We asked our speaker Tim O ‘Driscoll, who runs his company BeeONLion in Ireland, a few questions about WordPress and WordCamps.
How are you currently using WordPress?
Web site development and Marketing
What role are you using WordPress as?
Admin
How do you think WordPress has evolved over its 13 years?
The current track that WordPress is on is fantastic the evolution of it since I started to use it in 2008 has been fantastic. Im really looking forward to seeing where the REST API will go and how easy it will be for developers to create apps using WordPress as the core
Would you like to see anything different in how WordPress has evolved?
For me Im not a fan of the Customise theme section and I feel the default theme 2016 is lacking in features. I would like to see the default column moved back to the right hand side (a personal gripe 🙂 ).
What excites you most about WordPress?
REST API & Hooks 🙂
Have you been to other WordCamps? If so which ones or how many?
No this will be my first but have attended may Drupal Camps
Would you consider yourself to be active within the WordPress Community?
No But I would like to get more involved. I tried to start a WordPress MeetUp in Cork but never completed the process. I would like to help where and when I can as to me WordPress is far easier to use than Drupal which is key for my client base
If you currently contribute to the WordPress Community, in what way?
I make sure that all my clients sites are built on WordPress when I can, helping spread the word about the usability of WordPress. But I would like to do more.
How do you think we can improve the WordPress community in Northern Ireland?
Personally I never knew it existed but thats because I am based in Cork in the Republic of Ireland. I think it would be worth while thinking of the community on a bigger scale as in Ireland as a whole and trying to amalgamate all WordPress community country wide.
What made you want to get involved with WordCamp Belfast?
An article I spotted online (cant think of where it was), When I heard it was coming to Ireland I wanted to help share the knowledge I had picked up in my own time using WordPress and working with the Drupal Community
What are you most looking forward to at WordCamp Belfast?
The talks and meeting fellow WordPress lovers 🙂
Anything else you would like to mention?
I think it would be handy going forward if WordPress.org or .com could come up with a Map showing the locations of all communities and allowing communities signup and show their support for me it was by chance that I found you and I think it would be nice to see if there are other people in Ireland that are intreated in WordPress. I Would be only too happy to help facilitate this feature where I can