 Thank you so much for having me. So yes, it is about networking that that's as part of the whole picture of how to make the most of your word camp experience. So for those of you that haven't met me before, so who is Sally Eberhardt? Yes, thank you, Amanda. Yeah, an author, a book came out three weeks ago. So it's a very, very new experience. Do you do some writing? Definitely, I want to be speaker. I have so much to learn. This is my fourth word camp. It is my first time speaking in a word camp. You are my biggest audience. Yay, thank you so much, Eva. And also, I had to learn how to do a PowerPoint presentation like yesterday, like that. So I'm glad I've got tech help here to make sure it goes smoothly. It may not be the most professional PowerPoint you've ever seen. Yeah, love photography. And I'm passionate about connection. And as Amanda said, yeah, I'm proud to be an introvert. It's not something, in a world that rewards extroverted behavior, I think it's time that introverts stop for themselves quietly. OK, love my family. Yeah, love nature, right up in spaces and making the world a better place. I think we all want to do that. And it's kind of what businesses are here to do, too. Every business is here to solve problems. That's what we're here for. OK, and now, why I'm passionate about networking. I'm just going to tell a little story that demonstrates. Sorry, go back. That demonstrates some of what networking can bring to your life. And this is my partner's beautiful daughter, Angie, here. Angie wanted to go to Riverfire. And I've been a little bit spoiled when it comes to going to Riverfire. A friend had a lovely sub penthouse apartment to look down the river, had fantastic views, and up out of the crowd, which to an introvert is a really important thing to get up out of that buzzing crowd that sucks all your energy. And he didn't have that apartment anymore. So I'm going, OK, not sure we're going to get to Riverfire. I'm not going to be down in the crowds and have a bad position, really want a great view and that kind of thing. And then I was at the Meetup, the WordPress bloggers Meetup. And we're talking to someone there. And next thing you know, we've got an invitation to a lovely spot at New Farm overlooking the Story Bridge. But much more than that, it was not only were we there, but Angie's really keen on the movie industry and not just being an actress, but also the direction, the production, that kind of thing, the whole movie thing. And there are a couple of people there. We had a makeup artist from the movies and a producer and director from the movies. And so Angie got to network with these people. And the result of that is that the three of us are going to have a week up on a movie set helping out. And Angie's going to learn so much. And I asked the director, I said, what is the best piece of advice that you can give Angie to help her with her movie career? And what did he say, Angie? Networking. Yep. Yep, that's what he said. And I shouldn't have been surprised, but it kind of was. I was kind of surprised. So I sort of sat there with a smile on my face. In my head, I'm jumping up and down, going, yay. To be taught that at such a young age, I think, is really going to see you do well in your movie career. And that's what, for me, the networking and the connection is about. It's not just business, it's life. OK, back to, yeah, thank you. OK, so back to making most of your work camp experience. Yeah, we'll cover a fair bit of this, but just be respectful, be early, or at least on time. I will say, take brief notes. This is all going to be recorded. It's all available on WordPress TV. But do capture your wow moments. If you hear something, see a tool, a plug-in, something like that, that you think is you want to implement straight away, or you want to remember, then do write it down. Just the fact of the physical writing down will help put it in your brain. And then you know to follow it up later. Who's ever gone to a conference or something, taken copious notes, never looked at them again. Yeah, thank you. So just your wow moments, so you do actually follow them up and benefit from them. OK, oh yeah, choosing best use of your time. You know, there's what we want to do and there's what we should do. So I'm going to say, trust your gut, roll with what you want to do. If at lunchtime you're having a great conversation with someone and you don't want to end that conversation to go to the next session, don't end that conversation to go to the next session. It is all recorded. Take that time to develop that connection. At the end of the day, that's probably the most important thing. If you feel guilty, you know, if you do feel bad about not being there for the speaker or something like that, just talk to them later. Just say, sorry, couldn't quite get to this session, but tell me the PowerPoint. I'd love to know more. Have a chat with them. It'll be OK. Oh yeah, this is a bit of a no-brainer from here. Take advantage of this great networking opportunity to connect with people. And yeah, the WordPress community, it is the most supportive, friendly, warm community I've ever come across. I do do a lot of working. I go to various meet-ups and organizations and things like that. But in terms of people networking for the right reasons, for the, you know, to give and support, you can't beat a WordPress community. So do embrace that and be part of it. And most importantly, have fun. Just relax and be yourself. Thank you. OK, so the what, who, and why of networking at WordCamp, I'd say it's a great community. It is extremely diverse. It's strongly focused on development and sharing of knowledge for the good of all. And it is also a community that's quite protective of its people. They don't like people to be sold to or prospected or things like that. But at the same time, they're quite happy to have products put there for you to buy that will actually help in your journey. So networking fits in in that it is not selling or prospecting. It's the beginning of relationships. It's the chance to develop relationships. So good networking is about connection. It's about helping people, solving problems. And it's about giving. It's about being of service. Simon Sinek says it best. He says, rather than strive to impress, strive to serve. And I think that's a great way to look at networking. And the other thing is to give without books, to give without expecting anything in return. And just trust that what goes around comes around, that by doing good, good things will happen to you. And I think my life's living proof of a wonderful life because I've gotten out there and met people and done things. OK, so who's here? We have developers, sponsors, business owners, organizers, volunteers, community advocates, dabblers, anyone at all with an interest in WordPress. So it's a little bit of a case of what they do. And it's kind of your job when you connect to find out who they are. It's not the same thing. So the people that you meet, they could become a customer, a service provider. I've made lots of friends networking, so you could find your next best friend here. A mentor, a mentee. Their sister could live next door to Richard Branson. That would be a nice connection to make. Could be a new player on your netball team, a JV partner, co-author of your next book. And Jennifer there, Jennifer and I actually have a chapter in a book together. There'll be the next one that comes out. They could become your next employer or employee. There's lots of people who have gone up the ladder in their career by making lots of connections in the WordPress community. The possibilities are endless. And there's my own little saying at the bottom there, networking where relationships begin and opportunity abounds. And that was the whole reason for me writing the book. I don't want anyone to miss out on the wonderful opportunities that networking brings. Cool? Yeah. So there's just reiterating some of what I've said. Probably the one to look at there. Oh, yeah, no like and trust. I think we all know that saying. It still is extremely true. We have to know people before we can know them enough to know if we like them or not. And we have to like them before we can trust them. And we don't form relationships with people we don't trust. Whether they be business or personal, trust is the holy grail. So that's what we're aiming to do. And people also connect on vulnerabilities. They actually have to let people get to know you and the real you. And as we connect on vulnerabilities. So it's fine if you're nervous or if you're not sure or if you don't know something, feel good. Now when I say networking is about giving, the question kind of pops up. OK, so what do I have to give? Now you might be able to give. Could be something so simple. Just a smile, friendly greeting. It could be some kind of information helping solve a problem. Could be some form of enlightenment just reaching out. Often a way that we connect, it's not just about what we have to give. But asking for help, I know, it took me around this one. Always happy to help people, had trouble asking for help. But I thought actually that's kind of being selfish because I know how good I feel when I help people. Why don't I give someone else the opportunity to help you and feel good? So it's fine to ask for help. And actually it builds trust really quickly. You show that you trust that person by trusting them to do that little thing for you or to provide you with information that you trust. So it's a great way to build trust. And yes, happiness lies in connection with others. In a society that's disconnected in a lot of ways and has a lot of mental health issues and things like that, I truly believe that a lot of that comes from the fact that we've lost connection in a lot of ways. And so I'd like you all to maintain those connections and really do connect with people because it's good for your health as well as your life. Cool. OK, so, oh my, lots of words on that page. OK, fortunately we'll cover a lot of this one. So I'm going to go through this one fairly briefly. So it's about giving back to the WordPress community because it does give so much to all of us. They share your photos, take lots of photos and videos and share them, show people that you are having a good time at WordCamp and yet tag people, express gratitude. Gratitude is, it's a really good thing for you to do and people love being thanked. So here we have, you can thank the organisers, the volunteers, the speakers, thanks to someone who spends their time with you at lunchtime. But gratitude's a really important thing to do. Reconnect with people after WordCamp and I will do that in the next screen when we get there, not yet, sorry. We did talk about attending a WordPress meetup near you. If there isn't one near you, start one. You get a lot of support from the WordPress community and they're a great thing to be part of. Give your feedback to the organisers. It's a lot of work to put on a WordCamp and we like to make it as good as it possibly can be for everyone. So if there's any issues, any problems or you have any suggestions at all for improvement, please do give that feedback. It's much, much appreciated. You sort of come and tell the world what a great concept the WordCamp is, such fun. And a healthy community is a growing community. So yeah, contribute by just taking part and showing the word, okay. So what to do after you meet somebody? I would say connect up with them pretty much straight away and just ask, oh, you know, what is your preferred social media platform like are you a Facebook person or do you like LinkedIn? Just connect with them on there. And it's a really handy note to help you remember people is as soon as you do connect up, send a little message that says hi so and so. So great to meet you at WordCamp Brisbane. And then a little something about what you've been talking about. So you say, I hope you have a fantastic cruise to Fiji looking forward to hearing about it when you get back or good luck with that project that you're working on. It sounds so exciting. Please keep me updated. Just some little note though. It actually helps both of you because you both get the message. Both of you remember the where and how and who and that sort of thing so that you can help build the relationship from there. We've, yeah, we covered gratitude, so that's good. And yeah, do stay in touch with people. It's great to make the connections. But if you don't follow up, it's kind of like, oh, yeah, what really was that all for? So do keep in touch with people. Follow them on social media. Let them know that you are following them by liking what they do, share, comment. Just be a little bit visible in their peripheral vision there. Don't have to be in their face all the time, but just to know that you're there is really great. I said building a relationship. Yeah, most important thing is be yourself. It's okay to be vulnerable. Share your connections. I think my mom's the best in the world at connecting people up. She sees opportunities and she can always recognize like so-and-so should work with so-and-so. They can help. So if you, you know, something tweaks your ear and you realize you know someone who can help in that situation, put the two people together, introduce them to each other. Have no expectations. And yeah, give before you ask for anything. Thanks. Now for the introverts amongst us, and there are a lot of introverts in the creative spaces. We tend to be in our head a fair bit. And as introverts, it's exhausting social contact. We like it, but it can be exhausting. So we want to look after our energy rather than have it all disappear. So that when it comes to the after party tonight, you're not completely peopled out already. The annoying is don't fake it. Be yourself. Don't try and act like an extrovert and be rarer and get out there. You'll just exhaust yourself faster. If you need time out, take time out, take a step back. Okay, prepare ahead. It's just that mindset of knowing that today, you're going to be mixing with a lot of people and it might be exhausting and just pace yourself a bit. And part of that is setting an intention. It's a bit like managing expectations. We, introverts don't tend to be networking vampires. We don't go into a room and barrel up to everyone with a business card and say, hi, this is me. We tend to be much more moderate in our expectations because we typically want to develop real relationships, deep relationships. So rather than introducing yourself to 50 people, if you meet two or three people that you actually connect with and have a real conversation with, I would count that as a really successful networking day. So just think about what your intentions are. Reframe. Now, if you're scared of the word networking, some people are, the word can be a little bit nerve wracking. Just make it in your own mind. You go, okay, I'm going to have a few conversations today. I'm going to meet a few people. I'm going to make a few friends. Do that reframe and take many breaks of quietness. So if you feel yourself flagging your bed or you're just getting sick of the crowd or that, take yourself out for a few minutes, five, 10 minutes. There's some beautiful quiet spaces. There's a lot of nature here just to recharge your batteries and that will help get you through a big busy two days. Yeah, so there's a little reframe there rather than a network. I'm just saying connection brings your world of opportunity. And I guess that's why I'm so passionate about networking is because of all those wonderful opportunities that it can bring everyone. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, didn't want anyone to miss out on opportunities. So I guess I wrote the book that I would have loved to have had 20 years ago when I started networking. Thank you. So yeah, please do connect with me. Oh my God, I've never seen myself so huge. Okay, wow. It's scary, but please do connect with me. So I've got Facebook and LinkedIn and email and all that stuff. And I will reply, you know, I will respond. Please feel free to ask me anything. If you're too shy to ask me any questions now, ask me later, but please do come up and say hello and engage with me in conversation. That's what I'm here for, I'm here to help. Thank you.