{"id":9812,"date":"2017-10-30T13:49:24","date_gmt":"2017-10-30T11:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/?p=9812"},"modified":"2022-02-09T20:19:35","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T18:19:35","slug":"petya-raykovska-jenny-beaumont-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/petya-raykovska-jenny-beaumont-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Mirror Interview – Petya Raykovska & Jenny Beaumont – On WordPress and WordCamps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey friends, it’s time for another chat with some interesting WordPress people! But here’s the twist, today’s is a double interview, or a “mirror interview”! Yes, you’re getting two for the price of one.<\/p>\n

This formula came to our minds some time ago but it is only now that we managed to get it done. It means that, for every single question, you’re going to get two answers from our gracious interviewees. So, don’t miss Petya Raykovska and Jenny Beaumont talking about their contributions to the WordPress community, their projects, non-WordPress activities, and other fun stuff<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But before we dive into this double-dose interview, make sure to check out our previous talk with\u00a0Brad Touesnard<\/a>, the founder of Delicious Brains.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Petya<\/a> and Jenny<\/a> have many things in common: they work as project managers at Human Made,<\/a>\u00a0get involved in local and major WordCamps, and have both left a big mark on the way the overall WordPress community has grown lately. <\/p>\n

If you’re a regular attendee at WordCamp Europe, there’s a high chance you’ve already met at least one of them!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\"Petya
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Petya Raykovska<\/em><\/center><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Jenny
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Jenny Beaumont<\/em><\/center><\/div><\/div>\n
Jenny and Petya both have plenty of technical knowledge, but their communication skills, love for socializing with others, and passion for what they do moved them towards the humanized<\/em> side of WordPress. <\/p>\n

They are part of the reason why the WordPress community is now so solid, welcoming and friendly. They started by improving the small groups in their hometowns and continued their work up to the European and international level in subsequent years – culminating with their roles as leaders of the WordCamp Europe organizing teams<\/strong>.<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

But let’s hear it from the girls in person!<\/p>\n\n\t\t

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\n\t\t \t\t@petyeah and @jennybeaumont #interviewed at Themeisle | #WordPress<\/a>\n\t\t \t<\/div>\n\t\t \t
\n\t\t \tClick To Tweet \n\t\t \t\t<\/span>\n\t\t \t<\/a>\n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n

Petya Raykovska and Jenny Beaumont interview<\/h2>\n

When and how did you start working with WordPress? Is there an interesting story here?<\/h4>\n
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\"Jenny<\/p>\n

Jenny<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

I began building websites before the advent of CMSs, and saw them slowly emerge as the solution to two recurring problems. On the one hand, clients were increasingly wanting control over their content, and on the other, we were looking for ways to avoid reinventing the wheel at every turn. <\/p>\n

For me, it was the technical overhead of my first e-commerce projects that lead me to test these platforms, giving me access to technology that I couldn’t master on my own, offering me a rich learning experience and an affordable product to clients.<\/p>\n

As time went on and new software came out, I would poke at them to find their strengths and limits, adapting my choices for each project. I first heard about WordPress in 2006, and started playing with it in 2007, but found it lacking the sophistication I needed. I favored Dotclear, a popular CMS in France at the time, until the version 3.0 of WordPress and the introduction of menus, which drew me back in. By 2011 I was working with WordPress exclusively.<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Petya<\/p>\n

Petya<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

In 2011, I left a job in publishing that I really loved to start a small web agency in Sofia, Bulgaria with a couple of friends. We decided we’re going to try building websites with open source software and that’s how we started working with WordPress. <\/p>\n

For me, it was the best of all the CMSs we tried. Then I fell in love with someone who was heavily involved with contributing to WordPress and the community and they introduced me to the Polyglots team. Once I started contributing, WordPress became a big part of my life, because of people.<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What does a project manager at Human Made do on a daily basis?<\/h4>\n
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\"Jenny<\/p>\n

Jenny<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

My favorite answer to this question is still, “I have no idea.” (And my husband thinks I’m crazy for saying so.) <\/p>\n

What I’m learning since joining the company back in March is that there doesn’t seem to be a “typical” experience. All of the projects are different, each of us bringing our personal style of management to the table, and each of us participating in the WordPress project in various ways and to varying degrees. <\/p>\n

My days are divided between project work (communicating with the project team, both internally and client-side, doing my part to ensure that the project is delivered on time, within budget and with our standard of quality), agency work (internal meetings, resourcing, reporting, internal projects) and community contribution (I’m primarily focused on organizing WordCamp Europe at the moment, but have other aspirations). <\/p>\n

I also make sure to carve out a little time every day for personal\/professional development: staying on top of industry news, networking, etc.<\/p>\n

Every day is a little different, just the way I like it.<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Petya<\/p>\n

Petya<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

So I’m a project manager that’s also an event organiser, a community builder and a publicity and marketing expert. So I don’t have a daily routine. PMs take care of everything a client project needs – from the communication to making sure developers are happy, have everything they need, to documentation, financials, keeping up with project timeframes, resourcing, research about the best solutions to a specific client projects and sending developers lollipop bouquets \ud83d\ude1b (That’s Jenny B for you). <\/p>\n

But then I’m also involved with organising several WordCamps, so there are meetings, logistics, etc there as well. And I do have my Polyglots weekly activities – support, chat, talking to people, translating WordPress, working with devs to build features for translators, organising global contributor days, going to conferences and talking about important contributing work. So no single day is like the other.<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What’s your technique for staying productive throughout the day?<\/h4>\n
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\"Jenny<\/p>\n

Jenny<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

As I’ve gotten older (if not wiser), routine, which I’d often railed against in my youth, has become my best friend. Good habits start first thing in the morning and set the tone for the day:<\/p>\n