Team

Ashley Shaw founded LightSpeed in 2003 as a Sole proprietorship. In the following years he changed the company from a computer and network support company to a website development company. In 2006 Ashley became a WordPress specialist and in that year he hired his first developer. Now LightSpeed is one of the most sought-after WordPress website development companies in Cape Town, employing 11 people, with national as well as international clients.

I am Operations and Project Manager for LightSpeed and FeedMyMedia. I was involved from the inception of both businesses, in brainstorming sessions and getting the business plans completed. I am also involved in daily resource management, general team dynamics and well-being, and financial administration tasks.I have been involved in IT project management for about 10 years now and find it a very challenging, but rewarding career.In my spare time I like to read, hike, mountain bike and socialise with friends and family.

I am LightSpeed’s resident Business Blogger, Web Content Writer and Social Media manager. My philosophy toward content creation is that Content should be usable, original, entertaining, educational and serve a business goal while retaining it’s integrity. WordPress has come to me as a revelation in ease of use and accessibility.These days a passion for Animation, Graphic Storytelling and Running keeps me busy when not slaving away on the Web.

I come from a background in the hospitality industry involved in both front-of-house and back-of-house. I have used computers for most of my life and have been working as a web developer for about a year now focusing in front-end development, design2code and user experience. I specialise CSS, HTML, JavaScript and Python

I’m a computer nerd by heart and my main interests lies within the networking, Internet and administration areas of Information Technology (IT).My education comprises of Electronic, Computer Systems Engineering and Logic Controllers programming (PLCs) studied at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Clinical and Biomedical Engineering through UNISA and currently I’m investing time in completing various Linux Administration courses. I have also obtained several certificates in cycling coaching and sport science.The above mentioned education has landed various work opportunities. In 2006 I became a cycling coach at BikeMax. Soon after I became a project administrator at Kwezi V3 Engineers. I next search for a job in the IT industry and was appointed a systems administrator at LightSpeed Development.

I started my romance with the Web when I finished college in 2007. I have worked in the Web Industry for 4 years creating websites for various companies and people. I was working in the Real Estate industry as a Designer/Web Developer when I applied at LightSpeed. In my spare time I play Games, collect various Star Wars paraphernalia, Surf and play my Guitar.

My role at Lightspeed involves development and customisation of WordPress themes and plugins, with an emphasis on community and mobile sites, and user generated content. I work predominantly with PHP, HTML, JavaScript and CSS.

At LightSpeed, when it come to a new site build or migration, I am responsible for answering essentially two questions. What content do we have, and what content do we need? And then, as content is gathered, I do my best to make sure that the content complies with online best practices, as far as readability, usability and search engine optimisation (seo) is concerned. I am the Content Manager and Strategist at LightSpeed WordPress Development.I’m new to the web industry, or should I say the web industry is new to me, but I am so excited about it. What attracts me is how the internet has enabled people to communicate on a scale like never before, with more of us joining in all the time. I come from a stage background, so communication has been and still is important to me. I’m looking forward to applying that in finding out what is valuable online, to deliver that effectively, and contribute, to an audience far wider than I could ever have imagined.

My role at LightSpeed predominately entails Project Management, Website Architecture, Interface Design, Content strategy & Project Planning for client projects & Lightspeed sites, as well as eWebsite Proposals and Spec interpretation. Additionally this role also encompasses minor Web Development Roles (HTML/CSS/Wordpress) . I have also been know to dabble in eMarketing when nobody is looking.Aspects of these processes include Client Spec Interpretation, Development Strategy, Project Monitoring, Work Delegation, Client Communication, Usability Design, Project Costing, Content Management & Implementation , Quantitative & Qualitative Content Audits, Website Architecture, Web Copy Optimization, WordPress Engineering, HTML/CSS, and Usability Testing .

Background in Content Management Systems (CMS) what includes among others: theme creations, extra functionality through plug-ins or extension management as well as SMO and SEO services. He also received a distinction for the following subjects during his study: programming, network, systems, operating systems, software engineering, database principles and network systems.

Web Designer and WordPress Developer, living in Cape Town, South Africa. Passionate about usability, web design and the web. Like to get my hands dirty with WordPress, CSS3 and php. In my spare time I play guitar, watch movies, go to the gym and spend time with friends. Enjoy rock music - anything from Depeche Mode to U2.