WCSTL Speaker Interview: Mary Baum

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Mary Baum will be speaking on All around the block with Flexbox. She is from the St. Louis area, but also lives in Lancaster, California. She is the Owner and Creative Director at RacquetPress.com.

Here’s Mary interview.

NILE FLORES: What was it about WordPress that got you to start using it?

MARY BAUM: I think it was the idea of plugins. Even before I installed it for the first time, I had read enough about it that I was sure almost anyone could make it look like anything, thanks to css, and could make it do anything, thanks to plugins.

The reality turned out to be a little more complex, but immersing myself in a new, big learning experience turned out to be the perfect way to get through the shock of turning 50.

NILE FLORES: What motivates you to give back to WordPress and its community?

MARY BAUM: I am a selfish and greedy human being who cannot live without-

  • the dopamine rush I get from being involved and helping out.
  • the warmth of the friendships I’ve made in the community.
  • The fun of speaking! I’m a natural ham.

NILE FLORES: How many WordCamps have you been to, and what was your best 1 or 2 experiences that you had when attending WordCamp?

MARY BAUM: I believe this Camp makes 20!

My all-time best experience as an attendee wasn’t at a WordCamp but was certainly the result of being at all of them: the Saturday outing, and then dinner-plus-beer (Diet Coke for me) at Pressnomics last March.

 

NILE FLORES: What is your number 1 tip for WordPress users?

MARY BAUM: Update. Update. Update. (Also, go to Meetups.)

NILE FLORES: What is your favorite feature in WordPress?

MARY BAUM: The community!

NILE FLORES: What are your 3 most favorite WordPress plugins?

MARY BAUM: What the File, Regenerate Thumbnails, and Jetpack.

NILE FLORES: What is your favorite WordPress theme?

MARY BAUM: I’m a Genesis person, so any answer I give, will be a Genesis child theme. Of the StudioPress themes, Parallax Pro and Altitude Pro.

If you’d like to meet Mary and hear her talk, get your ticket today, and then come on out to Washington University, on March 18, 2017!