Today we kick off an awesome series of speaker and sponsor spotlights. We will be doing all of the posts in Q&A format, and here goes nothing. Say hello to Chris Lema who will be talking about launching websites at WordCamp San Diego 2011:
How long have you been working with WordPress and what first attracted you to it?
I started working with WordPress in 2005 after trying a variety of other CMS products. Even though it wasn’t a full CMS at the time, it was clear that it’s flexible structure could let me do a lot with it. I’ve never looked elsewhere again.
What are your thoughts on the WordPress community as a whole, including WordCamps?
Unlike a lot of web solutions out there, WordPress has an engaged community that not only cares about the product, but also about the other people using the product. There is virtually no topic that people aren’t writing about, helping on, or creating solutions for. It’s only reinforced by the local WordCamps that drive relationships and regional support.
Who in the WordPress community inspires you? Who do you follow?
Because I like to keep tabs on what’s going on with multisite features, I follow @andrea_r. I also love what Brian Gardner (@bgardner) is doing with Genesis. All that said, the guys who inspire me the most are the folks at Woothemes. I love what they’re up to, their themes, innovation, and the way they’re constantly testing new things.
What is the most exciting feature/addition/improvement to WordPress that you have noticed in the last year?
I loved the addition of the Menu – which not only made it easy for me but for clients to manage their own sites. Until then, it had been much more manual code to get what I wanted in place.
Where do you see WordPress 2 years from now?
Given how broadly it’s already accepted, I can only imagine that the real move in two years will be the organic growth around corporate adoption. With corporate adoption we could see things like additional workflow for publishing (either in the core or via plugins) and more. I’m also excited to see BuddyPress and how it’s going (as well as a forum plugin rather than additional site). These things will continue to keep people innovating and trying things.
