All posts by Marjorie R. Asturias

Product and partnerships director at Automattic. Also a runner, writer, dog mom, and all-around good person.

Featured Speaker: PAT RAMSEY

4a62fef61f1926012125614918b32ff3Pat Ramsey is Director of Ongoing Client Support at Crowd Favorite and an active member of the Austin WordPress community. His talk will be focused on “Leveling Up with Documentation.”

WHY DO YOU USE WORDPRESS?

I started using WordPress in 2004 because it was the best tool for creating an easy-to-use and scalable website. I use it today because it’s still that, but with a decade of maturity, making it even more powerful.

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU GET STARTED USING WORDPRESS?

2004, working in Higher Ed. We needed something to build our online IT helpdesk, which was basically a blog.

WHAT TIPS OR RESOURCES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO A NEW WORDPRESS USER?

If you’ve never used it, try a free WordPress.com account. It’s a free way to learn how to move around the Dashboard, familiarizing yourself to some degree of how it works. If it turns out to not be your thing, you’re not out anything. If you stay with it, and you’re using WordPress for your business, well now you’ve got a better sense of things.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO’S BUILDING A BUSINESS AROUND WORDPRESS DESIGN OR DEVELOPMENT?

If you’re great at the technical side, learn the business side. Find peers you can learn from, join a mastermind group, find a lawyer or CPA. It’s business. Respect that and be serious about it.

HOW DO YOU STAY INFORMED ABOUT WORDPRESS (NEWS, TIPS, ETC.)?

Twitter, Slack channels, Facebook.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT WORDCAMPS?

New faces. Every WordCamp I meet new faces and am reminded, in person, of how the community is growing.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT WORDCAMP DFW?

Beyond meeting all the new faces, Several of us at Crowd Favorite will be there and we’ll get some time in-person together. For a distributed company, this is always a great thing.

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?

Website: http://crowdfavorite.com
T
witter: @pat_ramsey

Featured Speaker: DOUG STEWART

Next on deck in our Speaker Q&A series is Doug Stewart, who’ll be presenting “Tales from the Command Line!”

WHY DO YOU USE WORDPRESS?

It puts food on the table. *grin* I work for 10up and do WordPress stuff day-in/day-out, but I got started with it as a writer and have participated in its growth and evolution over the course of the last 11.5 years.

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU GET STARTED USING WORDPRESS?

I started using WordPress in 2004 with version 1.0. I had been using Blogger and wanted to host my own site, so I started investigating Movable Type. MT changed their license from an open source one to a for-pay closed-source one just before WP 1.0 was released, so I was looking around for a CMS with similar capabilities but with an open source license. WP fit the bill quite nicely.

WHAT TIPS OR RESOURCES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO A NEW WORDPRESS USER?

Find a local Meetup, ask questions, and most importantly, play around with WP. Install themes and plugins, figure out how they work together (or don’t!).

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO’S BUILDING A BUSINESS AROUND WORDPRESS DESIGN OR DEVELOPMENT?

Find a niche that no one else is exploiting and the go after it with quality code and good support.

HOW DO YOU STAY INFORMED ABOUT WORDPRESS (NEWS, TIPS, ETC.)?

Mainly Twitter and a heap of Feedly RSS subscriptions, plus my co-workers.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT WORDCAMPS?

Getting other people excited about new developments and approaches in WordPress. I love seeing the “lightbulb moments” for people and I’ve been the beneficiary of just such a moment more than a few times.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT WORDCAMP DFW?

Getting to interact with a whole new community of WordPress users. I’ve got family in Dallas and I’m really looking forward to it.

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?

Website: http://literalbarrage.org/blog
Twitter: @zamoose

Featured Speaker: DAVID BRUMBAUGH

To whet your appetite as we close in on the final two weeks (!!) before the Big Event, we’ll be featuring a speaker Q&A right here on this blog for your reading pleasure. On deck is David Brumbaugh, who’ll be speaking about The CIA Mindset: Planning Your WordPress Site’s Security (for Business Users).

David Brumbaugh

Why do you use WordPress?

I use WordPress because it is both elegant from a programmer’s standpoint, and easy to explain to a layman.

When and how did you get started using WordPress?

I got started using WordPress when I was the Web Development Community Guide with DICE.  During my research I discovered that WP was the single most used development environment on the Web so I realized I needed to learn it.  When I started learning it I was impressed with it’s elegance.

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

If you are an absolute beginner, I found a free (at the time) Kindle eBook on Amazon called “WordPress in a Week or Less” by Zak Cagaros.  If you are an experienced programmer just getting started in WordPress I’d recommend going to WordPress.org and just diving in.  I found the Linked In WordPress groups to be very helpful for getting a feel for what people are doing and thinking.

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

If you are building a business around WordPress design or development – become an expert your customers can trust.

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

I stay informed about WP in several ways.

  1. Many of my colleges are core contributors and plugin authors, so at 10Up, it’s all WP all the time.
  2. WP Tavern (obviously).
  3. Lurking in the Linked In WP Groups.
What do you like most about WordCamps?

What I like most about WordCamps is all the positive energy and the chance to get to help people.

What are you most looking forward to at WordCamp DFW?

This is my first chance to speak at a WordCamp, so that’s what I’m looking forward to most.

Where can we find you online?

Website: http://10up.com
Twitter: @DavidEBrumbaugh

Get your tickets now so that you can hear David speak in person!

Announcing Our Speaker Lineup: Part III

We still have a couple of speakers for KidsCamp that we’ll be publishing soon, but in the meantime, here’s the final roster of speakers slated for WordCamp DFW. Be sure to grab your tickets now!

PETE NELSON

Topic: Extending the WP REST API

Pete is a senior web developer with nearly 20 years of experience He’s been developing for WordPress the past four years.

JON KENDALL

Topic: Getting Started on Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Jon is the sales partner at Osky Blue, an online marketing and software development company based in Frisco Texas. He has 15 years of experience in business growth, sales and development. He has delivered over 400 seminars, classes and training sessions throughout the country on how to do online marketing effectively. He understands the right way to make online marketing efforts profitable. He has a passion for helping people achieve their dreams of business ownership and success, and has found online marketing the best way of doing this. In his free time he loves golfing, watching college football and spending time with his wife, two kids and dog, Bernie.

TROY BRAITHWAITE

Topic: Selling A Million Dollars of Product Online: An Introduction to eCommerce

Troy is the marketing partner at Osky Blue, a Frisco based online marketing and software development company. He is an entrepreneur with a passion for small business. He has helped hundreds of small businesses grow and increase profitability. His first venture was an accounting firm that he started right after graduating from college. Over three years, he grew the practice through effective online marketing and guerrilla marketing practices, took it paperless and virtual, and increased profitability by 40%. He then sold the practice so he could pursue his greatest passion: small business online marketing. A driving force in his own success is a desire to help other small businesses. When not working, Troy enjoys golfing, fishing, Dallas’ sporting events and spending time with his wife, four kids and of course, his beloved dog, Osky.

BRANDON KRAFT

Topic: Developing with Jetpack

Kraft, as he’s better known, started building websites in 1996 and hasn’t looked back. Kraft has worked with his own “weblog” since 2002, first in HTML, then Movable Type, then finally to WordPress. Kraft ran a freelance web development business exclusively using WordPress and Genesis. Now, Kraft works at Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, focusing on Jetpack. Married with five young daughters, you can follow Kraft on Twitter ( @Kraft ) and on his personal site ( https://kraft.im )

MENDEL KURLAND

Topic: Hacking your personal workflow and the art of Inbox Zero

Hey there, I’m Mendel, an intrapreneurial change-maker, developer, speaker, and teacher.

I love the outdoors, so you’ll usually find me hittin’ the trails between tech events and code-slinging. I’ve also usually got my nose in a cup of single origin, Chemex-brewed coffee. As a GoDaddy Evangelist, I spend most of my time hanging out with developers, designers, entrepreneurs, and creative people all around the world to make sure their opinions and suggestions are heard.

MARC GRATCH

Topic: Your First WordPress Site | There and back again

I am a WordPress developer, a student at UTA, a husband and father. I have been using WordPress since 2.8 (give or take a point release.) I build custom themes and plugins, I have contributed to a couple of WordPress repo plugins and I am working up the courage to contribute to core.

Announcing Our Speaker Lineup, Part II

Moar amazing speakers for you to look forward seeing!

Wait, you say you haven’t gotten your tickets yet? Click here to get yours before they’re all sold out!

REAGAN LYNCH

Topic: Is My Site Accessible?

Reagan Lynch is the president and founder of Our Little blessings a non-profit serving children with disabilities and special needs, the CEO of Alpha Omega Strategies a managed services provider, an ordained minister, an all around good guy, and a WordPress user who is blind.

JOHN P. BLOCH

Topic: How to Make Multilingual Plugins and Themes

John P Bloch is a Lead Web Engineer at 10up where he spends his time helping clients with large and complex WordPress sites. John started working with WordPress in 2008 and hasn’t stopped since. A recent transplant to the DFW area, John spends his time at home in Irving enjoying the BBQ, sunsets, and warm nights of North Texas.

CHRISTOPHER HARRIS

Topic: Harnessing the Power of WordPress: Themes and Plugins for Church Websites

Born a geek, Christopher Harris coded his first website in 1997. In 2005 he launched Faith Growth, a Dallas-based consulting company that builds custom Genesis WordPress sites for domestic and international small business and faith-based clients. Christopher particularly enjoys helping churches develop a digital-first mindset, to effectively engage and grow their communities online. Christopher is an active contributor to the local WordPress community.

DOUG STEWART

Topic: Tales from the Command Line

Doug has been using Linux since 1997 or so, but don’t hold that against him. He brings over 15 years of experience in the IT industry to bear on problems related to networks, systems and software, with a special penchant for solving problems in the Linux space. He has spent time at software giants like IBM, in the advanced US Defense Department research community, working with geneticists and medical researchers as a high-performance computing administrator and has even spent a bit of time in a startup or two back in the first Internet Bubble. Lately, he has been working heavily in the areas of systems automation and virtualization. Doug first came across WordPress in 2004 during the Great Licensing Wars and has been a dedicated WP user and contributor since version 1.0. He has experience in developing themes and plugins, contributing to the core WordPress software, participating in the greater community and helping WordPress users get the most out of their sites. Doug also co-organizes the monthly Philadelphia WordPress Meetup and the yearly WordCamp Philadelphia and Tech Week Philly events and is very involved in the Philadelphia metro area WordPress community. When he’s not wrangling Linux, Doug can be found keeping busy with his wife and four kids. He coaches his son’s lacrosse team, is an avid reader, actively participates in his church and community events, and is consumer of music of all kinds. He also owns a kilt.

ELAYNA FERNANDEZ

Topic: Take Your Blog from Blah to Bold: Create Credibility, Visibility & Profitability

Elayna Fernandez, The Positive MOM, teaches bloggers how to turn their passion into their paycheck through her trademarked 7p Guerrilla Positioning System™ (GPS) so they can increase Credibility, Visibility and Profitability™, and ultimately elevate their Impact, Income, and Influence. Elayna encourages, empowers, and equips moms worldwide to have more influence at home, more impact in the world, and more income to make it happen, so they can live a life with JOY, BALANCE, and SUCCESS on their own terms without the guilt, struggles, and overwhelm. Her philosophy is, “BE Positive and You’ll BE Powerful!” Elayna is a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Master Trainer, Bestselling Author, International Keynote Speaker, and Certified Passion Test Facilitator, trusted by thousands of entrepreneurs and some of the world’s successful leaders. Her philosophy is, “BE Positive and You’ll BE Powerful!” For a longer bio, please visit: http://thepositivemom.com/media-center.

Elisha and Elyssa Fernandez

Topic: Be Authentic in your Content in 3 Simple Steps

Elisha is a homeschooled twelve-year-old, and a passionate author, artist, kidpreneur, and speaker. She loves to write, read, spell, draw, paint, and play the piano and guitar. She is proud to be a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Practitioner, trained by Jay Conrad Levinson himself. If Elisha had only 3 words to describe herself they would be creative, generous, and humorous. Elisha lives in Fort Worth, TX with her family and she loves spending time with them. She wrote I Love ME! at age ten, because she is passionate about helping other kids become bully-proof, love themselves, and be the best they can be. Elyssa is eleven years old. She enjoys being an entrepreneur, speaker, artist, and coach. She is homeschooled, and her greatest coach and mentor is her mom, Elayna Fernandez. Elyssa plays the guitar and piano, and she loves to play with her sisters, draw, read, write stories, dance ballet, play tennis, and bike. She’s fascinated with nature, especially animals, and to avoid hurting them, she became vegan. Elyssa teaches children to love themselves and have self-confidence through her books, blog posts, and artistic expressions. Elyssa would be thrilled to get to know you.

JOHN P. GAMBOA

Topic: Understanding and Combating Global Censorship with WordPress

John P. Gamboa is a Enterprise Support Specialist at WP Engine in Austin, Texas. Having lived Singapore, South Korea and China for the better part of four years, John worked as a technical editor, writer, teacher and developer. He was also a founding member and WordPress developer for Shanghai Beer Week, China’s first-ever craft beer week. You can read about John’s work and years living overseas at jpgamboa.com, or @jgamboa on Twitter.

JAMES DALMAN

Topic: Freelancer Survival School

James Dalman is an U.S. Army Veteran and the founder of Happy Joe, a non-profit organization that specializes in helping military veterans launch successful careers and businesses in the web technology industry. James has been in the branding, design, and web media industry for over twenty years and has done work for HTC, BMW, Michael Hyatt, Nike Golf, Eskimo Joes, NASCAR, and Arnold Palmer. He was one of the first WordPress theme designers in the marketplace and has spoken at numerous WordCamps.

Stay tuned for the final installment tomorrow with the final speaker list!