Pressing Words: The Evolution of WordPress and How It Can Help Your Website


In 2003 two young developers took over an abandoned open source blogging platform, calling it “WordPress.” WordPress has evolved significantly over the past decade, transitioning from a blogging tool into a content management system and now into an application framework. The platform has gained so much popularity that it now powers over 20% of all websites globally.

So why is WordPress so useful? In this presentation Ross Johnson will quickly go over the history of WordPress and explain how the features and community around WordPress can be used to improve your website.

Ross’s extensive experience in creative design, web development and internet marketing has placed him at the core of the Ann Arbor business community. He is a classically trained designer turned web guru. Ross built his first website in 1995; he has been captivated ever since. He brings clear thinking, a holistic understanding of the web, and a good sense of humor to every project.

Ross Johnson founded successful 3.7 Designs in 2004. 3.7 DESIGNS is a web design and web strategy company. 3.7 DESIGNS focuses in not only the design of interactive web sites, but also the marketing of them, including search engine optimization, search engine marketing, social media, pay per click, etc.

Johnson has designed for a wide range of clientele and situations ranging from small start-ups, municipalities, schools and multinational corporations. Additionally he maintains several popular design and web related blogs.