Brennen is the CEO and co-founder of Clef, a replacement for usernames and passwords online. A long time participant in the WordPress community, building something useful to give back to WordPress has been a long-time goal. Brennen is passionate about identities online, especially the security implications of UX decisions.
He’ll be presenting Employing Best Security Practices For WordPress Sites.
Interview
Why do you use WordPress?
I use WordPress because it’s easy to get set up and running, then simple to customize. The time to first use is really awesome and powerful.
When and how did you start using WordPress?
I started using WordPress a few years ago to set up a small personal site to host a resume.
What tips or resources would you recommend to a new WordPress user?
Experiment and ask questions. WordPress is awesome because it can be used in so many different ways and because there is an awesome community to support you. Take advantage of them!
What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?
Listen to the community. There are a lot of things that people need help with and want better solutions to. You’ll get a lot further by listening to those voices than by building something you come up with on your own.
How do you stay informed about WordPress (news, tips, etc.)?
Intermittently checking in on Twitter, meetups, WordCamps, or through friends who have their finger on the pulse.
What’s a cool WordPress-based site you’ve seen recently?
This is a really hard question since almost 20% of the web is powered by WordPress… lately I’ve been paying a lot of attention to the e-commerce applications of WordPress so sites like bluelounge.com are really interesting.
What do you like most about WordCamps?
The number of perspectives! People come from so many different backgrounds to these events and the result is much better, more interesting discussions.
Where can we find you online?
My personal site is brennenbyrne.com, but most of what I’m doing these days is on getclef.com. You can, of course, also follow me on Twitter at @brennenbyrne.
