Chris will be joining us for the Building a Membership Site session, which you can watch LIVE on March 29. During his presentation, he will walk us through a multitude of excellent tools, platforms and services for running membership sites. By the end, you should know precisely which setup will be best for your needs.

How and when did you get started in software?

I started working with software as a database and systems analyst in 1994. It was at Berkeley Lab and we were just starting to play with the Internet and browsers and what we could do with them.

What compels you to try so many new and different tools?

A lot of people are really good at using the tools they know. But I find the real value – for others – is when you’re aware of which tools are best of the job – which is less a function about knowing one really well, and more about knowing the differences between them, so that you can make the best decision possible.

What is one piece of advice you have for someone building a membership site?

Start simple and small. Make sure you solve non-technical issues like attrition before investing tons of money into software solutions.

You seem to have a lot of great advice. Where else can we read your opinions on membership sites and software and other things?

I write regularly at chrislema.com

What is one interesting non-WordPress-related fact about yourself?

I wrote my first software application when I was seven – copying hundreds of lines of code out of a magazine.