WordCamp Chicago 2013 Speaker Interview: Chris Lema

Chris LemaChris Lema – WordPress icon designed by Dan Leech twitter icon designed by Dan Leech facebook icon designed by Dan Leech LinkedIn icon designed by Dan Leech Google+ icon designed by Dan Leech

Chris Lema is the VP of Software Engineering at Emphasys Software, where he manages high performers and oversees product development and innovation. He’s also a blogger, ebook author and runs a WordPress meetup in North County San Diego.

He will be presenting “You’re a Professional: How to Avoid Overshoot & Lost Profits”  on Saturday.

Interview with Chris:

Why do you use WordPress?
I use WordPress because it’s currently the best platform for most of the things I do online. The broad community support for the platform continues to drive more and more value onto the platform (in the form of services, plugins and themes).

What do you like best about WordCamps?
I love connecting with people and talking about their businesses, their initiatives, and how they’re having success with WordPress.

What is your favorite tip or resource for a new WordPress user?
That’s easy. They should buy a subscription to WP101.com, read wpbeginner.com daily, and head over to chrislema.com when they want to compare plugins and themes.

What is a common problem you see in WordPress sites, and how would you avoid it?
I find that many sites are pretty but difficult to read. I strongly suggest people embrace 16 is the new 12 when it comes to font size.

How do you stay up to date with new information about WordPress?
I check out http://wpdaily.co daily. I also subscribe to wpMail.me and watch two webcasts – WPwatercooler and Dradcast.

Share an example of a really great (creative, cool, unusual) use of WordPress you’ve seen recently.
I love this site: http://qz.com

Do you have any advice for a person who’s building a business around WordPress design/development?
I do. A lot. That’s where I spend my time. First, come visit: http://chrislema.com/the-business-track and then hit me up for more.