Trustworthiness

Humans are so complicated

There are likely not many people who would admit and believe that they aren’t trustworthy.  Trust is a multilayered concept.  Example:  I can trust someone with my purse, but not with a secret.  I know someone I trust with my life, but not with the truth.   There are people who I trust to tell me the truth, but won’t trust them with my feelings.   To say you don’t trust someone is probably an exaggeration.  I believe that there isn’t a human alive that cannot be trusted on one level or another.   It is up to  each of us to decide who we will trust and on what level.

Being Trustworthy

As web professionals, each of us must make decisions on how we want to be trusted.   Will we…   always post facts?  use accessibility coding on our websites?  always use copy-written material properly?  You may tell yourself, “I will be the most trusted web developer ever.”  I hope that’s true.   I’m sure most of us feel that way.  I’ve been in “the real world” for many years and I know that it is easy to say, “I can be trusted on all levels,” but when push comes to shove,  it isn’t always as easy as it seems.   Sometimes there are circumstances out of our control or we feel pushed into a corner and make a decision that we regret.  It happens.  We are humans and hopefully will learn from those mistakes or moments of weakness.

Be Honest with Yourself

Ask yourself, what reputation do I want in the web field?  You know what you are and aren’t capable of.  Plan to be trusted on as many levels as you can, and if you slip and fall, (and you will) get up and spend some time feeling bad about it.  Then try to never do it again.  When it comes to trusting other people, you have to take it on a case-by-case basis.  Everyone can be trusted on one level or another.  Find the levels they can be trusted and trust them.  Unfortunately the only way to find out if someone can be trusted is to trust them.

Choices

Choices are part of our lives whether or not we know it or want it.  Choices just ARE!  From the moment we wake up in the morning till the second we fall asleep at night, we have choices and are making decisions.  Shall I make my bed, change sheets?  We also have the choice to not make a decision.  Non-decisiveness is a decision on its own.  Having said that, it would stand to reason that we as Web Developers and Designers would have choices.

We choose whether to specialize in developing, design, neither or both.  We choose to use HTML or XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript etc.  There are choices on how we want to use the tools we have chosen and whether or not to validate our work.  Should we do accessible websites?  We are faced with choices of colors, fonts, sizes, images and styles.  Every step of the process are filled with choices that demand answers.  Some are easy to decide and others are real head scratchers.

When we are faced with day-to-day choices, we must do our best to make the decision that will move us forward.

Literally, there are so many choices that it could make your head spin.   We must take one choice at a time.   Make a decision then go to the next choice.

Honesty and Integrity

Do the right thing, even
when no one is watching.

Honesty and Integrity are backbones of modern civilization. To be honest is to be true to your words and actions. When an honest person says they will do something, you can depend upon them to do it. To have integrity is to be complete, honest, pure and incorruptible. Integrity is doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do.

Can a person without honesty or integrity run a business and make money? YOU BET! The question is not whether you must have integrity to be successful in business. The questions that should be asked are: How easy will it be? Will I get repeat customers? Will I get word of mouth business? The bottom line is, if a person consistently treats customers with respect and makes them happy, they will get more business. It will, likely, be easier to come by and one day, because they were able to get repeat and word of mouth business, they will be able to retire.

I spent some time on the internet to see what I could find about businesses being run without integrity. What I discovered were report after report about this company or that treating people badly. The internet is full of people reporting to the world that this company didn’t treat them right. The bad press is definitely out there. People will sometimes tell a few friends about a job well done, but you can count on them to tell EVERYONE they know when they are treated badly.

In the end, it’s simple! Be honest and have integrity when dealing with people and prospective clients. I believe that for most of us, this will not be a problem. I think the majority of people have honesty and integrity by nature. However; I do know a few people who will have to struggle until they either fail or get the hang of having integrity. I do feel that everyone is capable of being honest and having integrity. My advice is to be aware of what you are promising and ask yourself: Will I be able to do this, when I am telling them? Be able to back up what you say with action and never ever get into the habit of lying.

Passion!

Do I have What it Takes?

Today I am working on the “Take Charge” assignment for WDD class.   The purpose of this assignment is to  discover what my passion is.   The questions being raised are…  Do I have what it takes to work in the Web Development industry?  What is my passion?  What makes me thrive?  The lesson suggests the IT industry is an ever-changing ever evolving entity.  The  IT professional must keep current on trends, laws, and products to be a success.

Staying on top of technology is a continuing process.  Today I did some research to find out what is on the cutting edge of technology.   I discovered the iPad, which is coming soon from Apple.  (By the way, I’d love to have one.) I learned a little about the iPhone  OS 4.o.  The world is in a virtual buzz about this new phone.  It is due to be introduced in 2 days.  I read about a private cloud.  I didn’t even know we already had a public cloud.*

I do enjoy learning about the new bells and whistles.  I know that there is so much to learn.  Things are coming out every single day.  I also know that I am only aware of a fraction of what is already in the public’s hands.  I have a lot of catch up do.   I have one question… When are we supposed to design and develop websites?  We are constantly barraged with cutting edge information and products.  Learning and staying on top of it all takes time.  I guess I have my work cut out for me.  I do love designing websites and I am eager to sink my teeth into it.

*http://www.cnet.com/

Anger Management

Is it okay to be angry?

Anger is a normal emotion. Everybody feels angry from time to time.   People feel angry when someone cuts us off in traffic, when the cat misses the liter box, when our child doesn’t mind, and when the perfectly typed HTML code, that you just spent hours on, doesn’t work!   People, places and things can get that old ugly emotion stirred up.   Our face gets red, our eyes bulge and words, that make old granny gasp, spew from our mouths.   Some people stomp around.  Others shout.  There are many, perfectly healthy and safe, ways to express anger that won’t hurt anyone or anything.

I am not an expert on anger or controlling it.   However, I do have some experience with it.   I have spent the last eight years with a very angry teenager.  In an attempt to keep from losing my mind, keeping peace at home, and to keep my house from being torn up, I have had to learn to manage anger.  His and mine.

The thing that works best for me is to step away.  Go for a quick walk, change surroundings, and take a few long deep breaths.   When my son has been beaten on the current RPG, for the 16th time and he has reached the very end of his rope,  I give him the same advice.  I’d tell him to turn it off and give it a break.  It is not always easy to get away from the situation that is feeding our anger, but it is usually possible.

When I was working at a job that I hated and my boss gave me a hard time, I wanted to give him a piece of my mind and not mince words.   I knew that this was not the way to go.   I discovered that I could let loose with all the words that I wanted to say to my boss, while I was driving to lunch.  I would sometimes spend many moments screaming like a banshee.   I found that anyway to release the pent-up tension and anger, as long as I wasn’t hurting anyone or endangering my income would work.

Be creative.  There are many ways that we can manage our anger.  The best advice I have to someone feeling too much anger is to find the cause and get away from it.  Life is too short to live it red-faced and angry.   When the code is just not working and you cannot figure it out and u feel the rage raising.  GET UP and WALK AWAY.  Get a drink of water, go outside, take a deep breath and spend 10 minutes relaxing.  When you go back, you will be seeing clearer and be refreshed and be able to face the situation.   It is okay to be angry, but don’t let it rule your life.

Technology Research

At first glance, at the subject of my research, I was a bit confused.  On the paper was written one word, at least I presumed it was a word.  It said “MySQL.”  I looked at it a second and third time to make sure that is what it said and sure enough that is exactly how it read.  MySQL.   I took in a deep slow breath and said quietly, “oh help.”  What in the world is MySQL?  I have never heard of it, and I’m not sure I want to.  I figured that I could simply “google” it and everything would be clear.

Typing MySQL into the google.com search engine I came up with a list of possible hits.  Feeling relief, I opened the familiar wikipedia.org to find some interesting information.  The developer is Oracle Corporation, the initial release date is May 23, 1995, and it has a cross-platform operating system.  The definition reads:

“MySQL is a relational database management system (RDBMS)^[1] that runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases. MySQL is officially pronounced /maɪˌɛskjuːˈɛl/ (My S-Q-L), but often pronounced /maɪˌsiː‘kwɛl/ (My SeQueL).^[2] It is named for original developer Michael Widenius‘s daughter My.^[3] …”

 

Okay!  No, wait.  What is this?  “Relational database management system?” I do get nervous when I read the definition and don’t know some of the words.  No problem, I’ll just Ctrl+Click the term(s) I don’t know and see what comes up.  I do love the fact that the developer, Michael Widenius, named the program after his daughter (My SeQueL), but I also read that SQL also means Structured Query Language.

“A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a database management system (DBMS) that is based on the relational model as introduced by E. F. Codd. Most popular commercial and open source databases currently in use are based on the relational model. …”

 

This second definition has two terms that I have not heard of.  I am beginning to wonder if this “wiki” thing is made for the average person.  I’m not giving up.  Ctrl+Click, Ctrl+Click, I will get to the bottom of this.

“A Database Management System (DBMS) is a set of computer programs that controls the creation, maintenance, and the use of the database with computer as a platform or of an organization and its end users. It allows organizations to place control of organization-wide database development in the hands of database administrators (DBAs) and other specialists. …”

 

“The relational model for database management is a database model based on first-order predicate logic, first formulated and proposed in 1969 by E.F. Codd.”

This relational model has a picture…  Now we’re talking.

  

I might be tired or I just might be dense, but this is not sinking in.  … sigh …  Back to GOOGLE!

Hum… this is interesting.  ~click~ Hscripts.com AWAY!

“Database:
A database is a collection of data that is organized so that its contents can be easily accessed, managed and updated. The software used to manage and query a database is known as a Database Management System (DBMS). Then came the concept of Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). Relational database is a database where data are stored in more than one table, each one containing different types of data. The different tables can be linked so that information from the separate files can be used together. This is explained below using an example. …”

Now this is starting to make since.  As databases started to grow, the need to extract specific information also grows.  The answer was to develop some way of streamlining the process of extracting specific information from these databases.   What a great idea!

There are other companies that offer this DBMS service.  Some of them are: crunchbase.com, linkedin.com, and allbusiness.com.

There are four certifications available:

• Certified MySQL Associate (CMA)
• Certified MySQL DBA (CMDBA)
• Certified MySQL Developer (CMDEV)
• Certified MySQL Cluster DBA

Since its release in 1995 and about every year after, MySQL has put out a newer better version.  MySQL is and has been touted as the best relational database management system.  The company was eventually sold in 2008 to Sun Microsystems at a cost of one billion dollars.

MySQL is alive and doing well.  I predict that MySQL is here to stay.

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySQL

http://hscripts.com/tutorials/mysql/overview.php

http://www.bestmysqlwebhosting.com/articles2.html

http://certification.about.com/od/certifications/a/mysql_cert.htm

Customer Service

Web Design/Development Doesn’t need Customer Service. Seriously, as web design and developers, we are working behind the scenes.  This is not a customer driven field.  Everything is done via e-mail.  We won’t need to ever see the customer.  We can set out our rules, standards and prices and if they don’t like it they can go somewhere else.  There is always someone who will want a website and they will come to us.  Right?

“The Customer is Always Right” I can remember a time, not too long ago, that businesses would train their employees with this slogan.  A customer with an issue could come in and know, beforehand, that they would be treated with respect and have no doubt that they would come out happy.  It was unheard of to argue with a customer and if a customer came and went without getting a friendly smile and a “have a great day!” you weren’t doing your job.

Has all that changed? It does seem that things are swaying away from customer service.   I have worried, I may have angered my food server and feared, I might get a surprise hidden in my food.   I have argued with sales clerks for full refunds on miss-purchased items and came away, disgruntled, with only half of what I paid, because of a missing receipt.  Rarely will you see a clerk smile and wish you a great day.  It does seem that customer service is dead or dieing.

WE are the hope - The hope lies in you and me.  Together, we can bring back the customer service of our ancestors. I am talking about, DOING.   As employees, if we keep in mind that the customer is our “bread and butter”  we may treat them better and appreciate them more.

Designers and Developers do need to have a standard of customer service.  We must realize that there is a human behind every company, of every website.   The better we treat our customers, the more business we will get.  This business thrives on word of mouth.   I am not saying to ignore your standards, rules and prices, but I am saying that nothing need be “set in stone.”  Make your customer happy, even if it means sending them to someone else, because you can’t “afford” to work for them.  be a person behind your e-mails.  Meet your clients, shake their hand, smile and say, “have a great day!”  Together we can strengthen customer service and make some money at the same time.

Diversity is an Inevitable Force

As a student of web design and development, I have asked myself, “Have all the great ideas for websites been taken?  Will there be anything new left for me, when I actually start to work?”  I have seen fabulous sites I have seen awful sites and everything in between.  Thinking about and writing this blog has helped me to realize that the end to new and awesome ideas is not near.

Diversity is, in short, differences.  It is the differences in people, things, beliefs, places, colors, etc.  Is diversity a good thing?  A resounding… YES!  Without differences, the world might as well be in black and white.  On second thought, even in a black and white world there is diversity.  There has been diversity from the beginning of time and likely will be to the end of time as well.  Diversity is the inevitable force that gives you a reason to get out of bed every day.  I wonder how this world would be without diversity.  I think it would all be one color.  On the other hand, it might be the absence of color.  I don’t think there could be a world, as we know it, without diversity.

Will there be any new ideas when I start designing websites?  The answer is easy.  YES, there will.  There will be new ideas as long as I have a mind to think and as long as the earth still rotates.  As long as people are human, diversity insures that there will be new ideas and wonderful websites.   I look forward to seeing my original ideas on the world-wide-web some day soon.

COMPASSION

What does web development have to do with compassion? Aren’t we are only writing code and making web sites attractive enough to hook viewers into staying awhile and looking around?

Thought: Compassion is more than sympathy and more than empathy.  A human emotion spurred by the pain of another.  Compassion is an emotion that often brings someone to action.  Action, that will relieve the pain or suffering of another.  Can compassion be taught?  Yes, but as with anything else, it is taught only to the willing.

I wonder if some people are born with compassion, while others seem to have none at all.  Then I ask…  How can a person have no compassion?  I suppose that everyone has his or her priorities.

I once saw a woman in the grocery store that toppled a display and as I watched her struggling to keep the packages on the shelf, another woman, a stranger to her, came to her aid.  I was old enough to feel bad that I hadn’t thought of helping. I know that is was small touch of compassion, but I bet, to the woman in the store it meant a lot.  That guilt brought me from empathy to compassion.  I now will look for reasons to help someone.  Sometimes it’s only to hold the door or to give a smile.  Other times it’s more.

I have always been a very empathetic person.  Compassion is that one step further.  When I first started thinking of what I would blog about, I figured that I didn’t have much compassion.  While preparing for this assignment, I asked my 18-year-old son what he thinks about compassion.  He sat me down at the computer and had me look it up on Wikipedia.  I asked my mom if she thought that I had compassion.  She said that I do have it, and she stated several times when she felt I had displayed it.  I must say, that I was a little surprised.  I knew that I was full of empathy, but figured I didn’t have the gumption to really have compassion.

Compassion can come in small packages that can mean a lot to someone.  When contemplating how web development was related to compassion, it occurred to me that as developers we too could have compassion.  We will show it by creating our sites with the standards that will make them accessible.  I have a friend with two adult boys that have cerebral palsy.  If I could make their day easier or their life more, enjoyable I would.  I think that making sites using the accessibility standards is a small thing to do to help out people like my friend and her two sons.  We aren’t just making pretty web sites to get peoples attention.

My Conclusion: Web Developers have Compassion.

TAKING STOCK

Questions & Answers

• What are your web design goals?

  My goals in web design are to continue learning as as possible as fast as I can, then getting an awesome job with my newly learned skills.much

• Which aspects of web design interest you the most?

  I find the web an wonderful and interesting place.  While it is scary at times there is a vast amount of knowledge and information on the web at our finger tips.  I am so excited that I am finally going to be contributing to the World Wide Web.  I am interested in all aspects of web design and development.  I want to be able to do it all.

• What current skills do you have that will be useful in creating web pages?

  I have been a graphic designer for printed medium for many years.   I feel that my creativity and adaptability will certainly be an asset.

• Which skills do you need to brush up on?

  I basically know nothing except what I’ve learned in this course about the process of web design & development.  To state what I need to brush up on…  briefly… (X)HTML, CSS, FTP, PhotoShop, and JavaScript.  Okay, maybe not so briefly.  I have a lot to learn.  The good news is… I am eager to learn.

• What hardware and software tools do you already have for web design?

  I have a decent computer, I have a connection to the internet, and I have an older version of PhotoShop on my computer.

• Which tools do you need to buy? Which tools would you like to buy eventually?

  The tools I need are Dreamweaver, HomeSite, PhotoShop, Illustrator, Flash, and a FTP program.  On my wish list are all of the above and a spanky new computer and perhaps a laptop too.  I think it would be nice to have a MacIntosh as well as a Windows PC.   Sigh… One can dream.