SHORT BIO
I’m Juan Hernando, a web developer and Weglot-sponsored Community Contributor to the global WordPress.org project.
The more web pages I created, the more I realised how WordPress can help others. That’s why I started sharing my knowledge by giving talks in meetups and WordCamps, organising our local WordPress community and WordCamp Europe, and mentoring other people all around the globe.
My name’s Juan Hernando, and I’ve been around since 1983. My brother always had a computer at home in Santoña, Cantabria, Spain, and since the Macintosh LC II, I’ve been trying to do stuff with them.
A demo CD with Front Page 98 changed the way I looked at the world, and my -very patient- parents paid a lot of telephone bills, so I was able to be connected to the slower Internet you can remember.
I never finished my University studies, but I converted my hobby into my job (no, I didn’t become a pro basketball player, I mean the web development thing).
Since 2011 I have directed my own company, Vertixe, and I mainly develop customised WordPress themes for designers, studios, and their clients. I work remotely. And my primary goal is to help small and medium businesses that need to be online but need to know precisely how.
Although I love HTML & CSS, I’ve discovered the wonderful stuff you can do with WordPress. And to give back to the project a little of all it has helped me to grow professionally, I started doing my best to improve it by translating it and co-organising a local meetup and an annual WordCamp in Pontevedra, Galicia, where I live.
After years of learning, I started helping in the budget team of WordCamp Europe, mentoring other WordCamps, and finally being part of the global Community Team as a deputy. Weglot sponsors my time in this task in their effort with the Five for the Future initiative.
I also had a weekly newsletter for over six years, Enlace Permanente, for WP professionals. I’ve been a speaker at several WordCamps and meetups because I believe in sharing knowledge. I love basketball and travelling. I defend the open web, the standards, and the accessibility. I have a blog in Spanish where I mix personal and professional thoughts too!
You can find me here or in Mastodon. Drop me a line and say hi!
You can learn more about my first steps in the Spanish WordPress community in this essay in HeroPress: Becoming known in the WordPress Community.
And about Weglot and the Five for the Future initiative in their blog: Weglot, me, and Five for the Future.