WordCamp Grand Rapids 2013

Gloria Antonelli has been a WordPress consultant, instructor and developer since 2006. She is pivoting her emerging technology consultant and educator experience (since 1996) to focus on improving WordPress user experiences. Gloria is wrapping UX, information architecture, content strategy and learning techniques together to help theme and plugin developers create better learning channels for their users.

She’ll be presenting Road Map to Great User Documentation.

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

As I started to develop client sites in WordPress, I found myself sharing with my professional training clients how you could do web design easier and quicker in WordPress. After teaching how to code a form, I would share about WordPress form plugins. For my SEO & Content Strategy clients, I would share how Google loves fresh content via blog postings. It wasn’t hard becoming an evangelist for WordPress! It continues to be amazing in regards to flexibility, extensibility and the engaged growing community.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

I remember precisely the day I first learned of WordPress. It was May 17, 2006 from Peter Merholz, the guy who coined the word “Blog.” I was assisting his Adaptive Path 2-day workshop on Information Architecture, User Research and Interaction Design. That started my research on WordPress. Shortly after that I incorporated a blog on a client’s site.

What tips or resources would you recommend to a new WordPress user?

The long tail of new WordPress users with no or limited skills should be prepared for a learning curve – the admin UI, theme functionality, options page, widget areas and plugins to start!

I would strongly advise learning about WordPress before you start. Get a WordPress book from the library, sign up for WordPress online training, and watch videos of basic features; these are a few ways to get started. Any knowledge will greatly improve the first-time experience.

What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?

Make user experience a gold standard by producing quality products with a focus on development, design and documentation. If your business model is client-centric incorporate user testing, information architecture, content strategy and SEO into your development structure. If your business model is providing themes and plugins, provide an effective learning channel for your users.

What do you like most about WordCamps?

I have been to 10 WordCamps coast to coast since 2010! I first started going to meet other developers, to learn best practices and new features. I’m still going for that reason, plus I am giving back to the community. Grand Rapids will be the 5th WordCamp I am presenting at! Also, giving back at WordCamp San Francisco 2013 Contribute Day working on Codex documentation was fun.

Where can we find you online?

@GloriaAntonelli on Twitter, gloriaantonelli.com and I am working on a new project not ready for prime time. I am developing wpdocsprint.org, a site for tips on documentation for WordPress themes and plugins.

Paul started his web development journey in ’94 in vi on a SunSparc machine hand coding HTML tables. Since then he’s gone on to found a digital marketing agency ConnexSocial.com which focuses on helping mid to large businesses market their products and services. Paul is passionate about using WordPress as the backend for a SaaS startup.

He’ll be a panelist on Q&A Panel: WordPress for Small Business Websites.

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

Simple to get up and running out of the box, and yet a plethora of plugins to achieve almost everything I’ve ever needed to do.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

Sometime in 2006 or 2007 I saw the ease of use and potential with WordPress. Since then it’s been my platform of choice.

What tips or resources would you recommend to a new WordPress user?

Create content. The more you create the better.

What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?

Network, there is a great network in Grand Rapids and a ton of business is done via word of mouth. I’ve given away a lot of WordPress work to various developers in town and I’ve received a significant majority of my work from those same developers. If you do good work they will pass work on to you!

How do you stay informed about WordPress (news, tips, etc.)?

Through the WordPress GR Google Group, and a couple of RSS feeds.

What’s a cool WordPress-based site you’ve seen recently?

hellobar.com

What do you like most about WordCamps?

Networking, hyper-intelligent people helping each other.

Where can we find you online?

paulkortman.com
connexsocial.com
@namtrok
@connexsocial
linkedin.com/in/paulkortman

David is a digital marketer and online business builder who started building WordPress sites for Michigan-based small businesses in 2008. He has since shifted to the marketing realm, having led SEO and PPC campaigns for several national and global brands, including Fortune 500 companies. Through his side business, Interactually, David consults, blogs, builds, and manages multiple WordPress-based businesses.

He’ll be presenting Making A Living Through A WordPress-Based Business.

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

I use WordPress primarily because of its flexibility, performance and community. There’s very little you can’t do with WordPress and if you can’t find a way, there’s a brilliant community that can help you out.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

I started using WordPress in 2008 after I started my first business and was looking for a versatile and reliable content management system to build sites on for clients. Shortly after, I began to utilize WordPress for all of my personal projects as well.

What tips or resources would you recommend to a new WordPress user?

When starting out in WordPress, I would definitely recommend getting ingrained in the community; not only in the support forums, but also meeting people through WordPress Meetups and of course, WordCamps. These people will help you get to know WordPress and its capabilities, and also guide you through decisions on themes, plugins, etc.

What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?

Establish some solid processes. When a potential client approaches you about a design and/or build, how do you respond? What happens next? What do the quoting, approval and payment processes look like? What all do you need to handle on launch day?

You can avoid a lot of headaches, out-of-scope work and last-minute scrambling by having firm processes in place.

Oh, and one word: Contracts.

How do you stay informed about WordPress (news, tips, etc.)?

I supposed I don’t really have a set source outside of WordPress.org. With a community so large, it’s easy to come across valuable, actionable information on dozens of sites and blogs. Following WordPress thought-leaders and developers on Twitter provides some excellent articles, news and tips as well.

What’s a cool WordPress-based site you’ve seen recently?

I really like the design of Think Traffic. Corbett Barr, Chase Reeves and Caleb Wojcik are experts in driving conversions and it’s obvious that they put a lot of thought into what they want visitors to do and where they want them to go. They’re also the brains behind a number of other great sites and resources for online business builders.

It’s also responsive, and I’m baffled by the number of new sites that are still launching without taking mobile considerations into account.

What do you like most about WordCamps?

WordCamps take the awesomeness that is the WordPress online community and turn it into real life interaction. It’s just a bunch of like-minded, enthusiastic, helpful people gathered together to learn, share and connect. What’s not to like?

Where can we find you online?

You can find me through my primary site, interactually.com, or on Twitter, @DavidVeldt.

Joe Rozsa has 30 years of design experience; 7 designing and using WordPress sites. He’s spoken at multiple WordCamps including Toronto (3 times), Buffalo, Columbus (2 times) and most recently was lead organizer for WordCamp North Canton.

He’ll be presenting You Want to Stick that Where?

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

I use WordPress not only the Trailer Trash Design website, but also for almost all of my clients. I can design and develop sites for them and make them their own admins. It’s a beautiful thing.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

In 2006 I was creative director for an in-house agency. We were designing our website. We went the Flash route for the site itself, but wanted a blog aspect to it as well. We tried this thing called WordPress for that. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

What tips or resources would you recommend to a new WordPress user?

Don’t get frustrated early on. That seems to be when most WordPress users I know want throw in the towel.

What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?

Learn. Learn. Learn. Visit all the WordPress tutorial sites like WordPress.tv. But I think the best piece of advice I could give is go to as many WordCamps as possible. You can walk into any given WordCamp thinking you know a lot about WordPress, but quickly discover that you kind of don’t.

How do you stay informed about WordPress (news, tips, etc.)?

I belong to a WordPress MeetUp group. I also follow a user group on LinkedIn, and just general searching on the web for all things WordPress.

What do you like most about WordCamps?

What I like most about WordCamps are meeting new people. I’ve grown an incredible number of new friendships as a result of WordCamps. And I never leave a WordCamp without some kind of new nugget of knowledge.

Where can we find you online?

Twitter: trailertrashus
Facebook: Trailer Trash Design
Web: trailertrashdesign.us
Linkedin: Joe Rozsa

Jeff is the man behind WPTavern.com. On WPTavern, you’ll find reviews, news, screencasts, guest blog posts from some great WordPress community members and much more.

He’ll be a panelist on Q&A Panel: Commercial Themes and Plugins.

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

Because it enables me to publish my thoughts and opinions to the world without needing a technical degree to run and operate the software.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

When I decided to take blogging seriously in 2007, I decided to use my Joomla knowledge to build the site. I quickly found out that Joomla would be too much for what I needed. I can’t remember how I discovered WordPress but after I installed it for the first time and tried to edit a theme, I was overwhelmed and thought that it was too difficult to do anything in WordPress.

I went back to my Joomla setup until I realized that it simply wouldn’t work so I decided to give WordPress a second try. Only after I figured out template tags and the way WordPress themes are developed did I finally get a sense of zen as I haven’t looked back since.

What tips or resources would you recommend to a new WordPress user?

Grab one of the many books focused on WordPress and give those a read before looking at tutorials, or interacting with other sources of material in the community. WordPress Bible and Professional WordPress as well as WordPress For Dummies are excellent reference material. These books really help when the Codex can be daunting for new WordPress users.

What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?

Don’t be anonymous. Try to be part of the community instead of against it. Contribute back to the WordPress project as much as you can. If you see 10 other WordPress places doing the same thing you’re doing, don’t sweat it. Continue on with your idea until you execute it. Yours may be the one everyone flocks too.

How do you stay informed about WordPress (news, tips, etc.)?

The people I follow on Twitter do an excellent job of keeping me informed. I also try to get into my feedreader once a week. I also get tips and suggestions via email.

What’s a cool WordPress-based site you’ve seen recently?

I think Quartz is pretty cool in that they have a unique way of displaying content. There is no footer or a comment section, It’s just all content.

What do you like most about WordCamps?

I love talking to people in person that I usually only get to converse with 140 characters at a time. I also enjoy asking people questions about WordPress that are new to the software, trying to get the perspective that I’ll never have again. Oh, the food that is part of the event is usually pretty good.

Where can we find you online?

You can find me spending most of my time keeping the drinks ice cold at wptavern.com where we discuss all things WordPress. You can also follow me on @jeffr0 and @wptavern to get your WP news fix.

Doug jumped into WordPress in 2005 and has since put it to work on dozens of sites for clients, non-profit organizations, and just for fun. He is currently the co-owner of @SimplyCM, a homeschool curriculum publisher, where WordPress and bbPress are essential components of keeping the business running smoothly.

He’ll be presenting Putting the Content in Content Management System.

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

WordPress has given us a such a flexible platform to build whatever we need for our business. It’s great to have our customers interacting with our blog, forum, e-commerce, and custom apps, with everything under a single account and login.

I don’t do much client work anymore, but when I do, WordPress is such a quick way to get a site up and running. And then it’s so easy for the site owner to understand and learn to use. I love turning the doubt of being able to run a website into “yes, I can do this myself!”

When and how did you start using WordPress?

I was launching a business with some friends back in 2004 and we were looking for a content management system to run our website. Even though WordPress wasn’t a full CMS back then, we favored it over the more full-featured choices because of its simplicity and flexibility. In hindsight, I think we may have been initially drawn in by the nice (for the day) typography of the default theme. 🙂

What tips or resources would you recommend to a new WordPress user?

Realize that WordPress is so much more than just software. It is backed by a vibrant community that welcomes those of any skill level. Get plugged into the community and you’ll likely gain some new friends as well as learn how to use WordPress.

What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?

Just as with any other successful business, talk more about your customer than you talk about yourself. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes, get to know their perspective, feel their needs, and consider how they will see your business and practices. Then clearly communicate the uniquenesses of what you offer and how it can solve your customer’s problems.

And find a way to give back to the WordPress community and ecosystem.

How do you stay informed about WordPress (news, tips, etc.)?

Over the years I’ve curated a list of trusted Twitter accounts that I follow to stay up to date. That includes a mix of news sites, individual developers, and companies that are involved in WordPress.

What’s a cool WordPress-based site you’ve seen recently?

Lately I’ve been interested in sites revolving around book text, and plugins that make that possible. For example, CommentPress Core and Digress.it let you present a book with WordPress and allow commenting in the margins. While Anthologize and Pressbooks are tools that take content in WordPress and build books out of them. I’m working on a site that uses some of these and I’m very excited about the possibilities.

What do you like most about WordCamps?

The official talks have been great, but I’ve also gotten incredible value out ad-hoc conversations and bouncing ideas around with others in the community.

Where can we find you online?

I occasionally blog at smithsrus.com and tweet as @douglsmith.

Kurt Hansen advises small to medium size businesses on their web presence. He delivers high quality websites using the wildly popular WordPress platform. His expertise includes finding solutions to real business needs using off-the-shelf components.

Education has been an important part of his life. Kurt has a business degree from Michigan State University and a masters degree in computer science from Northern Illinois University.

When he’s not helping businesses with their online presence, Kurt enjoys outdoor activities like trout fishing and bike riding. He also enjoys reading and writing. In fact, he wrote The WP Stew Guide to HTML + CSS + WordPress.

He’ll be presenting Are You Nuts? You Want People to Pay You to Create WordPress Websites?

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

I like learning new software and technology. I really like WordPress because it let’s everyone do their own thing.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

I started using WordPress in 2007 after paying $3,500 dollars to have a website created in 2006. It was great being able to do it myself!

What tips or resources would you recommend to a new WordPress user?

Dive in. Give it a go. Ask questions because you’ll get answers.

What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?

Go for it! But be prepared for slow times. Change course when necessary. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or to collaborate.

How do you stay informed about WordPress (news, tips, etc.)?

Being a member of and participating in LinkedIn groups, reading blog feeds – WPTavern & CoDrops and contributing on WordPress.org.

What’s a cool WordPress-based site you’ve seen recently?

Sassy, foul-mouthed and smart: themiddlefingerproject.org.

What do you like most about WordCamps?

The people who attend are very interested in WordPress, sharing and learning. It’s a fun environment.

Where can we find you online?

Business: highfxmedia.com
Facebook: facebook.com/HighFXMedia
Twitter: @thatguykurt

Dustin Hartzler is a WordPress developer and podcaster. In addition to building websites for clients, he is the host of one of the most popular WordPress podcasts; Your Website Engineer Podcast. He enjoys digging into topics and teaching listeners how to different things about WordPress.

He’ll be presenting 13 WordPress Mistakes to Avoid.

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

I use WordPress for several reasons. For me it’s the best CMS to have a client start using as it’s fairly user friendly. I also like how flexible it is when it comes to building fully functioning websites. I’ve never had a problem that WordPress couldn’t solve.

And the community is great. Everyone is so willing to share information with others.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

I started using WordPress in 2009. I was building a campaign website for a friend and I wanted to see what all the hype was about.

What tips or resources would you recommend to a new WordPress user?

Spend some time playing with a demo site.

If you want to learn how to write a plugin, start a demo site and hack away. You’ll learn what breaks things and how to fix them.

When it comes to resources, there are hundreds out there. Find the medium that you like to consume (blog, video, podcast) and start learning by reading what others are creating.

What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?

Start Slowly.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by taking on too many projects at first, especially if you are still new to WordPress. Make sure you finish the project with your first client before moving on to the next one.

As you get more comfortable with your projects, you can start juggling more projects simultaneously.

How do you stay informed about WordPress (news, tips, etc.)?

I get a lot of my WordPress news from Twitter. I follow some active WordPress developers and I normally see the links they share during the day.

What do you like most about WordCamps?

I love attending WordCamps because there are opportunities for everyone to learn. Even though I use WordPress every single day, I still learn a ton from going to WordCamps.

The other thing I like about WordCamps is I get to meet people who listen to my podcast. At WordCamp North Canton, I was able to meet nearly a dozen people who listen to Your Website Engineer Podcast.

Where can we find you online?

YourWebsiteEngineer.com
twitter.com/DustinHartzler

Patrick spends most of the work day slicing and dicing code to help out WooThemes customers. He also organizes the Appleton WordPress Meetup and regularly speaks at the Web920 Meetup. Patrick loves to be outside, to run, and to practice yoga. His ultimate goal is to figure out a way to code websites while in a headstand or biking around town.

He’ll be presenting Evaluating E-Commerce Solutions.

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

I use community driven tools because they’re continually maintained and there’s an open air about everything. If you don’t like the way WordPress works you can discuss it, open a ticket, submit a patch, get on a committee, do something to get it fixed. I like that. 🙂

When and how did you start using WordPress?

I started using WordPress in 2008 to make a portfolio site. I found it to be the easiest way to set something up quickly. Once I understood WordPress a little more I realized it could be more than a blog and I started using it as a CMS both at work and at home.

What tips or resources would you recommend to a new WordPress user?

As a developer who used to build everything from scratch (believe me – don’t go down that road) I highly suggest you learn that WordPress can get you 80% of what you want very easily. It can get you another 10% with some minor customizations. But the last 10% will more than double the hours you have to put in. Just let it be.

What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?

Use prebuilt tools. They’re expensive but when you think about how much time they save you they’re a bargain.

How do you stay informed about WordPress (news, tips, etc.)?

My company has an internal P2 blog. I also organize the Appleton WordPress meetup where we discuss all things WordPress. I also follow local and distant WordPress devs on Twitter.

What’s a cool WordPress-based site you’ve seen recently?

BlameLema.com – it’s built with a WooThemes theme (The One Pager theme) which is ironic considering that WooThemes started the whole pricing discussion in the past weeks.

What do you like most about WordCamps?

Meeting people and seeing all the different ways WordPress can be used.

Where can we find you online?

Speakinginbytes.com is my development blog. I usually blog once a month about various things; sometimes a discussion and sometimes some code snippets or a tutorial.

I also Tweet way too much at @BFTrick.