Speaker & Attendee Feedback Of The Previous Laravel4 Talk Of NomadPHP June 2013

A Small Intro…

Previously on thursday 27th July 2013 (8pm CDT), NomadPHP hosted their 2nd talk which was about “Laravel 4” – the speaker being Phil Sturgeon. I also announced my 2nd free ticket giveaway for this online event – a generosity awesomely made possible by the ever-awesome @NomadPHP organizer; Cal Evans. In this short (as compared to the previous one) article, the spotlight will be on the speaker and an attendee. I’m thankful to both for their responses and sharing their NomadPHP experience with us. We’ll also have a quick (as in very quick) glance at the ticket winners.

Before We Move.. Did You Read The Interview With NomadPHP?

If you did not, you are missing things that you do not know about NomadPHP!

Phil Sturgeon – The Speaker Of The 2nd NomadPHP Talk

If you follow 7PHP, you would recall that I did a PHP Interview with Phil Sturgeon (founder of PyroCMS). So “The Englishman in New York” should be no stranger to you. Let’s now head towards his NomadPHP interview..

Phil Sturgeon – PyroCMS Founder

>> How has your talking experience with NomadPHP been?

I just hopped onto some voice conference software from a hotel room I happened to be in, and gave my talk. That’s easier than going somewhere!

>> As a speaker, how was the response of your listeners. Were they active, engaging?

There was plenty of chatter in IRC, but reading it while trying to talk would have been tough.

>> Your message to the listeners?

Come back next month and Invite your friends.

>> The best question you were asked

I threw the Q&A over to Taylor Otwell who was hanging out in the background. I figured we’d both get some questions but nobody wanted to talk to me with the creator of the framework in question on the line.

>> Areas / things that you think NomadPHP can improve upon?

They’re doing a great job, it just needs time to grow and maybe a little more advertisement. Hopefully this interview will help them get a few signups!

>> Your opinion about NomadPHP in general?

I can’t remember who said it first but I’ve heard it a lot:

If you don’t know who your local PHP user-group leader is; its you.

That said, having a user group for people who don’t have a user group is genius. You loose out on the whole “at the bar” afterwards bit, but it’s better than nothing for sure – especially in rural areas where you might be the only person interested in tech for several miles.

>> Any other thing you want to mention..

I was very impressed with the NomadPHP listeners. I put up a link to my BrakingAids charity bike ride and got over $100 in sponsorship from the listeners, which was really unexpected! It’s a kind, global community and I was happy to be the 2nd speaker to help get them going.

Welcoming Don Gilbert + His Feedback On NomadPHP’s Talk As a LIVE Attendee

Don Gilbert – The Joomla Framework Maintainer

>> Hi Don! Could you present yourself to 7PHP’s audience..

I am Don Gilbert, a PHP Developer and currently a Framework Maintainer for the Joomla Project. I work for a web design company in the Chicago area, and we use the Joomla CMS for all our medium to large clients, so I try my best to make it better.

>> How has your listening experience with NomadPHP been?

This was my first NomadPHP I’ve attended. I really enjoyed the experience. Getting to know other like-minded people and to be able to ask questions and learn is always good, and NomadPHP makes that possible. There are several PHP groups in Chicago, but I don’t get to attend as much as I’d like with my work and family schedule, NomadPHP was able to fit in right when I needed.

>> Did you have any software issue to setup yourself to watch the talk?

There was software to setup, but there were no issues. Cal sent out an email explaining exactly what to do, and it worked out great. No issues that prevented me from enjoying the meetup.

>> As a listener, how was the response of the speaker?

Phil’s a great guy – I really enjoy talking to him every chance I get. He did a great job with the presentation. This week we got a bonus though because Phil was attending PeersConf at the time, and was able drag Taylor Otwell (of Laravel fame) into the talk as well, and we were able to ask him questions. Since I’m a framework maintainer, like Taylor, this was a great opportunity to ask him about some of the struggles I’ve been having and get some good insight. It was really enjoyable.

>> One thing you learned and would like to share?

I learned that there is so much for me to learn still, but I think it’s like that for everyone. Seriously though, I learned that in order to succeed in the software world (from a project standpoint) you really need to focus on what sets you apart; what makes your special. In this new world of PHP where major projects are starting to collaborate (Drupal and Symfony, for example) or you can pick up any micro-framework and just pull together all the things you need for your project from Packagist using Composer, people need a good reason to use your code instead of someone else’s. (We DO all want others to use our code. That’s why we release packages, right?) Focusing on what sets you apart will make those choices easier. Lots to think about when applying this to the Joomla Framework.

>> Things that have caught your attention?

The openness and willingness for the leaders in this community to share their experience and knowledge is really amazing.

>> Your good and may be not so good moment(s)?

When Phil’s audio cut out and no one knew what happened, that was the only not-so-good part. Everything else was a blast.

>> Areas / things that you think NomadPHP can improve upon?

Getting the word out and getting more people to join in the fun. It’s just the second meeting, so things are still getting ramped up, but I expect to see more people on next time! 🙂

>> Your opinion about NomadPHP in general?

I like it a lot, Cal and the other organizers are doing a great thing. As I said earlier, I’m able to fit NomadPHP into my schedule. If I don’t have time to attend, I could just watch the videos at a later date. It’s really convenient.

>> Anything you want to add..

Thanks for requesting this interview. Totally unexpected and greatly appreciated.

Go Joomla!

And.. The TWO Ticket Winners Of NomadPHP June 2013 Were..

1. Daniel Euchar (@daneuchar) – for OPTION 1
2. Grega Koprivnikar (@greentech77) – for OPTION 2

Do You Want To Try Your Luck Winning The Next Free NomadPHP Ticket?

If you want to try your luck (you have two chances of winning a ticket), follow @7php – stay tuned for the next Ticket(s) Give-away!

Closing Out..

NomadPHP is driving forward with a nice concept. As with anything, an event or an endeavour is nothing without attendees and supporters. My message to YOU is, try to support NomadPHP by any of the following:

1. Talk about it with your friends
2. Share each talk on your network (facebook, google+, Linkedin..etc)
3. Propose to give a talk
4. If you have a local user group, ask your members to all unite and have a mutual watch and be active
5. Blog about NomadPHP
6. If you are a company, try to sponsor NomadPHP
7. If you have other ideas, just email Cal and discuss about it
8. Lastly, spread this article since I believe it contains useful info about NomadPHP

I remind you that NomadPHP is a virtual PHP User Group mainly for people who do not have the chance to avail of a local PHP user group. If you do not have a local user group, join the Nomad elePHPants! If you already have one, you can still join to make it more awesome!

If You Appreciate What I Do Here On Seven PHP :: 7PHP, You Could Consider:

1. LIKE-ing 7PHP dot COM on FaceBook
2. Help diffuse this interview to the PHP ecosystem – Share, tweet and spread the word to your audience ==> That would be a FREE way to thank me
3. Make a comment below using the comment form

{I’m thankful to your response(s)!}