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”

We asked our speaker Claire Savage, from Claire Savage Editorial, a few questions about WordPress and WordCamps.

How are you currently using WordPress?
My copywriting business website runs on WordPress, and I also manage a separate creative writing WordPress blog, which focuses on my prose and poetry work.

What role are you using WordPress as?
As a business and author, I’m using it to promote my brand and to engage with other WordPress users.

What excites you most about WordPress?
The fact that it’s pretty straightforward to use – even the non-techy people can manage it! It’s great to be able to have complete control over the content you create.

Would you consider yourself to be active within the WordPress Community?
Yes, in that I blog very regularly and follow and comment on other blogs, but I haven’t attended any WordPress meet-ups or WordCamps.

How do you think we can improve the WordPress community in Northern Ireland?
Have groups outside Belfast. Main reason I’ve never been to a meet-up is the travelling involved…

What made you want to get involved with WordCamp Belfast?
I wanted to highlight the importance of creating good written content on blogs and websites, as writing often gets overlooked in favour of design.

What are you most looking forward to at WordCamp Belfast?
Meeting new WordPress users and picking up some new tips on how to use WordPress.

We asked our speaker Ahmed Khalifa, from IgniteRock, a few questions about WordPress and WordCamps.

How are you currently using WordPress?
As a business owner and marketer

What role are you using WordPress as?
Admin

How do you think WordPress has evolved over its 13 years?
It has gone from from a simple blogging platform to a powerful CMS used by a variety of brands, from local to global brands.

Would you like to see anything different in how WordPress has evolved?
Streamline the design to make it more cleaner and smoother to use as more people are commenting on how the likes of Medium and Ghost are easier to use.

What excites you most about WordPress?
It’s forever growing and new features are added all the time thanks to the passionate community around it.

Have you been to other WordCamps? If so which ones or how many?
Only one – Edinburgh 2015

Would you consider yourself to be active within the WordPress Community?
Yes, in various formats including being a regular attendee at the Edinburgh WordPress Meetup group

If you currently contribute to the WordPress Community, in what way?
I work with entrepreneurs and freelancers to get more visibilities on their WordPress site whilst also helping and teaching others how to do the same within my own circles.

How do you think we can improve the WordPress community in Northern Ireland?
More information about who is part of it, what do they do and encourage them to be more visible online so that everyone knows who you and get to know you.

What made you want to get involved with WordCamp Belfast?
I used to live in Lisburn and I wanted to talk at my first WordCamp. It seems fitting to do it in Belfast.

What are you most looking forward to at WordCamp Belfast?
Being part of the Northern Irish WordPress community, as it’s one that I’ve never been involved with before.

Anything else you would like to mention?
Very excited for the day to happen

We asked our speaker Danny Dagan, Senior Web Strategist at 10up, a few questions about WordPress and WordCamps.

How are you currently using WordPress?
I work remotely for 10up, a leading WordPress agency (Key WordPress releases were led by 10up engineers). It follows that all the projects I manage are WordPress projects. Working from home, I sometimes use WordPress in my shorts. Yep, that’s how I use WordPress. In my shorts.

How do you think WordPress has evolved over its 13 years?
From an egg to a dragon. You can see the maturity, and the sage followers.

What excites you most about WordPress?
With the new REST API, suddenly we can suddenly interface with just about everything. Not long is the day when WordPress will interact with your toaster (or at least with your personal cyborg, who in turn will interface with your toaster).

Have you been to other WordCamps? If so which ones or how many?
I’ve been to WordCamps in the UK and California. I love the spirit of these events, with all us geeks breaking bread together and looking nervously about.

What made you want to get involved with WordCamp Belfast?
When they ask me: “where were you when Belfast launched its first WordCamp” I’d like to be able to say: “I was there, at the inaugural. I was there, indeed.”

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

We asked our speaker Marcin Kilarski, who runs his company Web Innovation in Cork Ireland, a few questions about WordPress and WordCamps.

How are you currently using WordPress?
Opening a digital window for business owners.

What role are you using WordPress as?
SEO Strategist and Front End Developer

How do you think WordPress has evolved over its 13 years?
It has become much more flexible and powerful, allowing us to create some pretty awesome stuff.

Would you like to see anything different in how WordPress has evolved?
Not really. In my opinion, it went in the right direction.

What excites you most about WordPress?
That we have such a strong and active community. Developers are constantly coming up with features and plugins, making new things possible or easier to do online.

Have you been to other WordCamps? If so which ones or how many?
Yes, I attended WordCamp Europe this year, and it was my first WordCamp.

Would you consider yourself to be active within the WordPress Community?
I am trying to stay active in the community and help others who are just coming in, however I can.

If you currently contribute to the WordPress Community, in what way?
Co-organising local meetups, promoting and teaching WordPress to local startups and SMEs.

What made you want to get involved with WordCamp Belfast?
Passion for WordPress and the fantastic community.

What are you most looking forward to at WordCamp Belfast?
Getting to know other attendees, and chatting about business.