WebDevStudios is doing a series of giveaways called Giveaway Tuesday. This week they asked people to share a story about a WordCamp and the one they selected as the best would receive a copy of WordPress For Dummies. Here is what I submitted:

My favorite WordCamp memory has to be the first WordCamp I spoke at, WordCamp Chicago 2010. I remember sitting with Pete Mall and John Hawkins watching the first batch of speakers. Before that moment, Pete was just a guy I knew from IRC. Now, years later I consider him a good friend. I remember meeting Ron and Andrea, two people that seemed larger then life before I had met them and found out that they are normal people. I don’t remember much of my actual talk (other then I must have spoken really fast because I took half the time it had taken when I practiced it), but I do remember standing up there and asking questions afterwards. People looked at me like I actually knew something. Then Jen Mylo came up to me afterwards and wanted to talk to me and get my opinions. It was insane. I walked in thinking that I was a nobody, and walked out feeling like I could indeed be a member of the WordPress community.

Check out the other stories people posted, there are some good ones that should give you an idea of how awesome WordCamps can be.

BONUS: This is what I looked like at WordCamp Chicago 2010. Oh how the times have changed.