Mika Epstein – 

Mika Ariela Epstein is better known as Ipstenu, the Half-Elf Support Rogue. Working for DreamHost, she solves any WordPress problem that comes up, and still finds time to slash unasnwered WordPress.org forum threads by night and wrangle plugins by day. A self-taught guru on Multisite and .htaccess, she has a passion for writing and technology and blogs about them on her own site, as well as for DreamHost.

Mika’s session on Sunday was titled Why Your Website Isn’t ‘Set it and Forget it’.

You can view her slides online here: https://speakerdeck.com/ipstenu/why-wordpress-is-not-set-it-and-forget-it

Interview with Mika:

Why do you use WordPress?
I use WordPress because I enjoy using it to manage my sites. I keep using it because it rocks.

What do you like best about WordCamps?
The social aspect. Meeting people to talk about WordPress teaches me almost as much as debugging!

What is your favorite tip or resource for a new WordPress user?
Just breath! Everything is scary when you look at it all for the first time. Take it all one bite and a time, and you’ll eat the elephant just fine.

What is a common problem you see in WordPress sites, and how would you avoid it?
Too many sites try to do everything they can just because they can. Limit yourself. Start reasonable and build up!

How do you stay up to date with new information about WordPress?
I get emails for every trac comment and commit, as well as follow all the make/wordpress sites, and a ton of other WordPress sites.

Do you have any advice for a person who’s building a business around WordPress design/development?
Don’t be afraid to fire your customers!