Speaker Spotlight: Chris Koerner

Chris KoernerChris is a WordPress community contributor from St Louis who has a way of discussing complex WordPress solutions in a simple way. He’ll be talking about the importance of updating your site, so we asked him a little about how got where he is.

Q: How did you get started in your current field?
A: I started working with WordPress back in the early 1.x days. I had a terrible flash+HTML site I built and was looking for something that made it easier to update. WordPress fit the bill and it’s been a pretty good relationship ever since.

Q: Describe your ‘ah ha’ moment about WordPress?
A: Custom Post Types and Custom Fields. A lightbulb went off when I realized the customization and organization of information would be limitless.

Q: If you could go back to when you were getting started and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
A: Relax. The WordPress community is filled with super knowledgeable and experienced people who could put something amazing together in a weekend. That sounds intimidating at first. Over time I realized those same people are some of the most caring and giving folks I’ve ever met. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and put your stuff out there.

Q: Describe your talk in three sentences or less.
A: Updates good. Not updating, bad. I’ll help you.

Q: Who should attend your talk (beginner developer, intermediate content provider, advanced designer, etc)?
A: Anyone using WordPress that has a notification in the Dashboard letting them know of an update.

This post is part of a multi-day series featuring speakers from WordCamp Kansas City 2015. Subscribe to have them delivered to your mailbox, or feel free to check back every day!

About Josepha

Josepha has been organizing and promoting events across the US since 2010. In 2015, she joined Automattic where she helps guide the WordPress project’s future and support the ongoing health of the world’s largest volunteer open source community. She was recently named the Executive Director as leadership grows and matures.