Getting to Know Dale
Dale is a jack of all trades who loves learning new things. He’s a full-time, self-taught freelance writer, marketer, and web developer.
He graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering in 2008. It quickly became apparent that a typical job wasn’t for him. Since then, he played both poker and soccer at the semi-professional level, before moving onto freelance writing and other online projects.
Dale began writing mostly about nutrition, before really finding his niche as a marketing and technology writer. He’s written posts on top marketing blogs like Crazy Egg, Ahrefs, and Mirasee, as well as ghost-written for marketing bloggers who get hundreds of thousands of page views a month.
Our Interview with Dale
Here is our interview with Dale about his life.
I got a little taste of programming in one of my engineering courses, and it was the most engaged I was with any course throughout my degree. I learned a bit of Python here and there, while also creating personal websites with WordPress. Eventually, my interest grew, and I dove into learning Flask, Django, and then later on Javascript (along with frameworks like React).
Windows, Mac, or GNU/Linux?
I grew up with Windows and only Windows. Naturally, when I started with web development, I tried to do it using Windows. It made everything harder than it should’ve been, and now I do all my web development on Linux.
Do you own any websites?
Currently I own a few. I built Keyworddit, which is the only keyword tool that sources keyword suggestions from Reddit. I felt it was a novel way to build a list of diverse seed keywords when beginning a new project.
I also own Vegan Protein Lab, where I’ve been able to combine my web development skills with personal interest to create some neat tools (recipe database, amino acid comparison tool, data-driven product reviews).
What hosting companies have you used?
I’ve used just about all the main hosting companies at one time or another. I started out with basic niche sites hosted on Bluehost and HostGator near the end of university. Over time, I’ve hosted projects on GreenGeeks, LiquidWeb, SiteGround, and more.
Favorite code/text/HTML editor?
Atom is my go-to code editor. It’s beautiful, smooth, and has all the features I need for web development. I also like Visual Studio, but only use it for larger files where Atom has the tendency to slow down.
When you aren’t sitting in front of a computer, what are you doing?
I play semi-professional soccer in the Toronto area, which takes up a lot of time during the summer. Otherwise, I’m playing with my cats Sterling and Simba, working out, or cooking for the most part.
What do you like to watch on TV?
My favorite shows of all time are The Office and Psych. Currently, I’m really enjoying the series of Marvel shows on Netflix (Luke Cage, Daredevil, etc).
Who do you use for hosting?
Most of my sites are built from scratch, so I either deploy a Digital Ocean server or use Heroku. When I have a project that needs a typical host, I go with Liquid Web for sites that need high performance, or SiteGround for a more affordable option.
What do you love about freelance writing?
I love trying to create the perfect result for someone looking for help on a specific issue. How many times have you Googled something you needed an answer to and were frustrated by the results? When I’m writing, I imagine the type of people that could land on my post, and find satisfaction hoping that my writing made their lives a little easier.
Selected WhoIsHostingThis Writing
Dale has written quite a lot for WhoIsHostingThis.com and our sister sites. Here are a small selection of his writing here:
Elsewhere on the Web
Dale can be found elsewhere on the web:
Learn more about the WhoIsHostingThis authors and editors here.
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