Rich is a WordPress community advocate, WordCamp organizer and speaker. He also helps other organizers as a WordCamp Central Community Deputy. He has worked in the corporate world for almost two decades and brings that vast business experience to the WordPress community as a Project Manager. You can usually find him searching for his next great cup of coffee while he ponders his own self-worth as he learns to deal with a really bad case of impostor syndrome. When the opportunity arises, he also teaches web development at his local community college.

Rich Robinkoff will be presenting “Where to Find the Right WordPress Help For You” on Saturday, October 15 at 11:05am in the Assembly Hall.

Why do use WordPress?

I use WordPress for two distinct reasons. First, WordPress is dynamic open source software that just works. Second, the community behind it! When the product doesn’t work (which isn’t often), I have never seen such a collaborative group work to fix the issues.

What would you tell someone to convince them to attend a WordCamp?

There is no better setting to learn more about WordPress and the community around it than by attending a WordCamp. While there are great online resources, including most WordCamp sessions recorded at http://wordpress.tv/category/wordcamptv/, you cannot get the personal interactions without actually being there. I have seen two competing companies come together to help a customer with an issue to make their experience with WordPress better…they could have fought over the customer, but they collaborated!

What is your favorite part of WordCamps?

The hallway sessions! Obviously I am all about the interactions…so make sure you talk to your fellow WordCamp’ers!

Name someone in the WordPress community that inspires you.

While I have several people who have inspired me, I have to name two people who have touched me on a personal level. Cory Miller continues to talk about the emotional, mental, and personal side of WordPress and has inspired me to do the same. Rebecca Gill talked about Being the Peacock at WCA2 in 2014 and helped me display my peacock feathers brightly!
Both of them are good friends now and they never fail to inspire me and others.

Fill in the blank for other attendees: “If you ___________ then you should come talk to me at WordCamp.”

…feel anxious about speaking at a WordCamp or want to organize one but don’t know where to start…