Justin will be joining us for the eCommerce for Site Owners session, which you can watch LIVE on April 11 and 12. Justin will be teaching us about setting up an WP e-Commerce shop, which is especially great because he is the lead developer for the project.
Where can we find you on the internet?
zao.is is our business site, @JS_Zao on Twitter. Those are the best places to hit me up 🙂
When and how did you get started with WordPress?
Started back in 2007 building a couple non-profit websites using WordPress as a CMS. Back then, WordPress was this brave, new world to me. I had zero experience with it, but I pitched it as the “Future of CMS” to the clients, and they bought it. Happily, both non-profits are still running smoothly along on WordPress 🙂 Once I got my feet wet on those projects, I never looked back.
What resources do you turn to when you want to learn something new?
It depends – I feel like I’m always in some state of learning – whether it’s with WordPress, running my business, eCommerce specifically, etc. When it comes to WordPress, I find following core development on Trac to be one of the best ways to stay fresh and always be learning something new. I also have a ton of great colleagues who are über-smart that I hit up from time to time.
What is your favorite WordPress feature/aspect?
There’s so much! I think, as a developer, one of my favorite areas in WordPress is actually the HTTP API. I’ve been using it for 5+ years and I actually still learn new things about it when I dig through it. It’s such a helpful tool, especially in eCommerce.
What is the most significant thing you’ve learned about ecommerce over the last 5 years?
That it’s hard. Really, really hard 🙂 When you’re building a platform intended for usage all around the world, it can be very tricky to ensure that you’ve built something that works in all jurisdictions, across all industries, while still being a usable piece of software. Also, taxes are just as hard in eCommerce as they are in real life 🙂
What is the one tip you would give anyone considering to add ecommerce to their site?
Don’t use PayPal. If you can, use Stripe. Hire a professional, because reasons (See #5).
What advice do you have for others looking to become WordPress experts?
Open up WordPress in your favorite IDE, get a cup of tea, and get to know it. Really spend some time in the source code. If you’ve ever wanted the magical ability to be able to tell the future, follow along in Trac! It’s a fantastic (albeit intense and at some times overwhelming) way to stay on top of where WordPress is headed.
What is one interesting non-WordPress-related fact about yourself?
One of my favorite things in the world to do is to play the piano. I’m not that great at it, but man, I REALLY enjoy it. Also, I have an incredible wife and three beautiful kids – all of whom make me varying degrees of crazy. 😀
Thanks Justin!
If you want to see Justin present on using WP e-Commerce, get your event ticket today!