Kyle Maurer is the lead developer and co-owner of Real Big Marketing which is a full service marketing firm based in Jackson, Michigan.

He is passionate about web development, WordPress as a development platform and creating new plugins. He’s released 8 free plugins on wordpress.org so far and is just barely getting started. In addition, he appears weekly on a WordPress focused live hangout at wproundtable.com.

He’s also in a band. What more do you need to know?

Kyle will be presenting Don’t Fear the Code and Theme Customization Best Practices.

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

For so many reasons. The biggest would probably be because it is the one system I’ve found where I can deliver anything I or my clients dream up. There are virtually no limitations. And I hate limitations.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

A few years back I took some some online class as an elective in college and learned about HTML and Dreamweaver. That knowledge alone was enough to get me a decent job and I continued making crappy HTML sites with Flash and other such nonsense until some hero introduced me to WordPress. Around that time, WP began to extend beyond a blogging platform and it quickly became my go-to solution.

The poetic version of my story can be found here.

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

Your local meetup will be hard to beat. Also attend every WordCamp you can.

The web is bursting with WP resources as well. So if you like…use the Internet and stuff…you’ll be ok.

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

Networking will help more than you might think. Most everyone in the WP community is highly collaborative.

Also, don’t be afraid to learn a little code. It empowers you and brings clarity.

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

There’s a load of sites that I like to visit frequently:

• managewp.org
• poststat.us
• wptavern.com
• tommcfarlin.com
• chrislema.com
• pippinsplugins.com

Shoot, that list could get long. I also like Twitter.

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

Gosh, I’ve seen tons.

I like what my friends ay wpmovingexperts.com are doing.

I love hotchkissconsulting.com and many other agency websites. 10up.com is great.

Ask me this in a few months! We are working on some WAY cool projects right now.

What do you like most about WordCamps?

I’ll try and keep it brief…

I absolutely love meeting my heroes. I was using WordPress for quite a while before I attended my first WordCamp and it was SO cool to me to meet the people behind all the great themes and plugins I loved to use as well as people who contribute to WordPress itself. I still geek out at WordCamps today when I get to meet all the people that have to date just been a name and gravatar.

Meeting new WP users is also exciting. I always get inspired by them and have a blast helping people out because I know EXACTLY what it is like to be in their spot and have someone shine the light.

They are also darn good times. After parties, speaker dinners, etc. are always a complete blast.

Where can we find you online?

Twitter is a great start: @MrKyleMaurer

realbigmarketing.com
kyleblog.net
plus.google.com/+KyleMaurerRBM
wproundtable.com

I’m all over the place. Anything that says BrashRebel is also me.

Topher DeRosia is a Husband, Father, Christian, Coder. He lives in a small house in a quiet neighborhood in a smallish city where it still smells sweet after the rain.

He grew up in the woods, tried to be a pilot, and got sucked into the internet. Been working there ever since.

Topher will be presenting Command Line Awesome.

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

WordPress does a wonderful job of thinking ahead to what I might want to do on the web, and provides methods for accomplishing that, while being flexible enough to allow me to change those methods if I wish.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

When it was first released, I tried it and thought I could do better. So I built something. My personal blog still uses that.

Then when 3.0 came out with custom content types, everything changed, and I haven’t really used anything since.

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

Set up a site you don’t care about and try everything. Install themes, plugins, just go crazy with it. Getting your hands on the tool will give great insights.

Then read everything you can about WordPress.

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

Find people who are more knowledgeable than you and get to know them. Don’t necessarily ask a lot of questions, just watch and listen.

And read chrislema.com 🙂

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

Mostly Twitter, following people who are doing cool and interesting things.  I follow poststat.us and wptavern via Twitter.

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

Oddly, I don’t visit that many web sites.  I had a hand in building ottawacitizen.com, that’s cool.

What do you like most about WordCamps?

Talking with everyone, meeting everyone, finding out what they’re building, growing, doing, etc.

Where can we find you online?

derosia.com/phlog/
Twitter: @topher1kenobe

Peter Shackelford is the Web Architect for Spring Arbor University. When not working with WordPress, he is taking care of his cattle, chickens and garden on his “homestead” with his wife and daughter. He also heads up the Jackson WordPress meetup with Kyle Maurer.

Peter will be presenting Fledgling WP Developer? Learn your PHP!

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

The people in the WordPress community are why I use WordPress. I have built a career on the openness and generosity of the community. Getting help me on the forums. Reading people’s posts about setting up and managing multi-sites. Meeting some of those people and new people at WordCamp or other events.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

I started using WP as a blogging platform in 2005 and did my first freelance project in 2009. Since 2010 I have worked full time building and maintaining WordPress as a platform for my employers.

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

Don’t be afraid to try things out. If you are worried about making changes to an admin panel, take a screenshot of it so you have a record. Figure out how to change things. At the very least learn the basics of HTML and CSS.

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

Github. Vagrant. Local development. PHPCode Sniffer.

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

Twitter. I follow people who do a lot with WordPress. I keep an eye out for slideshares/speakerdecks of recent WordCamp talks. I also read most of what comes out of WP Tavern, Halfelf.org, thethemefoundry.com, tommcfarlin.com, curtismchale.ca, justintadlock.com, etc…

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

sweden.se [the official site of Sweden].

What do you like most about WordCamps?

Meeting people who I recognize online. Being apart of the community. Having my toolset, workflow and approach to problem solving kicked up a notch. Getting a new wardrobe of WP shirts.

Where can we find you online?

Twitter: @pixelplow

Steve Grunwell is a full-stack developer at Buckeye Interactive, an interactive media agency in New Albany, OH. Specializing in WordPress and application development, he has worked with brands and organizations including Experience Columbus, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, Elmer’s, and the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

Steve has released several plugins in the WordPress.org repositories, including one from the grounds of The White House during the first annual National Day of Civic Hacking in 2013. When he’s not writing software, he enjoys hiking, music, and writing about writing software on his blog.

Steve holds a B.A. in Telecommunications from Bowling Green State University where he graduated Cum Laude with minors in General Business and Recording Technologies.

More information, including portfolio work and his development blog, can be found at stevegrunwell.com.

Steve will be presenting Keeping WordPress Under [Version] Control with Git.

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

I’m a big proponent of open-source software, especially when it’s built well and encourages active engagement and contributions from the community. WordPress is flexible enough to suit many of my clients’ needs, will run pretty much anywhere, and has a huge community behind it.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

I started using WordPress just after the release of 3.0 back in 2010 when a client needed a blog. The more I started playing with WordPress, the more I saw the power behind the platform and quickly stopped rolling my own content management systems, instead focusing on creating the best experience possible within WordPress.

In September of 2010 I released my first plugin, WP Password Generator, in the WordPress.org repositories, and it’s been rainbows and unicorns from there.

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

Start by tearing apart one of the default WordPress themes. Learn how the loop works, how a theme is structured, and then build something awesome. Also, familiarize yourself with the WP_Query codex page; if you’re doing any real customization, you’ll need to be comfortable generating your own query objects. Learn the WordPress template hierarchy, too, because it makes theming a hundred times easier. Finally, avoid plugins that promise the moon. Some of best plugins will only do one or two things, but they do them *really* well.

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

If you’re maintaining the site after launch, consider installing something like WP Remote. It gives you a dashboard so you can see the available updates across all of your sites, which is pretty rad. You can also install updates directly from WP Remote, but you’d never do that and risk screwing up your version control, would you?

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

I check Twitter daily and follow mostly developers, tutorial sites, and the occasional comedian. I’ll never have time to read everything, but I pretend I will someday but saving anything I can’t read right then to Pocket. I also subscribe to the WordPress Core Team’s blog via Feedly, for when I want to see what’s coming next.

What do you like most about WordCamps?

WordCamps are great for getting started with WordPress, learning how to take your site to the next level, and often meeting the people behind the tool that’s powering ~20% of the web. I love to sit there, take in everything I can, and see all the awesome stuff people are doing with WordPress.

Where can we find you online?

I occasionally blog about WordPress, Laravel, and other awesome stuff at stevegrunwell.com and tweet @stevegrunwell. Open source contributions and presentation slides are on Github.

Rebecca is founder and president of Web Savvy Marketing. She has as a well-rounded business background and over fifteen years of experience in sales and online marketing. Her love for WordPress website design and her strong belief in the user experience is equally matched by her fascination with search engine optimization, blogging, and marketing though social media. Rebecca provides one-on-one coaching, is a WordCamp organizer, and speaks at various WordCamps throughout the country. Connect with Rebecca at LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, or Twitter.

Rebecca will be presenting 10 Tips for Turning Your WordPress Website Into an Traffic Driving Machine.

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

After discovering WordPress I started to do self training on usage. I quickly learned I could create magical things with it and I continued to dig deeper.

I love the ease of use WordPress offers, the oodles of plugins available, and the passionate community that surrounds it.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

At my former employer we launched a new website in Joomla and connected a WordPress blog to it. It was my first experience with WordPress and one I will not forget. I immediately saw a world of possibilities with WordPress and fell in head over heels in love.

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

Don’t settle for what you see in the WordPress dashboard. Dig deeper, educate yourself, and explore all that is has to offer.

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

I built our business from the ground up on WordPress. It is larger and more successful than I ever imagined. The last five years have taught me to not limit myself or my journey.

To others I would encourage them to dream a destination and let WordPress take you there.

And when in doubt, reach out to others within our community. We will help because we know helping you succeed will help the overall community grow stronger.

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

I jump on Twitter, follow key brands and people on Facebook, and subscribe to a number of websites that offer updates. I scan a lot of data and pull out what is important to me or our business.

What do you like most about WordCamps?

I love the hallway conversations and after conference dinners and drinks. I’ve met good friends at WordCamps and I look forward to attending future ones because I know I will have an opportunity to be with friends I know and love, as well as meet new friends I’ve yet to discover.

Where can we find you online?

Website: web-savvy-marketing.com
Twitter: @rebeccagill
LinkedIn
Facebook
Google+

Ian started off his career by swearing off web design entirely. This lasted through most of college, at which point he realized that print design is not a super viable career path any more and succumbed once more to the toxic allure of the World Wide Web™.

Since then his voracious appetite for learning has led him through design, development, writing for a fashion blog, and culminated in running his own design and dev agency – build/create.

WordPress just so happens to combine all of that goodness into a beautiful, user-friendly package, and thus, here we are.

Ian Wilson will be presenting Introduction to WordPress Hooks and Learn From My Mistakes: 8 Years in the Game.

Interview

Why do you use WordPress?

Because it’s easy for our clients to use, and easy to develop for, AND has an amazing community! It’s just that simple.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

I started in 2006 – I was working in-house at a printing company and it was in Fantastico!

After some dabbling in other content management systems in PHP and Rails throughout the years it became clear that WordPress was the only solution that didn’t make me feel like I was losing my mind on a daily basis.

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

The Codex. (Nearly) All truth lies within.

The WordPress community is big, vibrant, and awesome. Lean on it, leverage it, I don’t know a single person I’ve met that isn’t happy to help a newb find their path.

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

Start now, don’t wait. And equally important, keep track of the tactics you’re going to use to grow, and any changes you make to them so you can look back and see what you did that worked and what didn’t so you don’t keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

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

Twitter mostly, also WordCamps.

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

I’ve been having a mad crush on Easy Digital Downloads lately. Technically it’s a plugin, not a site, but what you can do with it does build awesome sites 🙂

What do you like most about WordCamps?

It’s the best, seriously. You can make the most out of every second by talking to people, asking tons of questions, and of course attending the sessions that best address your weaknesses.

Once you do one, you won’t be able to stop. It becomes an addiction.

Where can we find you online?

Twitter: @buildcreate
Personal Twitter: @wilsonography
buildcreate.com

Don’t be a stranger!