Carlos MR, a WordPress web developer is with us today for an exclusive interview so without further ado, let’s hear it from the man himself.
WPJuicer: What is your background, & how did you first get involved with WordPress?
Carlos: I was born in Seville, Spain and since I was little I always had a great passion for video games, which led me to study a higher degree in computer science without knowing exactly where to go.
My first contact with WordPress was at the age of 15 with my first blog, but it was not until I was 20 during my job practices that I realized the opportunity to undertake that is offered to anyone who wanted to gain a foothold in the digital landscape.
Ironically, in my first job I was faced with the dilemma of whether I wanted to be a worker and have things easy or wanted to get out of the established path, I decided to undertake. For 2 years I worked while progressing at the same time with my startup until I quit my job and started to be a freelance web developer.
WPJuicer: What should readers know about all the stuff you’re doing in WordPress these days?
Carlos: I am currently working on different projects of my own related to WordPress, trying to participate as much as possible in WordPress events here in Spain and contributing to the community by creating plugins in the repository.
Some of my most important projects for me outside of my personal brand are:
PluginLovers: a free weekly newsletter where I recommend 5 WordPress plugins that we may not know and that will soon have an English version for the international community, although right now it’s only in Spanish:
AdoptaUnTheme: the first themeshop based on a crowdfunding model that is in the process of launching and perhaps in the future will internationalize.
These are some of the plugins that I have created in the repository:
WPJuicer: You are a WordPress web developer at CARLOSMR, can you please tell our readers what CARLOSMR is all about? And what are your responsibilities there?
Carlos: CarlosMR is my personal brand where I offer web development services, it is my way of earning a living as an entrepreneur. I am solely responsible, although I collaborate with various professionals in the design world to carry out more complex projects.
I would say that offering your services as a professional is the ideal start for any entrepreneur since it will give you the income you need as a basis to launch your own more scalable projects like the ones I mentioned above.
WPJuicer: Could you please describe your typical workday? Are there any other projects that you are proud of? Can you share some of the most complicated or most interesting projects that you have worked on recently?
Carlos: Normally my work routine could be summarized in 3 phases. The first phase consists of the evaluation of the day in which I review all the entries of new messages and tasks urgently to organize the daily work.
In the second phase I carry out the work I had planned for the whole day in 2 sections of 3 hours each.
The third phase ends with a general review of all the daily work and a brief summary of the tasks for the following day.
This way you always know what you have to do when you start working every day.
I would say my best projects are yet to come and it should always be this way so that your projects and your entrepreneurship will always be a progressive growth, although if I had to stay with a project it would be AadoptaUNTheme which although right now is in its early stages facing the public in the shade has put me at the crossroads of developing my first theme to sell to the public.
WPJuicer: What are your perspectives on the future of WordPress? Do you think that the WordPress market will keep on growing? What is that one feature that you would love to see in WordPress?
Carlos: I honestly could not say what the future of WordPress would be in 20 years, but I am completely sure that WordPress will stay afloat since its strength lies not only in the software itself but in the mentality of sharing knowledge and content among the community. If you go to a WordPress event you will realize that it has nothing to do with other communities, here everyone is willing to answer your questions, share knowledge and even help you without looking for anything in return.
Currently WordPress is still in a transition to the world of blocks and Gutenberg, I think this change could be a very positive thing to break that barrier of difficulty for the most beginners and allow them a higher level of customization on their web pages without the need for know code.
I really think that WordPress as it is is already quite complete, I do not miss anything in particular and what is not almost always can be done with some free plugin but if I could ask them to add something it would be to improve the management of the media (images, videos …) from the panel to give more options to users.
WPJuicer: From WordPress 4.0 to WordPress 5.4, how do you think Automattic has worked on security flaws? What are your 5 best recommendations to WordPress website owners to strengthen their security?
Carlos: I am completely convinced that the WordPress team is working very hard to find and fix the various vulnerabilities that the system could have.
Today we can say that WordPress is safe as long as it is updated and a series of basic computer security points are met.
Really, with a couple of very simple plugins and keeping your website updated (kernel, plugins and themes) you can avoid more than 90% of attacks, for my taste the plugins Limit Login Attempts Reloaded and Rename wp-login.php They are two clear examples of how to strengthen our WordPress without the need for large and complex plugins and if we also add the double factor of authentication with Two-Factor, it is quite difficult to get hacked.
I also want to remember the use of strong passwords, using user names that do not match “admin” or the name of the web, not installing plugins from unofficial sites and looking for a hosting with good security are bases in this aspect of security. Web.
WPJuicer: Within the WordPress Community, who do you consider among your best friends?
Carlos: I would say that among the large number of people you meet in the WordPress community with whom I have gotten along best is with Baptiste Pons, a design genius and an excellent person, David Perálvarez, a WordPress developer from whom I learned much of what I know today thanks to his online academy and Juanma Aranda, trainer and collaborator in the WordPress community that has always been there and is a great person of confidence for me.
WPJuicer: What do you look for in a managed WordPress host?
Carlos: It is a very interesting question. Usually I take into account 3 aspects. The first are the general characteristics such as PHP version (which must be the latest stable), Free SSL Certificate, SSD hard drive, including emails.
The second aspect is the limitations, how much space does it allow, how many websites can I host, what power does it have.
The third is for me the most important, the technical assistance, the time it takes to respond and the ability of that support to solve complex issues on your website.
If these 3 aspects are well covered, we could say that it is a good hosting. I always recommend trying several for 1 month each, testing the service and when we have the best for our projects we will no longer have to get dizzy.
The most typical mistake is not to try and then get involved in complex migrations in the future.
WPJuicer: Who should we interview next, and why?
Carlos: If I had to choose a person to be interviewed, I would say that I am sure that Pablo Moratinos would have a lot to add. He is a great contributor to the WordPress community and an excellent web analytics professional.
WPJuicer: Besides work, everyone wants to feel a bit relaxed from time to time. What do you do during your free time? (Can we have a pics)
Carlos: During my free time I love to watch movies and series, play video games and recently I have discovered that I love Scape Rooms but there is certainly nothing better than going back to Seville, my hometown to see my family every few months.
I am lucky enough to be able to run away from time to time to pay them a visit and spend a few days. It is the great advantage of being able to work remotely, something that these days is a treasure for many entrepreneurs.
My girlfriend and I on the bridge of Triana, Seville during a visit to see the family
WPJuicer: Any other thoughts or things you wish to mention?
Carlos: Well mainly thank you to WPJuicer for giving me the opportunity to answer this interview and I would like to use this section to send a message of encouragement.
When I started, some said that I would not get anything and that in a few months I would be looking for a job like everyone else.
Today I couldn’t be happier to have started. There is a phrase that corresponds perfectly with this and it is:
“Do it, and if you are afraid, do it with fear.”
