Given that this whole site is about me, it seems kind of silly to have an “About” page. That’s usually where people look to find the basics, though, so here is the summary. Go to the “History” section for details, and the “Photos” section for photos. (Logical, eh?)

I was born on July 13, 1967, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The name on my birth certificate is “Sallie Rachel Goetsch.” It’s also the name on my driving license and my passport, since I’ve never changed it. After more than 40 years with the same name, it would be a challenge to get used to being called something else.

Not that it’s been the easiest of names. My mother says she spelled “Sallie” with an “i-e” at the end so that people would know it wasn’t a nickname for “Sarah.” My father says that my mother spelled my name with an “i-e” at the end because she can’t spell. (Yes, my parents have been divorced since 1977. It’s true that my mother can’t spell, though—that’s how I got my first job editing, at the age of 9.)

At least Americans and other English-speakers can pronounce “Sallie” when they see it, though. “Goetsch” is more of a challenge. There’s a correct way to pronounce it in German, and I’ll accept that, but that’s not actually the way my family says it. Somewhere long before I was born, one of my Goetsch ancestors changed the pronunciation to “Getch.” (And another branch of the family changed the name to “Gates,” which at least looks like it sounds.)

Before the days of Caller ID, the mispronunciations were a cue that the person speaking to me was a telemarketer. It wasn’t until I discovered podcasting that it occurred to me to tell people in advance how to pronounce my name. Now my business card and e-mail all include “rhymes with ‘sketch’” after my name.

I live in the East Bay (that’s across the water from San Francisco) and make my living as a WordPress site builder, podcasting consultant and ghostwriter. I have three parents (my father remarried in 1990), one brother (married with two kids), a new husband, two cats, and no offspring.

I’ve been online since 1985, and on the Web since 1994. I am not a programmer, but I’m definitely a geek.