Keeping up and monitoring the progress of WordCamps in and around your area is now a lot easier thanks to a new WordCamp Application status page. The page indicates a WordCamp’s city, applicant’s name, recent milestone, status, and the last time it was updated.
The application status page is the result of efforts by Ian Dunn and Konstantin Kovshenin who are improving the sites and tools organizers use to coordinate events. On the Make WordPress Community blog, Andrea Middleton explains the changes and what deputies can expect.
Deputies are WordCamp Central volunteers who respond to WordCamp/meetup applications, conduct organizer orientations, and mentor organizers. They work behind the scenes to ensure events are run smoothly and adhere to the WordPress Foundation’s guidelines.
It’s interesting to see how WordPress is helping the team organize submissions and streamlining the process. According to Middleton, incoming applications automatically create draft listings on WordCamp Central and receive the status “Needs Vetting.”
As the team moves through the process of vetting, orientation, tools, budget reviews, etc, deputies make notes in the post editor which are attached to the application. The site makes use of custom post statuses which are applied based on the application’s progress. It also adds accountability by saving a change log to each WordCamp listing that indicates when the status is changed and who changed it.
While this information is specific to those who work with WordCamp organizers, it provides a glimpse into the tools and processes volunteers use to coordinate events. It’s also a neat look into how handy custom post statuses are.
With all of the improvements to the backend, WordCamp and event organizers should experience fewer delays in response times. If you’re a deputy or frequent browser of WordCamp Central and have a suggestion or request to improve the site, you can share it by leaving a comment on the announcement post.
By the way, community deputies are an excellent way to contribute to the WordPress project without knowing how to code. To learn more about what deputies do and how you can join the program, read the community deputy handbook.
It would be nice if you could click directly from the status page to each wordcamp’s webpage.