Getting to Know Toni
Toni has been a webmaster since the 1990s and contributor to WhoIsHostingThis for over a decade.
A lifelong proper nerd, Toni grew up near Detroit, Michigan. Now, she’s a keen hiker and outdoor explorer now based on Vancouver Island, BC Canada.
Toni traveled after high school, settled on Vancouver Island (Canada), and raised three children. She published a variety of websites through the 00s and earned a full time living online since her beginnings as a freelance graphic designer.
Now she works in management and consulting for web-based businesses, and likes that her children are now mostly adults.
Outside of work, Toni studies mushrooms and plants and forages for both. She has many other hobbies and interests, but the thing she is most passionate about is juggling.
Our Interview with Toni
We asked Toni about her life and work.
How did you get into web development?
As a teenager, I created websites for my grandmother who thought the internet was “pretty neato.” She was a CB Radio enthusiast and the internet was a natural progression for her love of communication.
I also created manuals for her on things like “How to send an email with hotmail” and “How to use ICQ to chat with strangers”. I later re-used the idea of creating step-by-step tutorials in websites and blogs I created.
What was your first computer?
My dad bought them in bulk in the early 90s for less than $30 /piece. (he used them as keyboards which were more expensive than $30 at that time!)
How did you learn web development?
Self-taught. My first website was on Geocities (RIP) in the 90s. My grandma thought it was cool.
When I was doing freelance graphic design, I created a portfolio website and got hooked.
I also spent a lot of time on SitePoint forums in the early 00s and learned the basics there. As a SitePoint mentor, it also gave me a very solid group of smart entrepreneurs to partner & learn with.
Star Trek or Star Wars?
Star Trek.
What are your favorite books?
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
and
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms.
What hosting companies have you used?
There’s been dozens. I have the most experience with: Knownhost, Dreamhost, Bluehost, Namecheap, GoDaddy, HostGator, Linode, and AWS.
I currently have a handful of websites, and am a customer of BlueHost and Namecheap.
Elsewhere on the Web
Toni can be found elsewhere on the web:
Learn more about the WhoIsHostingThis authors and editors here.
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