Robin Cornett

• Robin Cornett
• Self-employed web developer
• Primary Website
• @robincornett

How were you first introduced to WordPress?
I wanted a blog to add on to my photography business’ website, and slowly discovered that WordPress could be much more than just a blog.

What do you like about it?
I like that WordPress can accommodate anything I can dream up, if I can implement it. What I love most about WordPress is the community–not only have I been able to find countless answers online because others have shared their solutions, but I’ve also been able to personally connect with developers and users worldwide.

What do you do with WP now?
I build custom websites for small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals. I also build some plugins.

How has the WP community (local and beyond) helped you?
In general, the WordPress community’s commitment to sharing knowledge online through forums, blogs, and articles has allowed me to find answers to my questions much more rapidly than I could on my own. I’ve also been able to connect with users around the world who enjoy working together, discussing, and helping each other solve problems and create new solutions.

Did learning WP lead to any significant professional, personal, creative changes in your life?
I’ve been able to build my business on WordPress, which is pretty awesome.

What would you tell a brand new user?
Don’t be afraid to experiment and try things. WordPress is surprisingly difficult to break!

Josiah Goff

• Josiah Goff
• Web Developer at Jetty
• josiahgoff.com
• @josiahgoff

How were you first introduced to WordPress?
I stumbled across WordPress while learning front end development in 2008. I was looking for a way to go beyond static html and give my clients the ability to edit content without my needing to edit the code—WordPress was the perfect solution.

What do you like about it?
I love that the barrier to entry is low for WordPress. They’ve made it easy for people to jump in and start creating their own plugins and themes. On top of that, the community is so vast and established that there is a plugin or tutorial for pretty much anything you’d ever want to do to your WordPress site. And, because it’s open source, everyone can build on each other’s ideas and contribute back to the community.

What do you do with WP now?
I’m building an enterprise web application on top of it. We’ve created a highly customized version of the WP Dashboard using WP-API, Backbone.js, and a whole lot of CSS.

How has the WP community (local and beyond) helped you?
When I started out, the global community was my greatest resources for learning WordPress. I spent hours watching and reading tutorials, dissecting plugins and themes, and pouring through forums and StackOverflow posts. If I couldn’t figure something out by Googling, I could post my question to the community and I’d always have people willing to help. Since moving back to Nashville last fall after being away for 7 years, I decided to start getting involved in the local community. The WPNashville meetup group was super welcoming. It’s been awesome hanging out with people who love WordPress and geek out over web stuff as much as I do.

Did learning WP lead to any significant professional, personal, creative changes in your life?
If I hadn’t learned WordPress, I wouldn’t have the career I have now. Every job I’ve gotten since learning WP has been a result of having WP experience. I wouldn’t go as far as saying I owe my life to WordPress, but I may consider naming my first born Mullenweg.

What would you tell a brand new user?
Two things: 1. Don’t be afraid to jump in a break things in order to learn how they work. This is a great way to get started. 2. Become a part of the community. Attend your local meetup, or start one if there isn’t one nearby. You’ll grow so much faster as part of a group.

Anything else we should we know?
I have 7 years of show choir experience. You know that show Glee? That was basically my life in high school and college.

David Prochaska

• David Prochaska
• Founder/President of MarketRiser
• MarketRiser
• @DavidProHQ

How were you first introduced to WordPress?
I was introduced to WordPress 4 years ago. I created a website to help college students with homework. I have created 20+ WordPress websites since then (it’s sort of part of my job).

What do you like about it?
I like how easy it is to set up. I’ve been creating websites since 2004, and back then it was all HTML and CSS by hand. I still have to get in the back end here and there, but for the most part, I don’t have to worry about the coding. I can focus more on driving results for my business rather than writing code.

What do you do with WP now?
I have my own business, MarketRiser, which I use WordPress on. All clients that I have built websites for are on WordPress. I also do SEO professionally, so I jump into WordPress on a daily basis.

How has the WP community (local and beyond) helped you?
Wordpress Codex has definitely been a life saver. The forums on the WordPress website are very helpful as well. Early on using WordPress, it’s easy to be totally confused on simple things like setting up a child theme. The WP community is more than helpful on solving any problems I have.

Did learning WP lead to any significant professional, personal, creative changes in your life?
Wordpress allowed me to build websites a lot faster than coding HTML, which led to being able to generate more money. WordPress now allows me to host my website where I generate a small amount of affiliate income.

What would you tell a brand new user?
Don’t get plugin happy. Plugins are essential for a WordPress site, but it’s easy to install every “bright shiny object.” For any website you have, no matter what it is, set up an opt-in form to gain subscribers to your email list. This goes beyond just WordPress because you have to have an email marketing provider, but it’s so essential for every website and business to have an email list. Pro tip: get a plugin like Visual Composer to create pages in a drag and drop format. It saves a TON of headaches.

Anything else we should we know?
I’m a husband and a father of 4 kids. My favorite quote, “Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Derek Sanders

• Derek Q. Sanders
• Author, Relationship Coach
• Website: www.derekqsanders.com
• Twitter: @derekqsanders

How were you first introduced to WordPress?
I found out about WordPress on the Internet. I was looking to have a website built and stumbled upon WP in my searching.

What do you like about it?
I was able to build my own site with no experience. I love the ease of use and the fact that WP is a standard platform used by many reputable business.

What do you do with WP now?
I use it for marketing and blogging. Also, I am using WP to build websites for clients as an additional income stream.

How has the WP community (local and beyond) helped you?
The WP community will be very instrumental in my growth and development as I embark on this new income stream. There is a lot that I can learn from the greater community on my learning curve as a marketer and website builder.

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Marcus Crutcher

• Marcus Crutcher
• Web Design, SEO, Online Marketing
• Website: cSocially.com
• Twitter: @mcsocially

How were you first introduced to WordPress?
I can’t remember exactly when I first heard of WordPress, but I built my first WordPress business site a few years ago — and that changed everything.

What do you like about it?
I like that the WordPress community is generally easy to engage and interact with. I like that developers have put so much thought and effort into great plugins, tips, and code that can be forked to extend the functionality and effectiveness of any kind of site. And I like that WordPress is easy enough to use that anyone can make minor changes with relatively little effort.

What do you do with WP now?
I use WordPress for most new site development.

How as the WP community helped you?
The WP community has been huge in helping me gain knowledge of & confidence in everything from design trends, to SEO techniques, to server configuration. The Nashville WP community is awesome and the leadership team has been instrumental in creating what I feel is a very open & accepting community for WP users and developers of all levels.

Did learning WP lead to any significant changes in your life?
Yes. It has helped me grow my business substantially as one of my primary service offerings.

What would you tell a new user? A new developer?
Start following some authority sites and don’t be afraid to pay for the best plugins, themes, etc. up front. It will be worth it in the long run. And always keep a your site secure & fully backed up in an offsite location (not on your server).

Users – Learn the basics & be consistent in your learning. You’ll forget it if you only log in once per month. If you get stuck on something, just Google it. There’s about a 100 percent chance that someone else has run into the same issue and has a tutorial or forum thread about it.

Developers – jump in with both feet and keep a developmental site where you test new toys (frameworks, themes, plugins). Actively learn from other professionals in premium forums like iThemes Support, WPMUDEV Support, etc.

Anything else we should know?
Keep WP updated!

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Amber Weinberg

• Amber Weinberg
• WordPress Developer
• Primary website
• Twitter: @amberweinberg

How were you first introduced to WordPress?
Several years ago, I started getting more and more clients asking for blogs. Then, as WordPress grew into a full fledged CMS, I was able to code more complex sites using it.
What do you like about it?

What do you do with WP now?
How easy and versatile it is! I’m able to create the most complicated websites with a backend that’s simple for the most non-technical clients to use and update. Combining WordPress with the Advanced Custom Field plugin means I’m pretty much never hampered by the CMS. I can do anything.

How as the WP community helped you?
The best thing about WordPress is the community that surrounds it. I can google almost any WordPress related question and someone else has already done it and has a free tutorial. That can’t be said for many other systems.

Did learning WP lead to any significant changes in your life?
My whole business is now centered around WordPress! Once I really began to enjoy developing with it, I realized that it was what I wanted to stick with, so I moved my services around to accommodate.

What would you tell a new user? A new developer?
For users: Every developer does their themes differently. The trick for an easy-to-use site is to find a good developer who codes their themes logically. Also, stay away from premade themes. They’re always a pain for both users and devs!

For developers – Chris Coyier’s book Digging into WordPress is still one of the best primers to beginning development.

Anything else we should know?
When not coding amazing things, I knit, run, craft and travel the world.

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Stephanie Gordon Roy

• Stephanie Gordon Roy
• Freelance WordPress designer/developer
• Website: stephaniegordondesign.com
• Twitter: @Slg2gRoy

How were you first introduced to WordPress?
I first learned about WordPress when I started my own blog on WordPress.com. I wanted more functionality and learned about WordPress.org. I then set up an ecommerce site as my first site when i started my own business. I was paying another designer to maintain an html site for n=me and thought, “hey, why can’t I do this myself”? I statrted exploring WordPress more and loved it so much I decided to designing sites for other people full time!

What do you like about it?
I love that it is so versatile. Not every site has to look the same. You can really flex your design muscles and experiment with different themes and looks. I also love all the plugins! You can really find just about anything you could think of to add to your site. If you happen to not find it, it’s not too difficult to develop your own. WordPress also has so many great support and documentation resources.

What do you do with WP now?
I now work as a freelance designer/developer and make WordPress websites for a variety of clients. I develop custom themes as well as utilize several different pre-built themes.

How as the WP community helped you?
I love Wordcamp Nashville! I have only been twice but learned so much. The Nashville community is really helpful as I have contacted other WordPress Nashville members when I need help, ideas or project leads.

Did learning WP lead to any significant changes in your life?
By designing WordPress websites full time I make more money than I ever have! Because of that, this year my husband and I are building a new home. It also feels pretty awesome when a client loves their new website or you have solved a problem for someone by using WordPress.

What would you tell a new user? A new developer?
Users: Make use of the WordPress documentation and tutorials you can find all over the web. WordPress is very user friendly and don’t let the fact that you don’t know a coding language intimidate you.

Developers: Explore and experiment. There are so many themes and plugins out there. Don’t limit yourself! The more you play around with WordPress the better you get.

Anything else we should know?
In my free time and ride and compete gaited horses! I have even done several equine business WordPress sites.

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