Interview with Shanta Nathwani

Interview, Speakers

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Shanta will be presenting WordPress 101 on Friday in the Foundation Friday 101 track

Shanta R. Nathwani is an IT and Social Media Consultant and an Instructor in Web Design and CCIT Capstone at Sheridan College, which includes teaching WordPress. The ICCIT program is a joint program with the University of Toronto at Mississauga.

She teaches students and small businesses how to use their websites and social media to increase their online presence leading to increased revenues and improved customer service. She has assisted companies to incorporate social media in the real estate, financial, non-profit, education and technical fields to name a few.

Shanta is a problem solver and it has been said she has the patience of a saint. She can explain even the most difficult concepts to the most basic user and has developed training documents that allow clients to learn for themselves. She thrives on understanding the needs of her clients. She believes in making social media as simple as possible and making it fun, which allows her clients to seamlessly incorporate it into their organization.

Interview:

Why do you use WordPress?
WordPress is extremely easy to use, but can also be as complex as we need it to be. It truly levels the playing field and empowers people to take charge of their own online presence.

What would you say to convince someone to attend a WordCamp?
If you ever want to get into WordPress, this is the cheapest and most fun way to do it. Think of the wealth of knowledge that you have around you!

What is your favorite WordPress project you have worked on recently?
My own WordPress blog, Shanta.ca. It is constantly a work in progress and I love playing around with it. I also put together an alumni website for my high school, malverncollegiate.com. I use it regularly as a case study for small businesses and non-profit organizations.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to start or grow a WordPress based business?
Ask a lot of questions! there is a lot of information on WordPress out there.

The beauty about WordPress is that it is not a one size fits all, out-of-the-box solution. Everyone can use it, but you have to take the time and make it your own.

Lastly, make sure that you give back to the community. Attend Meetup’s and WordCamps as much as possible. Continue to grow your knowledge!

What is your favorite WordPress-related resource?
There are two plug-ins that I would install for any of my clients: WordFence and Backup Buddy.

WordFence helps protect against things like viruses and attacks on a WordPress site. It is the security plug-in. Backup Buddy does backups of your site automatically and it is also used as a migration tool.

Both are extremely easy to use and I teach my clients how to use them.

Tell us something awesome about yourself that is not WordPress related
I’ve always been a teacher. The first thing I remember teaching was a module on India in my sixth grade class. After that I taught origami at Parks and Recreation at the age of 17. I’ve taught technology and even martial arts, which I’ve been doing for about 12 years.