Showing Online WordCamps in the Events Widget

TLDR: Should online WordCamps be added to the Events widgetWidget A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user.? If so, who should they be shown to?


Background

Many WordCamps are transitioning from in-person events to online events, due to COVID-19.

At the moment, those events don’t show up in the News & Events widget on the dashboard, because they don’t have a physical location. The widget was originally designed to show the user local events, because cultivating local, in-person bonds is an essential element of our community’s success.

Online events aren’t being intentionally kept out of the widget; it’s just an unforeseen side-effect of the temporary shift to online events. Online meetupMeetup All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area. events still appear in the widget, because in the absence of an explicit event location, the Meetup.com APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. falls back to the location of the group.

Questions

  1. Should online WordCamps show up in the widget?
  2. If so, who should they be shown to? Here are a few potential criteria:
    • The same people who would have seen the in-person event. i.e., anyone within a 400km radius of the venue.
    • Everyone within the same country. Would this apply equally to countries that host a small number of camps, and those that host a large number? Would it apply equally to countries that often see people from neighboring countries traveling to attend the event, and to countries where that is not common?
    • Everyone within an increased radius, e.g., 600km. If so, what would be the best distance?
    • Everyone within the same timezone, plus-or-minus a few hours.
    • Everyone who speaks the same language — or localeLocale A locale is a combination of language and regional dialect. Usually locales correspond to countries, as is the case with Portuguese (Portugal) and Portuguese (Brazil). Other examples of locales include Canadian English and U.S. English.? — as the host city.
    • A combination of the above? Some other criteria entirely?
  3. Should the timezone and/or language of the event be displayed in the dashboard?

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