Category: WordPress Stories

Christopher Harris is the Speaker Wrangler for this year’s WordCamp DFW.

My journey with WordPress began in 2005 when I set up a blog for my mother. I found WordPress easy to use and install. It was perfect platform on which for my mother to learn to blog. I was a seminary student at that time studying to become a Pastor.

I concluded my seminary studies in 2008 just after Facebook opened to users beyond those with a .edu email address. I’ve always been doing the tech thing along with ministry. When I came out of seminary, I was really was like, “I don’t really feel called to work with one congregation right now. I feel called to help the church learn how to use digital communication tools for ministry.” So I started a ministry organization called, Faith Growth.

At Faith Growth we are digital ministry consultants. Our goal is to make digital easy for church leaders. We have been at this just over five years and just now feel like I know what I am doing. I would not be here today if it where not for the WordPress community. I have learned the ins and outs of WordPress from the community via user groups, online tutorials, and from kind strangers answering my questions on forums. I also have learned how to run my business from project management to writing proposals from other WordPRess consultants that shared with me their experienced.

WordPress is great CMS and is perfect for most projects, but WordPress is also strengthened by the community. I am thankful everyday for this great community!

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s WordCamp DFW held on Nov. 11-12. There are also plenty of opportunities to sponsor the event, speak at the event or help run it. We hope to see you there!

Kay Kinser is the volunteer wrangler for this year’s WordCamp DFW.

My love for technology started in 1981 when I began operating an ECRM 7600 computer and providing user support. From there I managed and trained operators on a Hewlett-Packard 3000 and an IBM 4341. I was operating an IBM 3083 when I left the IT field and became a stay at home and unschooling mom for 23 years. In 2011, I purchased the StudioPress Pro Plus Theme Package. Using WordPress with Genesis was fun, so I began building websites and started my business, Kays Web, LLC. Last October, I wanted to do more with Genesis and found Carrie Dil’s website, which led me to a plugin for Genesis and finally to Beaver Builder and their incredible community on Facebook. I first heard about WordCamp in the group.

As a Toastmaster, I have been able to make technology seem a little less complex with my speeches and I really like helping people master complex technology tasks using easy to follow instructions. The confidence they have after they have learned something they didn’t think they could is inspiring. I believe giving always leads to gaining so much in return and it is why I volunteer my time. This led me to apply to be a co-organizer for the Denton WordPress Meetup group. Many people, especially seniors, don’t think they can learn technology and I want to show them that you don’t need to have technical skills to use WordPress. I am thrilled to also have joined the great organizers for WordCamp DFW 2017 as the Volunteer Coordinator.
I’ve only been a member of the WordPress community for a short time and continue to be amazed by those who give so much to help others. This will be my first WordCamp and I will also be attending WordCamp US and as many others as I can.

I am so excited to see in person what so many others have said about the WordCamp experience from all over the world. WordCamps offer something for everyone. If you’ve never heard of WordPress or are an experienced developer, there is always something new and exciting to learn when you enter the world of WordPress and WordCamps. I hope to see many WordPress beginners at WordCamp DFW 2017! It wouldn’t be a WordCamp without volunteers, so come join the fun and sign up.

A year in the military, seven years as a stay-at-home mother, and four years in corporate America taught Sheryle to seek purpose and to value meaningful work. In late 2010, she joined CauseLabs, a software development company working with non-profits and social enterprises to scale their missions. It blended her experience with technology with her passion for giving back.

Today, in addition to her role as CauseLabs CEO, Sheryle serves on three advisory boards, United Way of Tarrant County’s social innovation committee, and is in her 10th year as a Girl Scout leader. Sheryle is also co-founder and purpose ambassador of PurposeWP, a WordPress-based company that helps non-profits with their online presence.

Sheryle is a 2017 DBJ 40 Under 40 and speaks at conferences around the world including our 2014 and 2016 editions of WordCamp DFW.

“I took things that I loved and turned them into my career,” Sheryle said. “At WordCamp I see hundreds of people doing just that in our community. The simple fact that they have the opportunity and support to do so is inspiring. We all start with just one project, one theme, or one line of code, but having the support of others and being open to the collaboration amongst those you’ll meet can change your future. It can build a business or help you find your own way of giving back.”

Marc Gratch is the budget and lead wrangler for this year’s WordCamp DFW.

I fell into development.

In 2010 I and two others had been running a brand management company for three years. We had lofty goals of planning and executing integrated marketing campaigns; selling websites was an easy way to find clients. At this point in my life I knew nothing about code, even though a majority of our business was based on building .NET websites.

After some internal turmoil; our company found itself missing a partner, some clients (and expected revenue), equipment and mostly our pride and sense of stability. Frankly, we weren’t prepared. Suddenly we had to manage the remaining .NET projects that we had no clue how to handle. Uncertain how to proceed, our SEO guy introduced us to WordPress.

With about 30 plugins, a poorly made custom theme, some glue, scotch tape and a lot of luck, we became a WordPress shop.

Skip ahead to 2013; I was now working independently building custom themes & plugins for small businesses. Essentially everything I knew about coding the WordPress community taught me. The problem was, I never actively chose this path for myself. I enjoyed coding, but unlike my first business, this wasn’t planned. In fact, I was generally unhappy. I was working too much and getting paid too little, if at all sometimes. Something had to give. In 2014, I fired all my clients.

My wife and I were expecting our first child and I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with myself. I knew I wanted to write code and I knew I loved working with WordPress, but I felt certain I was done with client work. First and foremost, I spent my time letting my distractions lead me wherever seemed most intriguing. I read everything I could, about WordPress, coding, physics, Spain…? I truly allowed my mind to wander. I would find myself uselessly refreshing my newsreader for new articles during the day so I turned my attention to podcasts and WordPress.tv, which quickly brought my attention to WordCamps.

In the summer of 2014 we decided to have our last child-free vacation; we were headed to NYC. Where I would also go to my first WordCamp.

I can only describe my first WordCamp experience as transformational. I was hooked. The first person I met was THE ONE AND ONLY Andrew Nacin – I caught him unaware getting his morning coffee, poor guy didn’t see the fandom coming. He was very gracious, and though he may have been trying to get rid of me, he introduced me to some other amazing folks, that I had been following for years. When I returned to Fort Worth I was on a WordPress high, I wanted to share as much as I could about WordPress and the community. I got home and applied to speak at WordCamp DFW, where I spoke for the first time about WordPress.

At my very first WordCamp (WCNYC2014) I learned so much that this blog post simply could not do it justice. But the most important lesson I walked away with was: The WordPress community is (mostly) virtual and volunteer based. The best way to succeed is to get involved, get noticed, and don’t suck. This stuck with me. I now speak, volunteer, and (occasionally) sponsor WordCamps all over the country as well as help organize WordCamp DFW and the Fort Worth WordPress User Group meetup.

In the time since WCNYC2014 I get to consult, teach, build products and work on some very interesting yet challenging projects. All the while getting to travel, network and discover great WordPress friends –which are more aptly described as great friends. And by discovering the WordPress community and amazing people who have helped me grow my business acumen, refine my focus, strengthen my connections and become a better developer than I had thought possible.

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s WordCamp DFW held on Nov. 11-12. There are also plenty of opportunities to sponsor the event, speak at the event or help run it. We hope to see you there!