Author: Jeremy Ward

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

I’ve had situations in my professional career where I’ve found myself muttering, “I can’t believe I’m about to do this.” We all know that cowboy coding is wrong, but sometimes external conditions dictate that we as devs must do something irresponsible or stupid. Since we all do it (and don’t admit to it) I want to share some ideas I’ve had to at least “be dumb” in a safe way. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for those who are thinking about getting involved in the WordPress community?

Read blog posts, try things, jump in with reckless abandon, and struggle until you reach a dead end. At that point, ask for help and listen.

Know that your knowledge is where someone else wants to be. Happily answer questions. If someone is willing to be vulnerable with you; ask you specifically for help (which is a position of submission)…they trust you. Respect and honor that trust.

Thinking and talking about fundamentals is always a good investment.

If you could make one improvement to WordPress today, what would it be?

WordPress needs to not bill itself as easy. The concepts of a CMS are “easy” if you’ve struggled with creating a site from scratch and pondered content types, and how to add new content, and categorizing, and SEO, and commenting, and site maps, and feeds, and data structure, and coding standards, and, and, and… However, many users are dipping their toe in the web-water with WordPress and finding that it’s not easy.

Who do you most admire and why?

Dang…this is a good question.

I admire tons of people for a myriad of reasons and have false-started answering this question a half dozen times.

I admire anyone that is able to find peace with who they are.

What’s your favorite quote from a book or movie?

“It could be worse” – Princess Leia Organa: Star Wars IV – A New Hope

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

SEO is scary and confusing for a lot pf people and I aim to help people clear through all the clutter so they can understand what really matters in today’s world of search.

Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for those who are thinking about getting involved in the WordPress community?

Jump in head first! I was hesitant to engage with the community at first but I’m so thankful I did. My best friends and business associates were met at WordCamps and WordPress related conferences.

If you could make one improvement to WordPress today, what would it be?

My improvement would be community based and it would be focused on finding and reaching out to those massive amounts of WordPress users who do not attend WordCamps. There is so much they can learn, contribute, and be part of and I’d love to have them jump into the community.

Who do you most admire and why?

My maternal grandmother. She raised be from age 11-18 and was very instrumental in shaping the future me. She taught me about the importance of strong ethics, hard work, and just plain doing good to those around you. I would not be where I am today without the knowledge and love she provided.

What’s your favorite quote from a book or movie?

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou

I love this quote because it applies to life in general, parenting, and even SEO and website development.

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

I am madly in love with WordPress and want to give back to the community by spreading the love amongst other users.

Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for those who are thinking about getting involved in the WordPress community?

I am just getting involved myself, so I am not really in a good position to give encouragement in that area, but I will say that WordPress is one of the most accessible platforms out there, and I would imagine the community is equally as accepting and open.

If you could make one improvement to WordPress today, what would it be?

More heat mapping plugins to track the flow of visitor activity.

Who do you most admire and why?

John Waters is one of my heroes. His fight for the first amendment and true freedom of expression throughout his entire career is inspiring.

What’s your favorite quote from a book or movie?

“All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream.” ~Poe

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

As I work with more and more code and documentation, I have found it necessary to adopt version control. Once understood it made a great deal of difference in how I could organize information and collaborate with it. I have talked to freelancers and agencies who know they need to learn this, but are not sure where to start, this session is meant to be a crash course on the basics and hopefully encourage folks to give it a try.

Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for those who are thinking about getting involved in the WordPress community?

Absolutely. JUST DO IT! The benefits are vast and the people are amazing.

If you could make one improvement to WordPress today, what would it be?

I think there would be more encouragement to move to a more collaborative model for plugins and themes, inviting others to review and suggest edits via a system like Github.

Who do you most admire and why?

This is a hard question since I admire so many people. I am inspired by almost everyone I meet and I learn from each person, so to single one out would be impossible.

What’s your favorite quote from a book or movie?

“We learn through experience and experiencing, and no one teaches anyone anything. This is as true for the infant moving from kicking to crawling to walking as it is for the scientist with his equations.

If the environment permits it, anyone can learn whatever he chooses to learn; and if the individual permits it, the environment will teach him everything it has to teach. ‘Talent’ or ‘lack of talent’ have little to do with it.”

–Viola Spolin: Improvisation for the theater

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

Recently I was interviewed on a WP show and was asked about my WordCamp talks. I had to admit that I had never given one. That’s when it hit me that I’ve been in this community far too long to have not given a WordCamp talk. Shortly after that interview I applied to speak at this camp.

Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for those who are thinking about getting involved in the WordPress community?

If you’re thinking about it, you’re already there, so just start asking how you can help and go for it.

If you could make one improvement to WordPress today, what would it be?

Having more grace.

Who do you most admire and why?

I most admire Lewis Carroll’s Alice for her curiosity & tenacity.

What’s your favorite quote from a book or movie?

“And my name’s Dignan, man. So what?”

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

I’m excited to talk about productivity and continuous improvement because it’s made such a big difference to my life. I hope that by sharing my experience I can help others do more each day and feel the significance of their work.

Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for those who are thinking about getting involved in the WordPress community?

Welcome! Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone has to start somewhere and the community is a really friendly place. The best way to get involved is to start meeting people and hacking on a new project.

If you could make one improvement to WordPress today, what would it be?

I’d find a way to make it easier for beginners to jump into writing their own plugins and themes. A little custom code can go a long way!

Who do you most admire and why?

When it comes to WordPress, I admire my colleague Andrew Taylor. Whenever I, another colleague, or even a random stranger has a WordPress question he’ll go above and beyond to help any way he can.

What’s your favorite quote from a book or movie?

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

I often see developers using lengthy PHP workarounds when a core function exists to make their lives easier, they just don’t know where to find it. I’d like to change that!

Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for those who are thinking about getting involved in the WordPress community?

Release (or adopt) a plugin — even a small one. You learn a lot when other people start using your code in ways you never imagined!

If you could make one improvement to WordPress today, what would it be?

Bump the minimum PHP version to 5.6.

Who do you most admire and why?

My wife — I could never do what she does with as much grace or patience.

What’s your favorite quote from a book or movie?

“The things you used to own, now they own you.”
― Fight Club

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

Love Minneapolis. Love Midwest camps.

Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for those who are thinking about getting involved in the WordPress community?

Do it! It’s awesome!

If you could make one improvement to WordPress today, what would it be?

Better user profiles.

Who do you most admire and why?

No one specifically. Everyone at once. Admiration is fleeting.

What’s your favorite quote from a book or movie?

Are you watching closely?

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

My own mental wellness struggles and seeing the need for others to share authentically in order to inspire others to see and get help and eradicate and erase the stigma around mental health

Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for those who are thinking about getting involved in the WordPress community?

Take a step in. Don’t wait. Don’t cower down. Just take one bold step, then another and another. This is one of the most accepting communities I’ve been a part of. I was a nobody who became somebody simply by taking a step into it.

If you could make one improvement to WordPress today, what would it be?

A better, simpler UI dashboard for the WordPress admin

Who do you most admire and why?

My group of business friends in OKC. They inspire me to be a better man, father, husband, leader, entrepreneur in the world.

What’s your favorite quote from a book or movie?

“So you’re saying, ‘I’ve got a chance.’ YEAH!”

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

As I’ve coached freelance web developers for the last few years, I see Imposter Syndrome as one of the recurring issues we all seem to face. I deal still sometimes with it myself. I think it’s critical for all of us to realize that we’re not alone in this struggle and by being open and honest about our celebrations and challenges, we can all grow more effectively.

Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for those who are thinking about getting involved in the WordPress community?

The WordPress community is amazing. As I’ve travelled across the country to speak at WordCamps, I’m continually impressed by the openness and friendliness of our community. No matter what your skill level, you will feel right at home at a WordCamp or WordPress meetup.

What’s your favorite quote from a book or movie?

Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a person of value. (Einstein)