Last year was the first WordCamp for Sara Tetreault of GoGingham.com; we asked her to tell us about her experience as a newcomer to WordCamp who had never participated in unconference before. Not only did Sara enjoy the event, but she ended up leading a session as part of a panel, and is now on WordPress.tv!

Last year, at WordCamp 2011, I attended my first WordCamp conference. It was also my first “unconference” style conference. Being someone who thrives on organization and scheduling (hey, I’m a mom, what do you expect?), I wasn’t sure what an unconference conference might look like. I was also fairly new to blogging and to the WordPress community. I’m always happy to learn from others and this conference gave me the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals as well as share what had been my experience and what I had already learned.

With launching my lifestyle blog, Go Gingham, and seeing first-hand how linking and marketing work, I was able to share my knowledge with folks who were just launching their blogs and getting started. The conference also gave me an opportunity to meet and connect in person with other local bloggers. This  inspired me to start a monthly, local blogger meet-up, based around our common interest – WordPress.

The best part about conferences is getting to meet and connect with folks in person. Sharing, collaborating, and helping one another really embodies WordPress and what these conferences are all about – regardless of the conference style.

Thanks to Sara for sharing your experience. I wonder what other first-time WordCamp attendees will be saying on August 19? We hope you join us next Saturday to meet, learn, and connect about WordPress!