Women Who WP Meetup Format & Marketing Guide
So what makes Women Who WP special? Isn’t it just a Meetup?
Yes. It is. But not all Meetups are created equally.
Our Mission
WordPress is a vast community serving the needs of many members. As women who are instrumentally involved in the WordPress community, we formed Women Who WP to address the unique needs that females of all ages experience in a field that is predominantly male. Anyone who RSVPs is welcome to attend Women Who WP events – we are women-inclusive, not gender-exclusive. All attendees are expected to abide by the Women Who WP Code of Conduct and our Women Who WP Meetup Guidelines provide structure as for monthly Meetup success.
Men and women see things differently. We express ourselves differently. We even code, blog, design, market and are inspired differently. We gather as Women Who WP to share our individual contributions in a supportive, understanding environment and offer women opportunities to express themselves and collaborate. Join us to find out more.
Meetup Description
Our group brings together women who blog, design, develop, and market in the WordPress community. Meetings begin with introductions and a 25-30 minute predetermined discussion on a WordPress topic the [xth + DAY] of each month in [your city].
All skill levels are welcome as we meet to inspire, connect, educate and challenge one another over a delicious meal. Attendees are responsible for their own food and drink costs, unless the event is sponsored.
Meetup Leadership
We recommend that at least two people are in charge of the Meetup, and possibly more. It’s important to have a consistent format (third Wednesday, first Tuesday, etc.) and meet every month, regardless of outside interferences.
Make the schedule together. Discuss speakers and the monthly agenda together. Work as a team. Research the WordPress Meetups and WordCamps happening near you and announce them as applicable at every meeting.
Meetup Format
Meal:
Women Who WP is distinct in our format. We gather around a meal. We think this is an important component.
Setup:
Having the tables and/or chairs in a U format is more democratizing and disarming. If possible, we prefer this setup rather than the lecture/classroom style.
Of course, there will still be a presenter, but being able to connect with our body language is important element of a Women Who WP.
Greeting:
If you can have a door greeter to welcome people as they arrive, that’s ideal, and part of why we recommend more than 2 organizers.
Speakers:
Spend some time getting to know your WordPress community. Developers, marketers, writers, front-end, back-end, all of the topics are good. We want everyone to be included. We all learn from one another. Rotate the topics.
Format:
- 15 minutes – Allow people to Arrive
- 5-15 minutes – 10 second Introductions
- 25-30 minutes – Presentation
- 20 minutes – What did you learn?
What Did You Learn?
In the last section, this is the part that really makes Women Who WP what it is. We go around in a circle and tell what we learned in WordPress in the last month. All answers are valid and anyone can pass if they want, but we encourage people to say what they’ve learned. Sometimes answers are related to peripheral tools that may be used with WordPress and this is completely acceptable.
This helps build the group — helping with imposter syndrome, building business relationships, and making friends, etc.
Checklist for Managing Your Women Who WP Meetup
Managing Your Meetup.com Page
- Make the event on a consistent basis, regardless of attendance
- Make the event known (i.e. announce the Meetup) on Meetup.com at least two weeks in advance.
- Make sure your own Meetup profile is filled out (with a photo that resembles you).
- Be sure to comment on the Meetup event when someone says they can’t make it or whatever. Pay attention to those Meetup.com notifications. Replying to comments in a timely manner, builds community.
- After the Meetup click “good to see you” for everyone who was there.
- If you don’t have a Facebook Page for the Group and/or Facebook Group, Twitter, then post the Meetup link on your own Facebook Profile.
Web Presence (optional)
- Blog after each event on your WordPress Meetup’s web property.
- Post blog post on Facebook Page.
- Tweet the blog post.
Social Media Accounts (optional)
- Consider creating Social Media accounts for your Meetup
- Facebook Page
- Get support from other local Meetups specially Open Source project Meetups
- Girl Develop It
- Women in Tech
- Social Media Meetups
- JS Meetups
- PHP Meetups
- UX/Usability Meetups
- Digital Marketing Meetups
Inside Meetup Promotion
- Greet people when they enter. If you have more than one organizer this can help a lot with making people feel welcome — especially new people.
- Weeknight meetings that have a meal provided help with attendance — especially those coming straight from work or who have child-care issues.
- Keep the location as consistent as possible.
- Set the room up in a circle or square, not classroom style. This encourages a democratized setting.
- Taking group photos after the event or during the event and then posting on social helps with people feeling included. Ask for volunteer Meetup members to take photos, great way to get them involved!
- Schedule Speakers a month in advance.
- Pull from a mix of topics.
- Pull from the group of your attendees to speak.
- Ask speakers to promote their upcoming Meetup talk/presentation/workshop on their site and social media accounts.
Meetup Format
- Greet people as they enter the room using their names. Pay attention to RSVPs on Meetup.com.
- After people are settled, go around the room with ten second introductions.
- Introduce your speaker.
- Allow the speaker to present. (If you’re having dinner, they can present at this time.)
- Discourage side conversations.
- Allow ten minute Q&A.
- Thank the speaker. Encourage applause.
- Go around the room with the thing you learned about WordPress in the last 30 or so days. This helps break down the walls of communication and indirectly deals with imposter syndrome.
