Will “The EvCC Strict Coder Guru”

Looking to find a beginning web designer job in the Everett area? Check out http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/web/888401543.html
–The Company is http://www.travel4real.com/

** Job Qualifications **
- 1 year of design and/or development experience in HTML and CSS
- At this time, we can only consider local applicants

Summary of duties include:
• Designing and creating new Web pages that are optimized for search engines
• Expert experience designing creating Web pages
• Intermediate experience using Flash 8
• Intermediate experience using graphic design skills – Photoshop Dreamweaver and illustrator
• Intermediate experience using page layout tools
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Proven ability to work closely in an open team oriented environment
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail

Came across this article on my listserv over Web and User Interfaces. Jared Spool covers Usability Challenges in Development

Jared covers some very useful insight on how to start your design and interface under five challenges to the developer. The five he includes are Scalability, Visual Design, Comprehension, Interactivity, and Change Management. He shows an example of a major web site that decides “the users will want this feature on our site” and it comes back to them that the users reject it. This seems this is an issue, especially with this Web 2.0 time in which may portable features can be integrated into any web site. It may be a interactive map or calendar app, however is it useful on your site for your intended audience? These are some of the questions he raises in his article.

Jared also came out with a podcast article about a 5-second test for your web pages, what are the initial impressions, what did the user gather, and much more.

After a long time away, I am back in action now.

This past summer I took on the new web site release, which you can now find at http://www.everettcc.edu and also teaching Computer Programming 120 - Beginning Web Design.

The new web site release went off well. It took a period of time to update bookmarks, correct links, update content on division pages, fix template configurations, but it is up and running. We have received many postive comments about the site. I hope to continue adding features that will enhance the site to be more user friendly. You can also stay up on the news and events through the RSS feeds I created at http://www.everettcc.edu/rss/

The summer quarter of CP 120 went well. It was a busy and accelerated class since it was 11 weeks of information pushed into 8. Many students felt it was too much work, but they did learn a lot. You can check out some of their Final Web Site Projects – The one positive/negative of the class was the “Hybrid” status in which it allowed us to meet virtually online to study and turn in assignments. It did save time from coming to class, but then being motivated to work on assignments without instruction may have hindered some students.

The Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle was the location of this regions Launch Tour for the new Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007. A co-worker (Tim) and I headed down early… early in the morning.. in a sleep comatose. When we arrived, there was already a line of IT and Microsoft enthusiasts waiting to go up to check-in and then into the main auditorium. We first headed into the sponsor and partners room where people lined up to get the goodies that were being given out. We received everything from pens, blinking emblems, a Sudoku handheld, logo plastered squish balls and T-shirts.

When the time approached nine, we headed into the main room. Everyone sitting down in place ready to start the launch, feel the excitement and see Bill Gates. Microsoft’s own Bill Gates came out and gave a speach on the launch and the improvements back from the late 70’s team to now. The company has grown enormous and many products are now in most computers around the world, one being Microsoft Office products. Back when the release of Windows 95 and then Office 97, these products have been introduced as a normal part of life and computing. These two products, Windows and Office are the backbone of Microsoft and has allowed them to drive and spread there wings to all areas of life. Read more

It seems with the advancement of WYSIWYG editors, Content Management Systems (CMS), and One-Click Installs, that the once title of  “Webmaster” is slowly disappearing. Some of the small simple jobs that once were used as resume builders or quick start-up websites are being replaced with hosting companies that give One-Click component and software installs that give the owner ability to start a forum, blog, calendar, gallery, etc. in a matter of minutes. You say, “What should I be talking about, you are using one yourself!”… and I have to agree, as far as this B is concerned, this was a minute install just to create topic discussion. However I am one of those “coders” that can and will write in strictly code only.  Creating a Blog or Forum Interface is a matter of connection with a database and displaying it on the page. However by hand, it would take me far longer since I am simply one person. Wordpress for example had many developers with continues upgrades and patches, where I can create a specific interface suited for the owner. So are “Webmasters” going extinct? Maybe. However the true coders will still be writing these interfaces and web applications to make it easier for another user.

Working with Ektron’s glorious old-school eMPower, the main CMS product that started them rolling, I have noticed a few quirks that are quite funny and bring laughter to anyone’s day. After a Java update, much of our library failed to clients across the campus and it seems in mine (and probably others) that when highlighting text or pictures and move around, it adds more code.. just for highlighting.

I think I found an example too. Check out this screen shot of one of the Athletic pages after I was converting it to the new site. Can you guess by looking in the code, what the page was about???