You are here: Home / 2008 / Archives for June 2008

Summer Web Developer Reading List

June 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I haven’t had a summer reading list since Elementary school, but as I have become painfully aware over the past few months, web technologies and methodologies are changing quickly, and if I don’t want to get left behind, I really need to not only look at the “new” coming out, but also catch up on what everybody was talking about the past few months.

Web Developer Magazine
This is a great magazine from the UK that has a lot of tips and tricks, including a “redesign contest” every issue.  To my surprise, Iowa’s own Chris Pirillo appears with a wonderful 2 page spread in this issue.

The Long Tail
I knew there was a new, revised edition of the book coming out in about a month, but I wanted to get caught up now.  From what I heard it is a great book on how the world is turning to niche web sites, TV programs, etc. instead of consuming information that was meant for the millions.   Im really looking forward to reading it.

The TIpping Point
I haven’t heard as much about this book as I have The Long Tail, but from what I have heard and the book jacket I read, it is a book about how little things can change the world.  Not necessarily the much hyped “viral videos” but real-world examples of how to change mass behavior.

The Google Story
I started another book, “The Search” a few months ago and still haven’t finished it.  I had heard about this particular book and am always looking for inspirational stories to try and rekindle the fire that I felt while working at Warner Bros. Online back in the late 90′s.  This one should be a fun read.

The Design of Sites, 2nd Edition
This was a hard one for me to buy, partly because of the $60 price tag.  While I consider myself a fairly competent designer and developer, just looking at the pages in the book gave me even more ideas, and pointed out some things that I had forgotten or had been doing wrong, resulting in counter-intuitive web designs.  This is one I will probably reference, but may not read cover to cover, but I look forward to the examples.

So there is my reading list for this summer.  I will try and post a review of each book as I finish them off.

What are you doing to expand your skillsets in your job or workplace?

[tags]web development,troy rutter, the ti pping point, the long tail, design of sites, google, chris pirillo[/tags]

Filed Under: Web Design Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Des Moines Blogger Provides State-Wide Flood Information

June 13, 2008 By 1 Comment

When news of impending flooding first trickled in over news reports, web developer Andy Brudtkuhl of 48Web, LLC didn’t get his shovel and start sand-bagging, he went to his computer and started blogging.

Minutes later, iowaflood.com was born.

Hours later, it had teen angst -  as over 15,000 people visited the site within 24 hours, and over 30,000 different people logged into the site within 24 hours, causing Brudtkuhl to have to change where the site was hosted due to the increased number of visitors.

News of the site was communicated to other bloggers and even The Des Moines Register through a computer service called Twitter, which allows users to send short messages to other users who subscribe to another person’s updates.   Soon, stories, photos, videos and updates were appearing on the iowaflood.com web site automatically thanks to new technologies available on the Internet.

As the week continued, the front page of the site changed often, with requests for help sand-bagging appearing first on the page, followed by the most recent photos from the Iowa City flooding and notices of what bridges are underwater throughout the state.

Local residents aren’t the only ones tuning in to the new web site, either.   Brudtkuhl says he has done an interview for WNYC, a New York City public radio station about the web site and flooding in Des Moines.  There is no accurate way of telling how many radio and television stations are currently monitoring the site for news, since anybody can subscribe to the site’s news feed and be automatically notified of new photos and videos.

As threats of more flooding continue in Des Moines and around the state, the web site will continue to automatically update with the latest information, almost by itself.  For the most up-to-date “Floods of 08″ coverage, you will be hard-pressed to find a better source than iowaflood.com.

[tags]Iowa flood, #iowaflood, social networking, twitter, flooding[/tags]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , ,

Yes, You need the stinkin’ badges

June 5, 2008 By Leave a Comment

tweetupbadgeslg.jpg

What do you get out of every trade show, conference, or unconference?

Information? Sure. New friends/contacts? Absolutely. But what do you get that is tangible and helps you get past the awkward moment of “hey, what’s your name?”

Of course – a conference name tag / lanyard!

Lanyard / nametags are something that every event organizer has to decide how to handle. I have seen them printed on-the-fly at E3, I have seen people who get a name tag and lanyard and fill out their own at PodCamp, I have seen the old sticky-back name tags (Hello My Name is…) Why do conferences encourage name tags? One, it helps identify to some extet who has registered and who has not. It can also determine access to certain events (in the case of color coded tags), but mainly it is to help the conference participants meet other people and help them get over the initial awkward stage of meeting someone.

Enter: Tweetup badges

For those who don’t know, a tweetup is an informal gathering of people in a general area radius who are on twitter. Here in central Iowa, the most notable is the group #dmtweetup which has had several “events” which range from get-togethers at a public library to enjoying drinks at Des Moines bars.

Sounds like a great place for name badges of some sort, eh? Enter Rich Drake, owner of VR ID Cards who came to the early tweetups with a stack of plastic, gold cards, emblazoned with every member’s twitter ID and first name.

Coincidentally or not, membership in #dmtweetup boomed.

Now Rich is offering his twitter / tweetup badges for sale to other groups. Keep an eye on tweetupbadges.com or go to VRID’s Tweetup badges page for more information on colors available and pricing.

I really can’t recommend them enough. If you organize an event and have pre-registration, or if you are another tweetup group, contact Rich today, you won’t be disappointed.

juice_johnnys_tweetup.jpg

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: