As WordCamp NYC approaches, we are featuring some of our speakers on the blog. Be sure to get your tickets before they sell out! 

How did your passion for the web start?

I’ve been passionate about web design since I was first introduced to the World Wide Web 20 years ago. At the age of 15 I built a personal blog site using Notepad and Geocities that was chock full of animated gifs on a tiled outer space background. Thankfully, my aesthetic taste has developed since then.

How did you get started using WordPress?

I started dabbling in WordPress for a travel blog I created when I was backpacking through New Zealand. As I was starting my career in graphic design, I began using WordPress more actively to blog about art, design and music. Then I started setting up WordPress sites for friends, family, clients…

Why do you love working with WordPress?

WordPress allows my team to create beautiful, functional websites for clients. Our clients love being able to intuitively and independently manage their sites. You can check out some of our recent projects at http://www.designisyummy.com.

What do you want WCNYC attendees to know about you?

I’m super passionate about all things design! WordPress is a tool that has hugely helped me grow my business by building effective sites for clients. Oh, I’m also Canadian!

In regards to new WordPress users, what one piece of advice would you give them that could be very helpful?

The WordPress community is teeming with talented and knowledgeable individuals. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Everyone at WordCamp brings their own unique experiences in working with WordPress and has dealt with all kinds of challenges. Sharing this info with each other is what makes this CMS and community even more powerful.

As WordCamp NYC approaches, we are featuring some of our speakers on the blog. Be sure to get your tickets before they sell out!

Bio

I’m a WordPress Website Developer for the MarkNet Group in Brewster, NY, where I enjoy building WordPress websites for clients and training them how to use them. I was a co-organizer of WordCamp CT and am a co-organizer of the WordPress Westchester Meetup Group. In my free time I love to watch stand-up and attend classic car shows.

What’s your WordPress “origin” story?

I started creating websites with HTML and then moved to Joomla. When I found WordPress in 2011, I never looked back and have been using it ever since. There is nothing else that is easy enough for clients to maintain themselves that has so many possibilities. For someone who is new to WordPress, it allows you to start off knowing just a little and grow to learn much more and expand your capabilities to what seem like endless possibilities, all the while having a great looking, great functioning website.

What are your top 3 WordPress plugins? Why?

1. Anti-spam by Webvitality – Just install it and it works
2. Captcha by BestWebSoft – Super easy way to protect your site and none of those annoying letters that are impossible to read. There is no reason NOT to use this plugin.
3. Easy Fancybox – if you’ve got images or pdfs you want to open on your site, it’s a much nicer way to handle them. I also like to use it for links to other sites that would normally open in new windows, like a link to Opentable for a restaurant.

What would you tell someone to convince them to attend a WordCamp?

One of the things I love so much about WordPress is the people who make it happen. I’m self-taught, so I’ve spent a lot of time online pouring through tutorials and forums. Without all the people out there sharing their knowledge, I would never have been able to have this job that I adore so much. At WordCamps, there are these incredible people who donate their time and talents to helping others. I can’t imagine where else you could learn so much for such a small investment. It’s a great place for figuring out answers and getting inspired.

Fill in the blank for other attendees: “If you __________ then you should come talk to me at WordCamp”

• want to know more about Gravity Forms
• want to talk about classic cars
• want to share a really bad joke with someone who will appreciate it
• are attending WordCamp – please come talk to me!

Where can we find you online?

• WPDecoder.com
• YouTube

I’m not hard to find online as long as you don’t confuse me with the Chilean Wine Maker (no relation).

As WordCamp NYC approaches, we are featuring some of our speakers on the blog. Be sure to get your tickets before they sell out!

What is your favorite improvement to WordPress this past year?
I’m super excited about the acquisition of Woo.

Why did you decide to speak at WordCamp NYC?
I heard that WordCamp NYC is amazing, and I grew up on Long Island so I was eager to “come home” and share my love of WordPress with amazing people.

What is your talk going to be about?
Community Consultation Creates Compelling Content is about tapping into various parts of the WordPress community to make your own content visible and stronger.

What is the one thing you want people to walk away with from your talk?
I want people to walk away with a sense of community and a knowledge of various venues of support.

Who in the WordPress community inspires you? Who do you follow?
I am very inspired by those who are technologically challenged, yet blog anyway. Their willingness to step outside their zone to join our community is very inspiring. I follow writers I meet in our Blogging University courses as well as friends, family and co-workers.

What new feature would you like to see in the future?
I would love to access revision history in the new editor.

Chrissie Pollock works for Automattic, Inc. as a Happiness Engineer, focusing on mobile app support. She also works in Writing 101 and Blogging 101 for the WordPress Blogging University. Follow Chrissie on Twitter @TechieFamily.

As WordCamp NYC approaches, we are featuring some of our speakers on the blog. Be sure to get your tickets before they sell out!

I have been using WordPress since early 2008, when WordPress was on version 2.5. It was surprisingly similar to what we know and love today at v4.3, with great advancements made by the early team long before I’d ever even heard of it. Before that, I had been building static websites and had begun doing some dynamic work with PHP, when this tool was suggested to me to make that job even easier. To say that it changed my life would be an understatement.

I used WordPress for personal websites first, still getting around it while on client work. These were general blogs, a failed attempt at affiliate marketing and my own ramblings. I was already a heavy LiveJournal user in high school and college, and WordPress let me do even more with my own content.

It wasn’t until around three years later that I even realized that there was a community around WordPress. I’m embarrassed to admit that the first WordCamp Orlando I only heard about via Twitter on the day of, but within a year of that I was involved with the brand new WordPress Orlando Meetup, and when the previous organizers opted not to continue WordCamp, I got involved with that, too. For the past three years I’ve been lead organizer of both events, and it has had a tremendous impact on my life. The time commitment is sometimes grueling, but the number of people that I get to meet and help, as well as the opportunities that it has afforded, have all been well worth it.

I swear that my whole life doesn’t revolve around WordPress, though it can often feel like it. I run my own web development firm and have returned to school to get a second degree, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for other things. I still make sure I carve out time to read voraciously, travel to multiple conferences and camps per year, and do all of the general social things that keep me from becoming permanently fused to my laptop. If you see me at WCNYC, talk to me about the things that you’re interested in. I’d rather help others succeed with WordPress and make new friends than bore you with my life 🙂

As WordCamp NYC approaches, we are featuring some of our speakers on the blog. Be sure to get your tickets before they sell out! 

What do you do?

I’m a marketing guru and business strategist that helps small businesses build their brand, drive sales and increase customer loyalty. I do this by crafting targeted traditional and digital marketing communications, coupled with powerful business development. I truly value my client relationships and develop strong bonds by taking a genuine interest in helping them succeed.

Why do you use WordPress?

WordPress is the leader in CMS because it’s super user-friendly, even for someone like me who’s technically-challenged. I like leveraging the proven templates and plugins, which accelerates the development process and ultimately saves my clients money. Also, it’s easily upgradable which further saves time and money.

When and how did you start using WordPress?

I’ve been using WordPress since I started my company over four years ago. It was really first by accident, as I found a great developer and that was the only platform she used. Since then, I’ve tried other CMS platforms, but they pale in comparison to WordPress.

What’s your favorite thing about WordCamp?

This is actually my first WordCamp, so I’m looking forward to meeting a myriad of professionals and learning from the best. I’m also looking forward to sharing my marketing strategies and content development expertise, as a great website is more than amazing design and development. It encompasses building a solid brand and generating qualified leads.

What advice do you have for anyone wanting to start a WordPress-based business?

Go for it! But recognize that building a successful website requires design skills, development expertise, content creation, and of course SEO. I recommend that you build a solid team of specialists, and not try to do it all yourself. My philosophy is “do what you do best and outsource the rest!” This helps you save time and money.

Tell us something awesome about yourself that’s not WordPress related.

I love Obstacle Course Races, OCR, and did my first Spartan Mud Run at age 48. I thought I’d die, but I made it all the way to the finish line and felt completely empowered. I’m also turning 50 this month (woo hoo!), and will continue my OCRs, probably until I break something!

Name someone in the WordPress community who inspires you.

This year, I lost an inspirational business associate, Clint Warren. He was a WordPress master and mentor, and is truly missed. He taught me so many WordPress strategies and life-lessons as well that I continue to reflect on today.

What’s your favorite WordPress related resource?

The Westchester WordPress Meet-Up. They have expert speakers and great attendees. I always walk away with something new that I can apply to my business and better help my clients.

What will attendees learn in your talk?

There are three responses to a website…yes, no and WOW. My goal is teach attendees to WOW. At this marketing seminar, attendees will learn to design for new web standards, attain results for their business goals while differentiating themselves from their competition, develop robust content and SEO, as well as strategies to capture leads and build a qualified marketing database.

Where can we find you online?

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathyArgyros
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excellermarketing
LinkedIn Biz: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exceller-marketing
LinkedIn Me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kargyros
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+ExcellerMarketing/about
Blog: http://excellermarketing.com/blog/