I use both commercial and open source software. Choosing the best tool for the job is the priority. However, one thing that I do really appreciate with open source is the communities that operate around each platform.

For the first time in the UK, the WordPress community is gathering. WordCamp UK will be held from Saturday July 19 to Sunday July 20, 2008 in Birmingham (Birmingham, UK that is)Tickets are on sale here. 

There will be presentations, workshops and the opportunity to socialize with other WordPress enthusiasts and developers. A great opportunity to learn and share knowledge and skills.

I’ll be there with my camera, capturing the moment (here are the pictures from MediaCamp and TechCrunch Pitch! in case you missed them). I’ll also be on the Q&A panel, as well as speaking from my experiences of the past few years.

Redcatco are supporting the event with sponsorship – it is great to be able to give something back to the community. You can find out much more on the WordCamp UK blog. Oh, and the event even has its own WordPress plugin: Linklove.

If you are a WordPress user in the UK (or know one, or can travel to the UK), come along and spread the word. I use WordPress everyday, and really appreciate its ease of use, flexibility and developer community.