Next up on the Speaker Interview series is cat lover, John Richards II.

John lives in St. Louis, and is a developer from Washington University. You can find out more about John in his speaker bio. He’ll be presenting on WordPress Rest API.

NILE FLORES: What got you interested in WordPress?

JOHN RICHARDS II: The speed at which a new site can be started and the incredible community available around it.

NILE FLORES: What is the most interesting WordPress-related project you’ve worked on?

JOHN RICHARDS II: I recently had the chance to work on publichealth.wustl.edu where I had the chance to try some new technologies I hadn’t had a chance to use before, like the Jetpack Infinite Scroll.

NILE FLORES: Name 3 WordPress plugins that have always been on your MUST install list, and why.

JOHN RICHARDS II: I don’t have any consistent plugin that I have always used though Advanced Custom Fields is probably the closest. Currently my first plugin install is the JSON REST API until it gets pulled into core.

NILE FLORES: What is something interesting about you that the WordPress community doesn’t know?

JOHN RICHARDS II: I love playing board games and have helped develop a way to play some of them online.

NILE FLORES: In regards to new WordPress users, what one or two pieces of advice would you give them that could be very helpful?

JOHN RICHARDS II: First, don’t be afraid to jump in, the best way to learn is to dive in and start working on a project. Second start going to a WordPress Meetup or make friends who use WordPress, being able to bounce ideas around is a great way to learn new ideas.

Please don’t hesitate to leave comments below or ask him questions at WordCamp St. Louis. 🙂