Name: Bonita Kolb
Employment: Author
Primary website:
www.bonitakolb.com
Twitter handle: @bonitakolb
How were you first introduced to WordPress? My publishers, Routledge and SAGE, request that all authors maintain websites. In other words, we are now required to participate in marketing our books. Knowing nothing about websites I luckily found information about WordPress online and decided to save money by developing my own site. I used the videos produced by WordPress and had my site live in a couple of days.
What do you like about it? WordPress is a system where you can learn as you go. You can start with a single page and then have the site grow as you gain skills. When you want to add features you can always find a video clip and written instructions to show you how.
What do you do with WP now? I use my website to promote myself as an author and keynote speaker. The site is also where I post my blog. I use Publicize to send my blog out to my other social media sites.
How has the WP community (local and beyond) helped you? Being new to Nashville, I have not attended a WordCamp here, but I have attended local WordCamps and also WordCamp US in Philadelphia. I am always impressed that the most gifted developer is always willing to answer the most basic question!
Did learning WP lead to any significant professional, personal, creative changes in your life? Tell us how! Through my website I have received comments from readers of my books in many other countries. It is always rewarding to an author to know that someone has found their books helpful.
What would you tell a brand new user? Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Everything that you screw up can be undone. Someone else has already made the mistake and can help with the correction. While professional help would improve my website, with minimal technical skills I have a website that does what I need it to do.
Anything else we should we know? While I have been an author of marketing textbooks for years, I plan on introducing a line of short eBooks that I will self-publish. I am glad I already have the website developed to use as a marketing platform.
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