State of the Word 2021 is just around the corner! This year, WordPress’ annual keynote address delivered by the project co-founder, Matt Mullenweg, will be live streamed from New York City on December 14, 2021, between 5 pm and 7 pm ET (10 pm and 12 am UTC).
State of the Word This is the annual report given by Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress at WordCamp US. It looks at what we’ve done, what we’re doing, and the future of WordPress. https://wordpress.tv/tag/state-of-the-word/. used to be an in person event at WordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. US and was limited to attendees at the camp. But due to the pandemic, the event will be streamed online this year. As a result, millions of WordPress fans worldwide have the opportunity to join the event live, interact with each other, and even ask Matt questions directly.
An online State of the Word also offers an excellent opportunity for Meetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. organizers to revitalize their meetup groups and spread the buzz by bringing people together for State of the Word.
We encourage Meetup organizers worldwide to (safely) host a State of the Word 2021 watch party for your meetup groups—read this handbook to learn more.
Why should you host a watch party?
Organizing a watch party will be a perfect way to bring your group members together and to build excitement after two difficult pandemic years, especially if your group has not had a chance to meet in a while. In addition, it will be an excellent opportunity to build engagement amongst your community members after a complex year.
By broadcasting it to your group members, you are encouraging them to stay updated on the latest happenings in the WordPress world. What’s more, your community members also get a chance to interact with WordPress lovers worldwide and ask their questions directly to Matt Mullenweg!
How can you organize a State of the Word watch party for your meetup group?
You can choose to host the watch party online or in person (if your region allows in person events and meets the WordPress Community safety guidelines). We have created event templates in Meetup.com that will help you in easily creating a State of the Word watch party event for your group.
If State of the Word is happening at an odd hour in your timezone, you can still organize a watch party by organizing a replay of live stream at a date/time that is convenient for your group.
Online State of the Word Watch Party
The simplest way to organize an online watch party is to schedule an online event for your WordPress Meetup group following these instructions and add the State of the Word YouTube streaming link (available shortly on wordpress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/) directly on your Meetup.com page. For a more interactive event, you can schedule an online event meeting using tools like Zoom and use it to broadcast the State of the Word stream, with the help of screen sharing. Doing so will allow your meetup attendees to interact with each other over video, audio, and chat as they listen to State of the Word. Learn more about how to organize an online State of the Word watch party.
In Person State of the Word Watch Party
If your region allows in person events and meets the guidelines for in person WordPress events (if vaccines/testing are freely available), you can organize an in person watch party (for fully vaccinated; recently tested; or recently recovered folks) as well! All you need is a venue that has a large TV screen (that can stream YouTube) or a projector with a decent audio system.
Group members can hang out together (following local safety guidelines of course) and watch State of the Word live. Learn more about how to organize an in person State of the Word watch party.
If you are organizing an in person watch party, fill out this form so that we can ship you some swag for your meetup group to celebrate!
Deadline: November 30, 2021
Even if you are unable to organize a watch party for State of the Word, help us promote State of the Word by emailing your attendees about the event (if you are a Meetup organizer). Here are some email templates that could be useful!
Join a State of the Word Watch Party near you!
We have compiled a list of State of the Word Watch Parties around the world. If you don’t see a watch party in your region listed here, check this page on Meetup.com to see if your local WordPress group is organizing one. If not, why don’t you consider organizing a watch party on your own? 🙂
What else do you need to know?
We’ve put together a few resources to help you schedule your watch party:
- Here’s a nifty handbook to help you schedule your online or in person meetup.
- Have questions for Matt? Email them to us at: ask-matt@wordcamp.org OR simply ask your question in the livechat during the live stream.
Finally, don’t forget to share on social media about your watch party events using the hashtag #StateOfTheWord!
Is your group planning a State of the Word watch party?
Let us know in the comments or simply drop an email to support@wordcamp.org to let us know. We are happy to help you in any way we can, and we cannot wait to see what you come up with on December 14!
The following folks contributed to this post: @anjanavasan @harishanker @eidolonnight and @rmartinezduque
#meetups, #in-person-meetup, #online-meetup, #state-of-the-word, #state-of-the-word-2021
