Making the Most of the Happiness Bar

happinessWordCamp US is going to be loaded with amazing talks, workshops, and experiences. It’s a place to exchange ideas, learn new things, and connect with different members of the WordPress Community. And to add to those experiences WordCamp US, like most WordCamps, will have a Happiness Bar!

For those not in the know a WordCamp Happiness Bar is great place to get hands on help and answers to your pressing WordPress questions. It’s not where we hand out stickers and swag. It’s not the place where we serve refreshments, though it is just a stone’s throw from the coffee and tea. It’s the place for you to get the WordPress solutions you need from people who genuinely want to help.

One of my favorite things about the WordPress Community is how we help each other. We volunteer our time to help new users setup a site, design cool themes that we give away, help out with questions about web hosting, create a great plugin that anyone can use for free, and so much more. At many WordCamps, the Happiness Bar is the place to get hands on help for your WordPress site. It’s an opportunity to sit down with WordPress experts to discuss challenges, troubleshoot problems, and learn about cool WordPress tips and tricks. WordCamp US will have dozens of volunteers staffing this year’s Happiness Bar. The volunteers themselves are as diverse as the WordPress Community, with backgrounds in: blogging, technical support, photography, WordPress plugin development, WordPress theme development, web design, teaching, and more. With their combined skills we’ll be available to assist every attendee of WordCamp US on December 4th and 5th in need of some WordPress help.

If you plan to come see us at the Happiness Bar this year, here are some tips to help you make the most of your experience:

It is totally cool to bring your laptop, tablet, or mobile device of your choice. We like to be hands on and walk you through issues as we work on them.

In fact, we recommend bringing your laptop, tablet, or smartphone when you come to the Happiness Bar. Volunteers will be hands on, potentially walking you through different settings on your site, or showing your articles to resolve your issue. But if you don’t have access to a mobile device don’t worry, we’ll have pen and paper available at the bar if you’d like to take notes.

There is no such thing as a “dumb question.”

You should feel comfortable asking any question you like at the Happiness Bar, as long as the question is WordPress related. We cater to users of all skill levels. If you have a question about your site that you do not know how to solve, don’t hesitate to ask us for help! At the Happiness Bar, there is no such thing as a dumb question.

We may not have all the answers, but we know someone who does.

Not every member of the Happiness Bar will have all the answers, but we know how to tap each other on the shoulder to ask for help. We’re comfortable combining our expertise to find that tough solution. Many of the volunteers also know a lot of people within the WordPress Community, and we aren’t above chasing people down to get you some outside help (unless they are in the middle of a talk, then we may let them finish).

Don’t hesitate to share your story.

My favorite thing about volunteering at the Happiness Bar is hearing how different people use WordPress. Hearing how you use WordPress can sometimes help us better understand your question or problem, so please share!

Bring your friends.

If you overhear someone at the WordCamp talking about problems with their site or questions they have about WordPress, refer them to us! You may not have any questions yourself, but maybe you have someone who needs help, but is too afraid to ask. Drag them to The Happiness Bar so they can get some help!

No problem is too small, but some solutions may be too big.

Some problems can only be solved with long term solutions, i.e. developing a new site, changing the design of your site, etc. While you can get some great advice from the bar, and we will be as hands on as possible, the Happiness Bar isn’t a good place for new design or development. It also may not be the best place for an urgent issue. For example if your site is down it might be a simple fix, but there might be more involved than our volunteers can fix then and there. But if you need assistance with a long-term solution and we can’t fix it, we will do our best to connect you with someone who can help.

Let us know in comments if you have any questions about the Happiness Bar, and we sure are looking forward to seeing all of you at WordCamp!