The Genesis of Ignorance...

Being fairly young to web design/development there has been a lot of fundamentals that I’ve missed out on. Drag and dropping was my way of life, but the more involved I got the more I wanted to know. Clicking here and there wasn’t satisfying anymore and before I knew it I’m way past ankle deep.

Web design seems so easy today, especially with the use of web-authoring products such as DreamWeaver, but there is so much still to be learnt. I recently got ‘skolled’ in Search Engine Optimization (S.E.O). What exactly is this? It’s a list of best practices, endorsed by various search engines, like Google, Yahoo, MSN etc, which aids users to find relevant content on websites when searches are carried out. It other words, it makes it easier for the search engines to find content on sites, relevant to a users search and displays it in the results. I’ve learnt how important it is to use phrased keywords, descriptions, unique page names, and even scripts that will tell the search engine bots to return at suggested times based how frequent the content changes.

But this is where I am now. To get here I had to learn how to read and write HTML, CSS, and basic PHP. I also had to apply myself in learning SwishScript – a language used in SwishMax - which later allowed me to understand ActionScript – a language used in Flash.

I was so ignorant! I knew of RSS Feeds (Really Simple Syndication) and PodCasts, which are part of the push technology, but never really understood them. Push technology is based on the premise that ‘we’ll (the company/website) send the info to you’. However, one has to subscribe and have an application that will read and display the updated info once available. You don’t even have to go to the website! It has even reached the point of Screen Casts – videos periodically sent to you, the user, based on subscription. Way kool!!! Especially, if you spend a lot of time online like I do. Some say I vacation in ‘windows’.

I say all this to say! That though various programs will come along with their nifty user interfaces that allow the simple man to design website and even web apps we all will need an understand the roots, the origin, the engine that makes the boat move. Always look to the future with an appreciation for the past.