Sunita Rai is a WordPress lover, digital marketing, SEO, and blogging enthusiast. She writes articles on different websites and loves media marketing. She writes for several websites like MonsterInsights, IsItWP, and more. It’s been around 4 years since she started her WordPress journey.
She was in the panel discussion at WCBRT2018 and discussed on the topic “Girls in WordPress”. We also got the opportunity to interview her. Here’s what she has to say:
An Exclusive Interview with Sunita Rai
Tell us something about yourself.
I’m a WordPress enthusiast who loves it, works on it, and wants to help beginners become successful in it. From the day I discovered this platform, I’ve been writing on and about it. I’ve worked with Nepal’s renowned WordPress companies Access Keys and ThemeGrill. I’m currently writing for the most user-friendly Google Analytics WordPress plugin, MonsterInsights and the largest free WordPress resource website, WPBeginner.
Tell us about your city and WordPress Community over there.
I’m currently based in Kathmandu which has the largest WordPress community in Nepal. I believe WordPress Kathmandu is a very active and strong community of WordPress professionals who are committed to making more contribution back to the community. The community here has provided me with a lot of support as well as inspiration.
How and when did you start your journey with WordPress?
I learned about WordPress from my uncle and aunt and started my first free blog in 2015. The same year, I joined Access Keys as a content writer and that’s how I started my career officially in WordPress.
Any challenges you faced during your initial phase in WordPress? If so, how did you overcome them?
Yes, there were. I had taken the WordPress content writing job but I wasn’t well experienced with WordPress. Initially, I was learning rather than doing my job. It was ‘learn and write’ phase for me.
I used to spend a lot of my work time to do research, test, and understand. However, my self-research wasn’t always enough to understand things. So, I used to ask anything to the senior developers in the team, and our employer, the CEO of Access Keys also guided me a lot.
Yet, the process of learning hasn’t come to an end and will never end. I used to consult a lot to my employers and colleagues at ThemeGrill as well. And, it’s still the same with my present workplace, Awesome Motive. I’m learning each and every day.
Were you excited about your talk in WordCamp Biratnagar? What was your talk about?
Yes! I wanted to meet WordPress enthusiasts just like me in Biratnagar. The excitement doubled after actually seeing the crowd, the young people with a lot of energy and enthusiasm really moved me. Our talk was a panel discussion on ‘Girls in WordPress – Story and Experiences’.
What do you hope attendees will take away from your talk?
I think the attendees could take ‘hope’ from our talk. We shared our experiences working with WordPress and how it has empowered us in life. We also discussed what career opportunities are there in WordPress for fresh graduates.
What do you think about the WordPress community in Nepal?
The WordPress community here is awesome. It’s growing both in numbers and its contribution. Newer communities are being formed in different cities, regular meetups, and events like WordCamps are being organized. We’re moving ahead!
Talking about WordCamps, what fascinates you the most about WordCamps?
The most fascinating aspect of WordCamps is the platform they provide to meet and greet the WordPress people in real. We often communicate via online however we miss out something in those communications. WordCamps give us the chance to communicate in the real sense. Besides, I love the food we get in WordCamps.
How do you think WordCamp Biratnagar 2018 is different from any other WordCamps you’ve been to?
I think it’s different from other WordCamps from only one aspect, the massive participation of the young IT students. The other WordCamps I’ve been to had professionals mostly, but most of the participants in Biratnagar are newbies. That’s because WordPress community is just starting out in Biratnagar and there aren’t many WordPress companies like in Kathmandu or elsewhere.
How have you been contributing to the WordPress community?
As a writer, the best way I can contribute to the community is by writing articles which are actually useful. And, I’ve been doing that since the beginning. Besides, I’ve talked at WordCamp Kathmandu 2016 on ‘SEO Copywriting’, and shared my experiences at WordCamp Biratnagar to inspire beginners.
What advice would you give to new WordPress users who’re only joining the WordPress community?
First, I heartily welcome them and congratulate them on choosing the right platform. Then, I would suggest them to reach out to people for any help they need because I believe our community is very supportive.
What do you think about the female participation in WordPress?
If you look at the numbers, it’s very low compared to male participation but I see a lot of hope ahead of us.
WordPress gives a truly woman-friendly job opportunity because you can write a blog, design a webpage, or write code right from your living room when you’re not able to travel due to period cramps. If your family isn’t supporting you to work outside in the late hours, then, you can work right from your home.
Yet, you’ll need the support of your employers and your family. If you’re sincere to your work, your employers will definitely support you. My employers have always supported me.
For more creative people, it’s liberating that you can start your own business easily with WordPress. You don’t need muscles to start your business. You can become successful just being who you are, a female.
What is your go-to source for anything and everything WordPress?
There’re many, however, the most useful one is WPBeginner. I took a lot of help from this resource website when I was starting out. I used to take a lot of writing inspiration from it. Nowadays I write for it but I learn more than that.
The other websites I take inspiration from are AccessPress Themes, ThemeGrill, CodeinWP, DevotePress, Backlinko, and more.
Besides WordPressing, what do you do for fun?
I read, watch movies, and travel. I’m a great food lover, so I sometimes cook watching food recipes on YouTube.
And lastly, Gutenberg editor was released with WordPress 5.0 as the default editor. Do you have any thoughts to share?
Gutenberg editor seems really interesting that you can create content in WordPress a lot easier than before. The Gutenberg blocks make it really easy to create a media-rich and visually impressive pages in WordPress. For me, it’s indeed a great innovation.
Want to know more about Sunita Rai? Find her on Facebook or Twitter.