I began my WordPress journey in 2006. I created several home-grown CMS-type systems, and checked out WordPress on a whim. I was immediately impressed and decided to use that on my website.
I developed my own theme from scratch within a week of installing WordPress. I started to write more, and realized there were many features I wanted added to WordPress.
I released my first WordPress plugin in 2007 called Feed Styler: https://wordpress.org/plugins/feed-styler/
I began a project with a friend that gave focus to the readers. Somebody commented and e-mailed us saying they would like to edit their comment. I found a few solutions, but nothing elegant. I coded and released Ajax Edit Comments in 2007 as well, and it has been by far my most popular plugin.
Since 2007, I have been fairly active in the WordPress community. I released a WordPress book called WordPress and Ajax in 2011. I’ve also released several more plugins.
I look forward to keep contributing to WordPress, whether it is through plugins, documentation updates, or speaking at WordCamps.