Hi Jim, please share a brief history of your company:
I’ve worked with WordPress since one of my team members set up my blog in 2005. At the time, I didn’t understand the importance of keeping WordPress, my theme and plugins up-to-date and eventually the site got hacked. So in late 2009, I taught myself how to install a new WordPress blog and migrate the posts over to the new site. Along the way I learned about the benefits of a premium theme and moved in that direction as well. I now run a series of websites on WordPress including my personal blog, company website, as well as several niche sites. In early 2011, I attended my first WordCamp in Phoenix and plan to attend many more in the future. We have an awesome community.
What is your favorite plugin?
It would have to be Backup Buddy which is a premium plugin.
Tell us about your latest WP project:
My colleague Shelby Sapusek and I are building a series of niche sites. It’s an experiment to see if we can make significant money doing things our way with affiliate marketing.
Share one WP tip:
Back up your site frequently and test your backups at least every few months by restoring the site on a different server.
What inspires you?
Helping others. I am constantly in awe of people coming to me for help and advice.
Any tips for people just getting started with Blogging or using WP?
Write every day even when you don’t want to. Look at your stats no more than once a week.
Do you have a WP hero?
Chris Pearson of Thesis Theme fame.
What is your motto?
Writing is the doing part of thinking.
What is the funniest or most informative tweet you ever wrote or read?
“Burgers” sent by my friend Joe Sorge from his @AJBombers account.
What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you at a conference?
At BlogWorld 2010 in Las Vegas a picture of me putting a $100 bill in a female friend’s shirt somehow ended up on Flickr. So, I now say what happens in Vegas stays on Flickr forever.
Who is the most interesting person you have met through social media? (Either virtually or in person.)
Chris Brogan
What is your favorite restaurant or club in Chicago?
Restaurant is Le Colonial. Club is probably Roof at theWit.
What is your idea of success?
Freedom however one chooses to defines that.
Why did you choose your topic for WC Chicago?
Since social media (and make no mistake, blogging is social media) is about conversations why not create a presentation that is a conversation? That’s what drives Shelby and me.
What do you hope the attendees will get out of going to your session?
An understanding that even when folks agree on the basics there is always more than one way to look at an issue.
How can people contact you?
@raffel
