WordCamp Taiwan Set To Be New Hybrid Event

WordCamp Taiwan is happening December 11-12, 2021, as a hybrid WordCamp. This is the third WordCamp in Taiwan, but the first ever national camp.

One of the things that fascinates me most about it is the way they’re handling the concept of a “virtual” and “in person” WordCamp.

What Makes it a Hybrid WordCamp?

The WordCamp’s talks will be streamed over the web, like most WordCamps have done in recent months, but individual meetup groups will be meeting in person all over Taiwan to have watch parties. Currently there are five groups planning to meet.

Then during the breaks, things like hallway chats will happen in person, within those meetup groups.

I’ve been thinking about the equity of virtual WordCamps for a long time now, and I really, really like this idea that allows the knowledge to stream to the entire world, without giving up the intimacy of actually talking to someone sitting next to you.

Furthermore, the camp is offering a virtual location using a service called Gather, which offers a UI similar to an 8bit Nintendo game.

Each attendee can have their own avatar, and move about the venue having audio conversations with people, no matter where they live in the world. It’s even spatially aware, so as your avatar moves closer to one that is speaking, they become louder, so it’s like really being a room full of people.

What can you Expect from this Hybrid WordCamp?

The Theme

The topic this year is “WFH (work from home) cannot stop us. Let’s WFH (WordPress from home).” The pandemic has kept people at home for nearly two years now, but with WordPress people can keep… pressing on.

(See what I did there?)

The Talks

Three of the talks and one workshop will be in English. The rest will be in Chinese. Most of the speakers are local to Taiwan. The keynote will be presented by Anne McCarthy, who will be giving a preview of WordPress 5.9 and full site editing.

The Attendance

On the statistics front, organizers are anticipating 750 attendees, and there were 150 tickets left as of 1 December. If you’re interested in attending, you should absolutely sign up now.

One Last Thing

Of course we can’t end without introducing you to their wapuu. Meet Snuggle Wapuu! This wapuu is here to “help” you work, just like every child and pet throughout the pandemic. Isn’t it adorable?!?