices, from hobby bloggers and solo freelancers to agency teams and enterprise developers. And now, we’re gathering from coast to coast in one place, to learn, connect, and build—together.

WordCamp Canada 2025 is a milestone. It’s a reflection of how far the Canadian WordPress community has come—and how much potential we still have to unlock.

Whether you’re contributing to core, organizing local meetups, mentoring newcomers, or just starting your first site, your presence here matters. Every contribution, big or small, is part of the larger open source story we’re writing together.

You’ll feel it in the sessions, the hallway chats, the contributor day tables, and the quiet moments of shared insight. You’ll see it in the volunteers who make this event possible, and the speakers who share their journeys. They don’t do it for recognition nearly as much as they do for the next person who needs to hear, “You belong here too.”

Open source thrives when we collaborate. When we listen, teach, build, and lead with empathy. WordCamp Canada isn’t just a celebration of WordPress—it’s a celebration of the Canadian community spirit that fuels it.

So whether you’ve been contributing for years, or this is your first WordCamp: welcome. You’re part of something extraordinary.

Join us at WordCamp Canada!

Get your tickets, bring your curiosity, and join us in Ottawa this fall for an unforgettable celebration of WordPress, community, and the open web! 🌐

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now, and we’ve secured discount rates for you at area hotels. 🏨

Of course you do!

You might think Contributor Day is just for the nerdy types; you know the ones? They type long bits of nonsense on keyboards (in black hoodies).

You’re not wrong, but lots of people have a great time at Contributor Day! Have a look below – are you a Non-Coder, First-Timer, Team-Hopper, Prepared Pro, Social Butterfly or perhaps a new participant type I haven’t thought of?

The Non-Coder

Q: Do I need coding skills?

A: Nope. Some of the busiest people in the room wouldn’t know a semicolon from a salami sandwich.

They might be editing documentation, sketching design ideas, testing features, or organizing projects.

They’re leading entire teams without writing a single line of code! How about it – are you a non-coder organizer type?

The First-Timer

Q: What exactly do you mean, “Contribute”?

A: We all sit around tables, sometimes there’s a motivational you-got-this speech, and then we figure out how we can be part of the huge open-source project we call WordPress.

Each part contributes to the whole – there are documents and translations, best practices and manuals, tutorials and of course – the meat of the thing – the coding!

You do not need to be a coder to contribute! See ‘non-coder’ above.

There are tables of coders and non-coders and all sorts of other things too… for example, we need French speaking people!

Lots of folks show up nervous. They sit down “just to observe,” they say.

But by lunchtime, they’ve published a fix, translated something, or drafted a new tutorial. You’ll meet folks who made their first contribution that morning and are already planning their next one.

The Team-Hopper

Q: What team should I join?

A: Some people wander from table to table all day—not because they’re indecisive, but because every team is doing something fascinating.

You’re welcome to see what is up – especially if this is your first time.

These adventurous types wind up with a little bit of experience in marketing, accessibility, translation, and core development-all in a single day. I really can’t imagine anything better!

The Prepared Pro

Q: How do I get ready?

A: You’ll spot this person right away. They’re already logged into Slack. They have the right accounts set up. And they carry chargers, sticky notes, and snacks for anyone who needs them.

They’ve probably been contributing online for months (or years!) and just treat Contributor Day as a giant in-person meetup. You and I will watch these folks for queues.

The Social Butterfly

Q: What’s the vibe like?

A: While some people are deep in their laptops, the social butterflies are making the rounds. They’re greeting old friends, introducing newcomers, and pulling people into conversations.

These heroes of humanity might not produce a single pull request (we’ll show you what that is) – yet they’re vital for making the day feel welcoming and collaborative.

Did you see yourself among the Contributor Day types?

The best people at Contributor Day are the ones you don’t expect. Except I kinda expect them now. They’re the non-coders leading projects. The first-timers making waves. The multitaskers exploring everything. And of course, you’ll see plenty of hyper-prepared veterans, with a fair complement of chatterboxes to keep the room buzzing.

And here’s the secret: on your very first Contributor Day, you might just become one of them.

When I first started working with WordPress back in 2008, I never imagined how deeply it would connect me: not just to a CMS or a software project, but to a global community of makers, learners, and problem-solvers. In Canada, that connection feels especially strong because of how we work: locally grounded, globally minded.

From Halifax to Vancouver, Toronto to Whitehorse, Canadian WordPressers have been quietly building remarkable things for years. We solve local problems for small businesses, non-profits, and communities with a DIY spirit, but we do it using the same open standards and open-source tools that power major platforms around the world.

And every time we write a plugin, contribute to core, share our knowledge at a meetup, or help someone new get started, we’re part of something much bigger.

The Local Vibe

One of my favourite things about the Canadian WordPress scene is how collaborative and welcoming it is. We come from diverse backgrounds—designers, developers, marketers, educators, artists—and we bring those perspectives into the work we do. Whether it’s teaching a newcomer how to set up their first child theme, or troubleshooting a tricky WooCommerce customization, there’s always someone ready to jump in and help.

That spirit really comes alive at our meetups and WordCamps. If you’ve ever attended WordCamp Ottawa or WordCamp Toronto, you know what I mean— the energy is real. It’s not about flashy launches or giant egos. It’s about practical knowledge, shared tools, and building trust in each other.

Tied to the Global Web

But while our communities feel local, our vision is global. WordPress is one of the few platforms where you can go from building a site for your neighbourhood farmers’ market to contributing to a multilingual publishing project used by people on five continents. I’ve seen Canadian agencies and freelancers collaborate with teams from the Netherlands, Nigeria, Japan—all because we share a commitment to the open web.

Being part of this movement means embracing open-source values: accessibility, transparency, sustainability, and a belief that the web belongs to everyone. Canadians are showing up in that space—not just using WordPress, but shaping its future.

Come Experience It for Yourself

That’s why I’m so excited about WordCamp Canada 2025 (WCEH25). It’s more than just a conference. It’s a celebration of everything we’ve built together and an invitation to dream bigger.

If you’ve ever wanted to connect with other WordPressers from across the country (and around the world), share your work, learn from others, and strengthen your role in the open web—this is the event for you.

Join us at WordCamp Canada!

Get your tickets, bring your curiosity, and join us in Ottawa this fall for an unforgettable celebration of WordPress, community, and the open web! 🌐

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now, and we’ve secured discount rates for you at area hotels. 🏨

Like a lot of us, New_ Public wants to reimagine social media. If you subscribe to their Substack, you may be asked a few simple but deep questions. I like this — if you take it seriously, it slows you down to engage through our oldest digital social network, email.

Here are the questions and my answers:

What is your favourite public space: Sidewalk Cafés or in the median, Montréal style. Also, public plazas and squares, like the way Churchill Square/City Hall Plaza in Edmonton were before the pandemic. 

Why it matters: These are neutral spaces where anyone can do anything, but they are also social spaces, so people expect to interact socially with strangers and friends. At least if they are healthy! When they become unhealthy, these spaces are fearful and policed. They can no longer function as the peoples’ place and be granted an unsupervised autonomy — they pass from zones of implicit trust to zones of suspicion. Any street or alley is subject to the same dynamics. 

Can aspects of this space be translated into digital spaces? Yes, it can be done in real-time digital communication spaces like Zoom and possibly chat groups, but the relative anonymity of chat always keeps you guessing. Videoconferencing with people speaking and seeming to be more physically present supports the same kind of tenuous social trust that strangers can develop in chance encounters in public spaces. If this is supported by the much more established asynchronous connector of letters, emails, and other “long form writing” over time, I believe this brings out the best in people, in terms of trust, deepening relationships, shared thinking, and creativity. 

What do you think?

Can your favourite public space be translated to digital media? Are there any strong analogies between physical and digital social spaces?

A majority of people today might say blog comments or any type of commenting online is a terrible idea — the digital equivalent of a dive bar where there’s always a fight rather than your friendly neighbourhood sidewalk cafe.

But then again, many of us use forms of commenting and direct messaging for team communications and project management every day. They can have their drawbacks too, but open conflict is not a common complaint and would point to problems within a team or company culture.

Dave Winer thinks comments are almost universally a bad idea, and if you want to communicate with others online, you should do it with your own (federated?) blog. That’s pretty much how we discussed the topic on our respective blogs, X, and Mastodon accounts. 😊

I was reading @spolsky on learning from @davewiner — https://t.co/Qp3xle3GZO — it's a short blog post against unmoderated comments appended to blog posts. Can comments be done well? Should they be saved or disabled by default? Share your *comments* below.

— WordCamp Canada (@WordCampCanada) July 16, 2025

I am more hopeful for well-tended digital commons. Public discourse online and in person works when an informal, unwritten etiquette is followed, but it has to be nurtured and protected. The more open and public the forum is, the more important it is to have onboarding and passive feedback mechanisms to protect the commons of “free” public speech. Blog comments on by default with no other efforts made to craft a healthy communication space are a bad idea — I agree with that.

What’s your favourite digital equivalent of a chatty sidewalk cafe? Do you have one?

Happy Canada Day! “Innovation” isn’t just a buzzword here, it’s a how even small, local businesses have a big, global impact.

As we plan and organize WordCamp Canada, we want to keep our focus on the vibrant and distinctly Canadian spirit of our part of the global WordPress community.

We want to be rooted in Canadian values of practicality, inclusivity, openness, creativity, and collaboration. We think those roots are necessary for innovation, and the WordPress project will only continue to thrive if it has them.

Planning with Purpose at WordCamp Canada

In the Canadian WordPress community, innovation often looks like solving local problems with global tools.

We don’t chase trends for their own sake. We build thoughtfully, with real people in mind.

It’s Indigenous-led digital agencies creating platforms that honour cultural heritage while pushing technical boundaries. It’s freelancers, educators, and contributors working together to make the open web more accessible and equitable for everyone.

Our innovation thrives through collaboration; across provinces, time zones, and languages. We don’t just build with code; we build with care. Whether it’s through multilingual content strategies, sustainable hosting, or AI-integrated workflows that respect user agency, Canadian WordPress professionals are shaping what it means to innovate with intention.

At WordCamp Canada 2025, we celebrate this spirit. We gather not only to share what’s new, but to ask: Who is it for? Who does it include? And how can we build a web that works better for all of us?

Why This Matters

Canada’s digital landscape is evolving fast. From AI-powered platforms and decentralized networks to cutting-edge hosting services and community-first design, Canadian innovators are pushing WordPress beyond borders. WordCamp Canada 2025 is more than an event; it’s a celebration of Canadian ingenuity, collective progress, and open-source leadership.

Join us as we explore what innovation really means in the Canadian context and how we can shape the future of WordPress, together.

Let’s carry that spirit to Ottawa — see you at WordCamp Canada! 🎟️ Tickets are on sale now, and we’ve secured discount rates for you at area hotels. 🏨

At the heart of every WordCamp, you can feel the spirit of the WordPress community: Curiosity. Collaboration. Connection.

Every WordCamp that happens in any city in the world is a grassroots gathering — the result of thousands of hours of work from passionate volunteers. A place where beginners, seasoned developers, content creators, and entrepreneurs come together to share all kinds of things, from stories to skills to strategies. Together, they create the web and the world.

WordCamp ticket prices are always accessible. But you get everything you’d find at much grander (and far more expensive) conferences. And that WordCamp bonus: the people, from lively hallway chats to the helpful kindness of the folks at the Happiness Bar.

Where but in WordPress do you get senior management from competing companies who vacation together?

— Chris Lema

(In fact, why not get your tickets right now?)

Why WordCamp Canada Feels So Special

This October, Carleton University in Ottawa is the scene of the next chapter in our national story. Perched gracefully beside the Rideau River and crackling with the energy of scholarly discovery, the Carleton campus welcomes a world of innovation, accessibility, sustainability, and learning.

WordCamp Canada is a national event.

It’s a moment to pull together all our diverse voices from coast to coast. To celebrate our entire Canadian web community. And find ways to turn our challenges — bilingualism, Indigenous perspectives, rural connectivity, and more — into steel bridges to the future.

Of course, Canada and the web are part of a changing world. It’s one where open source and open platforms may be more important, and more challenged, than ever.

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WCEH 2025: A Celebration of Ideas, Connections & Possibility

Remember your own school days? (Or the ones you might have wished for?) Imagine coming back to a campus buzzing with energy: late-night debates, hallway inspiration, creative risk-taking. That’s exactly the vibe you’ll find at WordCamp this October.

Expect big-picture conversations:

• WordPress and the Rise of AI
  – How LLMs are changing the way people create content and build the web.
  – Our human obligation to keep the web truthful, kind, and inclusive.
• Open Web vs. Walled Gardens
  – Keeping the internet open, interoperable, and independent.
  – Making and keeping WordPress, the Fediverse, and Open Source the best tools for resistance.
• Innovation at the Edge
  – WordPress as a platform for experimentation.
  – Headless builds, automation, AI, and new digital business models.

On top of sessions and workshops, there will be hands-on hacking, maybe some demos, and plenty of time to exchange ideas.

What You’ll Take Away

• Connect with Canadians from all corners of the country — and many other countries.
• Deepen your craft – learn from people in your field or far outside it.
• Grow the collective – we all get better (and have more fun) together.

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It’s a Celebration!

And what a celebration WCEH is. Of ideas, connection, and possibility. If you’re a local meetup regular, you’re a first-time attendee, or you’ve been traveling to WordCamps for years, something powerful is here for you.

Don’t miss a minute!

• Mark your calendar for October 16–17, 2025.
• Get your tickets.
• Plan your trip: Make travel and lodging arrangements.
• Maybe volunteer?
• Get ready to plug in… Your ideas, your energy, your unique voice. Come dressed in plaid, ready to debate, build, and connect!

WordCamp Canada is not just another conference. It’s a national moment. It’s where bold thinking meets community action, where open‑source ideals meet Canadian creativity. It’s our shared stage to shape the future of the web—together.

See you in Ottawa! 🇨🇦

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Stay tuned: Follow #WCEH #WCEH2025 for the latest!

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Thinking about attending WordCamp Canada but not sure what to expect? New to WordPress and wondering if you’ll feel out of place?

Let me tell you about my first WordCamp.

I get it, some tech conferences can feel formal or even a bit intimidating. But a WordCamp? It’s more like hanging out with a couple hundred passionate, friendly folks who speak your language, whether you’re a designer, developer, blogger, or just curious.

Back in May 2009, I went to my very first camp, WordCamp Toronto. I’d only just started working professionally with WordPress at Carleton University earlier that year, and I was still finding my way after being introduced to it in late 2007.

I didn’t know what I was walking into, but I was eager to learn as much as I could. I’ll be honest. I don’t remember many of the actual sessions, it was 16 years ago, after all, but what’s stuck with me are the people, the vibe, and a few memorable moments that made the experience special.

Star Trek

The Star Trek reboot with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto had just been released, and one evening a few of us, including a couple of guys we just met who were working at an Ottawa agency, decided to grab dinner and catch the movie. I wasn’t a huge Star Trek fan, I’ve always leaned more Star Wars, but that didn’t matter. What stood out wasn’t the film, it was the chance to relax and connect with others outside the venue. Moments like that highlight one of the best parts of WordCamp: the community.

Accordion Guy

One talk I do remember was by Joey deVilla, better known as Accordion Guy. He spoke on Living Better Through Blogging, but what made it unforgettable was his energy. Joey wasn’t just engaging, he was fun. He played his accordion. He cracked jokes. He had me remembering my grandfather, who also played when I was a kid. It’s funny how something small like that can stick with you after all these years.

Bonus Swag

At the end of Joey’s talk, during the Q&A, he started handing out Xbox games to people who asked questions, a fun and unexpected perk. There was also a small booth selling WordCamp Toronto t-shirts. I still remember picking one up and thinking every camp should do this. It’s a simple thing, but having something you can wear home makes the experience feel even more memorable. I wish more camps offered shirts like that today, they make great keepsakes and conversation starters.

Ready for Your First WordCamp?

Sixteen years later, what I remember most about my first WordCamp isn’t the tech or the talks, it’s the people, the conversations, and the unexpected moments in between. WordCamps are built on community, and that’s what makes them special.

If you’re on the fence about attending WordCamp Canada, take the leap. Whether you’re brand new to WordPress or have years of experience, you’ll find a welcoming space to learn, share, and connect. You never forget your first, make this one yours.

I’m publishing this post on the WordCamp Canada site and the Edmonton WordPress Meetup site (WPYEG.org) via WordLand (wordland.social). WPYEG.org is federated with ActivityPub, so people following it on platforms like Mastodon will see this post too. (For example, edmontonian.social, mstdn.ca, ottawa.place, and wptoots.social.)

WordLand is the work of Dave Winer. Dave is our first announced WCEH speaker, the inventor of RSS, and a visionary for the web we hoped we’d get — and still believe we can create. 

Dave has blogged a lot about WordLand for several years — well before it had a name, as I recall. I remember him indirectly revealing the motivation behind WordLand (and also ActivityPub) last year in a post titled Why we’re lucky WordPress is here and other topics:

WordPress is, among other things, a perfect time capsule of open technologies from the early days of innovation on the web, and widely deployed and able to deliver all their benefits, if we widen our view of social media to be a social web, and simply create places where posts with and without titles are equally supported. It’s that simple. Without WordPress we would have to build all that, and wait for it to deploy in numbers, to matter in the market. All we have to do now is make the connections. #

That stuck with me. 

We do need to make the connections, now more than ever. 

Here’s Dave’s “big vision” for WordLand, a more technical “how-to” dive into it, and his thoughts about why it makes sense to bring this to WordCamp Canada.

What do you think?

*Canadians may recognize my title riffs on John Ralston Saul‘s brilliant 2017 essay “The Bridges Canada Must Build, Right Here at Home.” I used to have my students read and respond to it at MacEwan University. It’s relevant, on other levels, to the kind of web we want and our conference themes. You should read it if you haven’t. Thanks to the Wayback Machine you can.

Update: Dave recorded his thoughts and published a small account of the history of WordLand’s (and his own) relationship with WordPress.