In a typical year, the annual WordCamp US conference includes the State of the Word keynote address by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg.
State of the Word is when Mullenweg:
- Highlights WordPress accomplishments over the past year
- Discusses what WordPress users can expect in the future
- Answers questions from WordPress users
As we all can agree: 2020 is not a typical year.
There is no 2020 WordCamp US conference.
However, I was glad to learn Mullenweg will give the State of the Word keynote in a livestream event on December 17, 2020.
(Side note: I enjoyed watching State of the Word in person at the WordCamp US 2015 and 2016 conferences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.)
What You Need to Know
State of the Word will be streamed Thursday, December 17, 2020 at 1600 UTC, which is 11:00AM Eastern Time Zone. Here’s a time zone converter for your time zone.
You can watch the keynote on WordPress Facebook, WordPress.tv account on YouTube, or the WordPress.org account on Twitter.
Have a WordPress question you want to ask Matt?
Record a video (landscape mode) of yourself asking your question. Include your name and how you use WordPress in your video.
Try to keep your video to less than a minute.
Upload your video online. One option is to use YouTube and mark your video as unlisted (check out how to set privacy settings on YouTube).
Unlisted videos can be shared by anyone with a link, but it won’t display in the Videos tab of your channel page, in your Subscriber feed, or posted in your channel.
And unless someone includes it in a public playlist, your unlisted video won’t display in YouTube search results.
Once you’ve created your video, send the link to your video.
Note: deadline to submit a question in December 11, 2020.
Summary
Mark your calendar for State of the Word 2020 on December 17, 2020!
Choose your favorite livestream option on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube to watch Matt Mullenweg reflect on the past year of WordPress, share updates, and answer your questions about WordPress.
And if you want to ask a WordPress question, record a video following their instructions and send the link.
Shoutout to everyone on the WordPress team who is working to make this year’s State of the Word happen.
I’ll be watching and live tweeting with the hashtag #SOTW during Mullenweg’s address. Hope you’ll join me!
Hi Deborah,
If you were at WordCamp US 2015, you’ll have heard the “Learn JavaScript, deeply” speech by Matt.
What’s your thinking about that now, given we’re five years further on, and the Gutenberg editor is this far advanced?
Hi Claire,
Thank you for your comment. Yes, I remember the “learn JavaScript deeply” portion of Matt’s address. I think it caused a lot of WordPress folks to delve into JavaScript quickly. Five years later, I never would have thought Gutenberg would still have accessibility issues. Good example to point to when people recommend you build in accessibility from the beginning of the project.