Dee Teal is an Australia-based Genesis WordPress web developer and WordPress enthusiast. She has been working with WordPress since 2009 and is now working as a Project Manager for web development projects. She is a respected member of the WordPress community with a reputation of being a great friend and mentor.
In her interview with Cloudways, she shared her views on WordPress, personal life, achievements and mentoring beginners.
Cloudways: Hello Dee, Please tell our readers a bit about yourself. What was your journey into Web Development?
Dee: I actually went from being a Personal Assistant for a Musical Director at a large church to being a web developer. Basically, I started when the Music Director began sending out HTML newsletters. I learned to code with those and went from there. When he left his role, I moved from the Music Department to the IT department and took over maintenance of all the church’s websites (it was a large organisation) and spent 4 years honing my craft there. I started doing websites ‘on the side’ for friends as a freelancer during that time and undertook my Masters Degree once I’d finished working full time. My freelance business supported those study efforts.
Cloudways: I learned that you’ve completed your Masters in Digital Communication and Culture from University of Sydney. May I ask the reason behind pursuing a career in web development?
Dee: I’ve been fascinated with all things internet since I started building websites so that degree was useful in understanding a lot of the why and how of networks and the Internet, rather than the actual technical skill. The technology is always changing, but the theory and sociology behind the web, in that it’s by and for facilitating human (and machine) communication is a lot more timeless and interesting. So my studies weren’t terribly practical in terms of how to develop code. But, I love the fact that coding is a constant learning curve, and a perpetual exercise in finding elegant solutions for problems. So using my relentless curiosity to keep building great things informed by a knowledge of how best to communicate the message is what has been an ongoing inspiration in my work.
Cloudways: When did you first learn about WordPress? If there was no WordPress, what will be your alternative option?
Dee: I get asked this question a lot and I can never remember, so I did a search on my old blog to see if I mentioned it… sure enough, September 2009 when version 2.8 was out. I had moved my blog from a custom CMS the community I blogged with had build, to Movable Type and loved that, but WordPress came to my attention and I was captivated by the plugins and themes for it, so started exploring further before finally moving my own blog from MT to WordPress and starting to use it for client work. I think I only did one client project on Movable Type (moving on from doing static sites) before they changed their license to a commercial one. From then on, it was WordPress all the way.
As for alternatives? I don’t know, something Open Source, easy to use, and well maintained.
Cloudways: How long have you been working as a freelancer? What do you think is more feasible? A routine job or freelancing?
Dee: I’ve been freelancing full time since 2009, so nearly 8 years. I wasn’t planning to freelance while I studied but my financial circumstances didn’t quite work out like I expected, so I had to. It ended up being perfect as it gave me the flexibility to do both work and study. It was hard, I was basically working full time and studying full time, but I did at least succeed at both, thankfully!
I think it’s impossible to say if one is more feasible than the other as it’s going to depend very much on the individual as to what suits them best. I don’t mind the adrenaline of the uncertainty, I have a fair amount of confidence in my abilities to achieve the goals my clients and I set so I’ve been successful. I love the flexibility (I’ve just come home from 6 weeks of travel, it would be hard to convince most employers I need that much time off). So it works for me, but I understand that not everyone feels that way!
Cloudways: Dee, besides web development, what other interests do you have in this field? I heard that you’re a WordPress trainer as well. Would you care to advise and educate some of our newbie WordPress learners?
Dee: I train in WordPress, because while it has a reputation as being ‘easy’ for clients, actually that’s not always the case. It can be overwhelming for someone coming to it new. So I do what I can to demystify the process for beginners. I think that’s an important part of handing over a site is also handing over the power to use it. Unless of course the client doesn’t want that and wants me to look after it.
I’ve always loved the sharing aspect of the WordPress and open source communities so learning tricks and writing cool code to solve problems has always been fun to do, and the Web Princess blog has been a great way of sharing that. Other than that, I’m very interested in hanging out with other WordPress users and developers.
Cloudways: You’ve a vast experience in WordPress Theme Development. Can you enlighten us about one the most profound project that you have worked on by far?
Dee: How do you define a profound project? I guess one of the ones I’m most proud of is http://cyc.org.au . It’s a multisite, with a single Genesis child theme driving all the different child site styles. It was a big project that I worked on while I spent 3 months traveling around the US, so it’s got some great memories attached to it!
Cloudways: WordPress has not been well known for its speed and security, highlight your opinion. Has this been reduced with the release of its newest version? Which feature do you like the most in WordPress 4.5?
Dee: This is a technical question that I’m not really qualified to answer. Has speed and security reduced? I hadn’t heard anything to that effect and I know the core team are vigilant about these things so if it had, I’d be surprised! None of the changes in 4.5 have affected my workflow too much so I haven’t paid close attention, but realistically as I’m doing more Project Management than code these days, I haven’t needed to stay really close to core changes.
Cloudways: WordPress 4.6 is on its way. What would you love to see within the latest version?
Dee: I always want to see WordPress improve for the user, and I think a lot of the direction the development team have been taking in that direction is going a long way towards that. So continued improvements in that area are what I’m looking for!
Cloudways: You’re the owner of “TheWebPrincess”. What inspired you to start your own business? Can you please tell our readers about your agency and your responsibilities there?
Dee: I started the business in my free time initially to supplement my income and to answer the demand for web services that was growing within my circle for friends. I kept doing it because it was fun, and I love the flexibility of working for myself. And because it paid the bills while I was a student!
In the business, I’m responsible for everything except the bookkeeping. I get in new business, manage maintenance clients, develop under contract to other providers as well as for my own clients.
More and more these days, I’m doing project management and leading teams of developers under contract to other agencies and I’m really enjoying learning and extending myself in this new direction.
Cloudways: We’ve observed that you’re quite engaged in organizing WordPress events. WordCamp Sydney 2012 and Melbourne 2013 are a couple of examples. What did you learn from organizing such events? How these meetups became beneficial for you as well as the WordPress Community?
Dee: I love the WordPress community, I love seeing it grow, I love seeing people connect to the project in all sorts of unexpected ways, and I love creating spaces where people can find that connection. I’ve learned that to get the best events, you need to make what the community needs, not what you want. So it’s important to be in touch with where your community is at and serve that.
As for how they’ve benefited me? I’ve made some of my best friends in this community, I’ve traveled the world and had the chance to hang out and help make WordPress the great product it is through those connections. Participation in those events has boosted my profile and helped me get new work, but at the end of the day it’s seeing the community strengthen and grown that is the best payoff.
Cloudways: WordPress community is rapidly growing all over Australia and you’ve played a vital role in it, specifically for women. Where do you see Australia within the WordPress community?
Dee: Australia is where it always is, tucked away south of the equator, seeing each new day before anyone except our siblings in New Zealand. We have a great number of strong contributors to WordPress core here, and a significant number of people working in prominent WordPress businesses, among them Automattic, Human Made and XWP.
Going forward, I think there’s a lot of scope for our meetups and WordCamps to help skill up our developers so there are more at a level who are ready to contribute at a higher level and I’m keen for our meetups and WordCamps to facilitate that with workshops and contributor days. I’m also keen for more and more people in web development who are using WordPress who may not have heard about the community to come on board.
Cloudways: Dee, you’re a web developer, WordPress trainer, theme developer, blogger and a consistent contributor of the WordPress community. What are your lifehacks to manage all of it at the same time?
Dee:
- Tracking my time, so I can see where all the hours are going.
- Getting out of the house for a walk once a day (and Pokemon Go has helped with that discipline enormously!).
- Closing the laptop and the office door at the end of the day.
- Being transparent with clients and people I’m responsible to when there really aren’t enough hours to complete all the things I need to achieve. There’s always tomorrow and most of the time people are understanding if you keep them in the loop.
Cloudways: Sometimes, a break from your routine is the very thing you need 🙂 What do you do during your free time?
Dee: I walk, there’s a lovely circuit in my neighborhood that is nice to pass the time in. I love coffee and Melbourne’s cafes are the best. I have a couple of cafes and restaurants that I love to work from to get out of my normal routine.
I read a lot, and when I have the opportunity I like to sing for fun.
Meet 25+ WordPress Stars and Read Their Success Stories.
Cloudways interviewed these people to help you succeed in the WordPress world too.
Thank You
Your Magazine is on its Way to Your Inbox.
Cloudways: Dee, finding the best Australian WordPress hosting has always been a difficult task. How will you compare a Managed WordPress Cloud hosting equipped with advanced caching technologies such as Cloudways with traditional hosting?
Dee: Hosting is always a tricky one, you want the best value and the best performance for your clients, that’s scalable and stable and fast. So if managed WordPress hosting, or a cloud solution can deliver on those promises they’re worth a look!
Cloudways: Just to humor our readers, can you please send us an image how does your desk or work-space look like? 🙂
Oh, your timing is terrible, it’s in a dreadful state… but… it usually is, never do seem able to keep it neat and orderly…
Mustaasam Saleem
Mustaasam is the WordPress Community Manager at Cloudways. Where he actively works and loves sharing his knowledge with the WordPress Community. When he is not working, you can find him playing squash with his friends, or defending in Football, and listening to music.
