Before jumping into the WordPress Community, I spent 13 years managing high performing teams of electronic technicians, while serving in the United States Marine Corps. During that time I witnessed a lot of technological change, and know first hand the importance of learning new skills.

Recently, I fell in love with all things WordPress. Over the past two years I have spent an unhealthy amount of time, learning everything there is to know about WordPress. During this time, I have worked with a number of clients who have picked WordPress for their primary website, and I find it exciting, that more and more Enterprise clients are using the platform too. Helping clients, solve tough problems, with custom tailored solutions built on WordPress, is what makes me excited to start each and every day.

In September of 2014 I joined a WordPress Development Agency called 10up. At 10up I am currently serving as a Project Manger. I spend my days coordinating the efforts on a number of WordPress projects, and my nights improving my skills as a WordPress developer.

Why Do You Use WordPress?
I like WordPress for its core tenant; to democratize web publishing. I think it is really cool when you can build a highly customizable site, with well structured content, that is simple for end users to modify.

When and How Did You Start Using WordPress?
I was honestly just looking for a new career, and given my technical background, the web offered the most promise. It didn’t take long before I became enamored with the WordPress Platform. When I first started selling WordPress solutions, I would outsource some of the heavy development. However, as time went on, I slowly started doing more and more of the development myself. That allowed me to grow as a developer, while still providing a quality product to the client.

What Tips or Resources would you recommend to a new WordPress User?
As far as web resource I tell people to visit WP Beginner and WordPress.tv. However the best thing a new user could do is attend their local WordPress meetup. You will find everything you need once you join the WordPress Community.

What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?
Don’t be afraid to offer your opinion to clients. Oftentimes they have a very limited understanding of what WordPress can do, and it can be easy to just say yes and build something that fills a need, but could have been better. Unless you provide that knowledge, you are simply a keypuncher, and you will never be able to charge more for your services. Anybody can build a website. It is your knowledge that separates you from the pack.

How do you stay informed about WordPress (news, tips, etc)?
I follow a lot of really cool WordPress developers and users on Twitter, but one of my favorite sites to check out is managewp.org. This is a community driven site where people share trending articles about WordPress. I go there everyday.

What’s a cool WordPress based site you’ve seen recently?
I would just point to the amazing list of clients using WordPress VIP. I think it is awesome to see so many large publications choosing WordPress as their platform of choice. Having an opportunity to work with many of the clients on that list, I am always amazed at far we’re pushing the limits of what WordPress can do.

What do you like most about WordCamps?
Honestly I just enjoy meeting new people.

Where can we find you online?
Twitter: @MrBobbyBryant

Author of The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist, Period!, speaker, teacher, husband, father, and web marketer, Stoney deGeyter is the president and pit crew leader of Pole Position Marketing, a results-driven web presence optimization and marketing agency established in 1998. In addition to business training events, Stoney speaks at nationwide conferences, such as WordCamp, PubCon, Search Engine Strategies (SES), Search Marketing Expo (SMX), Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Stoney’s articles about how to navigate the web marketing landscape have been published on Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal and Visibility Magazine, and he has been quoted in WSJ.com and Chief Content Officer Magazine.

He also shares how to accelerate your web marketing efforts in several e-books, including E-Marketing Performance: Effective Strategies For Building, Optimizing and Marketing Your Website Online; Keyword Research and Selection: The Definitive Guide to Gathering, Sorting and Organizing Your Keywords Into a High-Performance SEO Campaign; Destination Search Engine Marketing: SEO Without Compromise.

Why Do You Use WordPress?
As a web marketer I’ve found that WordPress is the single best out-of-the-box solution for building a search engine friendly website. That’s not to say it doesn’t take some customization, but those customizations are far easier done in WordPress than most CMS solutions. In fact, most can be easily accomplished using existing plugins.

Having a search engine friendly site is the foundation for solid web marketing efforts. If you don’t have that then all the marketing you do for your site will simply not perform as well as it otherwise should. WordPress is a great starting point.

When and How Did You Start Using WordPress?
I started using WP back when it was just a blogging platform. But as it grew into a more robust CMS we began encouraging many of our clients to make the switch whenever a re-design was imminent.

What Tips or Resources would you recommend to a new WordPress User?
I’d immediately look for lists of plugins that will help you accomplish your goals. There are a number of plugins for SEO, forms, navigation and just about anything else you might need. Plugins can save you hours of development time.

With that said, sometimes a plugin isn’t the right way to go and you may benefit from incorporating features into the build to ensure overall site stability.

What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?
Just because WordPress is free and easy to install doesn’t mean that the site you want will be cheap. It’s all about the whistles and bells. Any good developer can build you the site you want, just be ready and willing to pay for those features that need to be built. Or go without them.

Don’t think of WordPress as a free solution so much as a free foundation for the solution you want to build.

How do you stay informed about WordPress (news, tips, etc)?
The web marketing industry does a good job of promoting WP news and updates. I tend to keep up on that through the normal streams and social channels I follow for web marketing purposes.

What do you like most about WordCamps?
They are a blast. The presenters are all very knowledgeable and intelligent and overall, the attendees seem to be great people. It’s just lots of fun!

Where can we find you online?
Web: PolePositionMarketing .com
Twitter: @StoneyD
LinkedIn: StoneyGD
Google+: +StoneydeGeyter

I’ve been a graphic designer for over 25 years. I love everything design. Once I started to design for the web, I started using WordPress. My studio Trailer Trash Design provides complete graphic design services for start-ups, small and medium sized companies. I love to eat pizza and try different kinds of beer.

Why Do You Use WordPress?
I use WordPress because of it’s flexibility and ease of use. My clients have wanted to become increasingly involved in the day-to-day operations of their websites and WordPress allows that to happen.

When and How Did You Start Using WordPress?
I started using WordPress about 8 years ago when we started a blog for the company that I was working for at the time. Since moving on, I’ve made WordPress my only choice for working on the web.

What Tips or Resources would you recommend to a new WordPress User?
Don’t get frustrated. Ask questions. Lots of questions and keep learning. WordPress has tons to offer… you just need to be willing to learn.

What advice would you give someone who’s building a business around WordPress design or development?
Stay involved in as much WordPress as you can.

How do you stay informed about WordPress (news, tips, etc)?
I follow a lot of different blogs, LinkedIn groups, Facebook groups and attend as many WordCamps as possible.

What do you like most about WordCamps?
Meeting new people and finding new tips and techniques to use with WordPress.

Where can we find you online?
Web: TrailerTrashDesign.us
Twitter: @trailertrashus
Facebook: Trailer Trash Design