Speaker Focus: Emanuel Blagonic

We asked our speaker Emanuel Blagonic, from Blagonic Brothers, a few questions about WordPress and WordCamps.

How are you currently using WordPress?
Being a designer, WordPress is my tool of choice. I use it on almost everyday basis to publish articles and opinions on various blogs and magazines and I am specialising in creating websites with the focus on users and the better publishing experience for my clients.

What role are you using WordPress as?
Published and designer

How do you think WordPress has evolved over its 13 years?
How it isn’t is a better question. WordPress has evolved in so many ways, it really revolutionised and democratises publishing. It is today used on more than 26% of *all websites in the world*. It evolved during this time by improving the administration UI, adding new functionalities like custom post types. It is also an extremely accessible piece of software.

Would you like to see anything different in how WordPress has evolved?
I would love to have more multilingual functionalities “out of the box”, but other than that – it’s perfect.

What excites you most about WordPress?
Its community.

Have you been to other WordCamps? If so which ones or how many?
WordCamp Europe, every year except 2015; WordCamp Croatia and WordCamp Split in Croatia; WordCamp Belgrade each time, WordCamps London, Nuremberg… Kyiv in a few weeks 😉

Would you consider yourself to be active within the WordPress Community?
Yes

If you currently contribute to the WordPress Community, in what way?
I organise WordPress Meetup in Zagreb (every 2 months, around 70+ people on each), I was the lead organiser of WordCamp Croatia in 2015, and co-organiser of WordCamp Split in 2016. Was on the communication team for WCEU in 2016, and will be leading the communication team for WCEU 2017. I spoke at several WordCamps, couple of WordPress Meetups and other design-oriented conferences. I am one of the founders of Croatian WordPress community and active in community growth. I love to meet new interesting people throughout Europe that work with WordPress and especially people that are involved in other communities. <3

How do you think we can improve the WordPress community in Northern Ireland?
I can tell you what we did in Croatia 😉

What made you want to get involved with WordCamp Belfast?
Never been to Belfast and wanted to visit, so a WordCamp was a perfect excuse to both visit Northern Ireland and the local WordPress community.

What are you most looking forward to at WordCamp Belfast?
Contributor day. Love the idea of the “Charity min-hackathon”