Bio

Marc Benzakein has been working online since the mid 90s, starting as a Network Administrator for a small, independent ISP in Southern California and has been involved in almost all aspects of technology. In 2009, he started developing in WordPress, first for his own purposes and then for clients. In early 2013, he got involved with ServerPress, LLC, makers of DesktopServer, a local development tool created for WordPress designers and developers.

Marc lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife, Jessica and two children, Eli (8) and Brenna (4).

About the presentation

I’ve now been to about 20 WordCamps and discovered that they all have the same problems. Newbies seem kind of lost and by the end of the day they seem to feel like their head is going to explode. My talk will cover how to get the most out of a WordCamp and how to start giving back to the Community immediately.

Why did you decide to speak?

WordPress has been good to ServerPress, LLC. IMO in order to make a community work, you have to be willing to give back. Speaking at WordCamps is just one of many ways to give back.

What attracted you to WordPress in the first place?

First site I did was using an affiliate plugin. Discovered how easy WordPress was to install and I was hooked.

What are you most looking forward to at WordCamp Toronto?

Free healthcare!

Seriously, looking forward to seeing people I know and meeting many I don’t as well as imparting any information I might have to make others’ lives easier.

What is your favourite plugin or theme, and why?

DesktopServer, of course!

Other than that, I’m a fan of Gravity Forms. But then again, who isn’t?