Philly Site Builder

The newly redesigned WaltGhost.com launched today. The site displays the work of Philadelphia artist Walter Golson. The site uses a simple XML driven flash slideshow on the homepage, and JS Lightbox2 for the portfolio page. Visit WaltGhost.com

Well, after reading enough articles about “GTD” I finally ordered a copy of the book by David Allen, Getting Things Done. I’m pretty excited about it. I’ve tried organizing myself for years using tactics recommended by Stephen Covey, but I never hit on a system I could stick to. This book is definitely geared more towards my life, and helps develop a real system for processing information.

Here’s a talk by Merlin Mann of 43 folders about dealing with email that touches on the concepts of GTD.

Here’s a great article that explains how to breakdown your RIA for the search engines. Here’s the article in a nutshell:

1. Transform the XML with XSL for the search engines
2. Pass the URL via FlashVars to your Flex Application
3. Let your users enjoy a Rich Internet Application with search friendly data.

Check out the example Flex Directory, and be sure to check out the source code!

 An alternative to this is Faust: Flash Augmenting Standards, presented in this article by space150.

 It follows the basic progressive enhancement recipe (html, css, javascript), but builds on an extra layer for Flash. It’s a little bit of extra work, but creates a seamless experience for all users.

http://www.phillytechhq.com/companies

Here’s  a good breakdown of how much you should charge (or expect to pay) for GOOD blog design and implementation -

http://www.pearsonified.com/2006/06/how_much_should_a_design_cost.php

Your website is finally live. Your best work is being showcased, and your resume is up to date. Your ready to take the next step. Now what?

Post your resume as many job boards as you can. You will most likely be flooded with calls and emails from recruiters. Utilize these contacts! They will become the backbone of your job search network. Follow up with each of them by sending an invite via LinkedIn. (If you don’t have an account, sign up now.) While you’re on there, add your teachers, friends and co-workers. Request recommendations, and have a complete profile.

Resource:

The Monster List of Freelancing Job Sites

Get Agency Experience

If this is your first job, I personally think agencies are the way to go. It’s like boot camp. It’s a great way to get familiar with a the web development process - design concept, copy development, site production and QA. This knowledge and experience will be invaluable if later you move to a small business or corporate environment. Here’s a list of the agencies in Philadelphia

Philly Ad Club:
http://www.phillyadclub.com/agencies_directory.php

This week’s freebie features 10 woody texture downloads ranging from a clean bamboo collection to a corrogated rotting tree trunk in an all natural setting. Go to town, and share a link to your work if you end up using them. I’d love to see if these inspire you too. *Note: Previews below have been cropped

Cabbage Tree wood by ~Von-Chan

12 Wood Textures by Tammy Sue

Clean Bamboo Wood Texture Pac by Kitty Textures

Lightly Worn Wood Texture

Hardwood Floor

Battered Plank

Light Colored, lightly grained

Rotting Trunk

Maple burl

This is part I of a 4 part series on getting your first job as a web developer or designer.

Part I: The Portfolio Site
Part II: Finding the Jobs
Part III: The Interview
Part IV: Freelancing

The Portfolio Site

Your number one asset is your portfolio site. I’ve learned that the best way to BUILD a portfolio is really to take just about any job that crosses your path. It kind of sucks, but that’s kind of the nature of starting out doing anything. Of course once your established you’ll want to be a little (or a lot) more picky. Plus it’s great experience in learning how to deal with clients and manage a web project.

Your portfolio site should reflect ONLY your best work.

If you are not a designer than I highly recommend you hire one to design your site. While it is not important that your site is incredible flashy, it is important that it is modern. It also important that your code is clean, commented, and easy to read through. If you are a developer, then it is very likely a potential employer will look at your source code. It’s the first thing I do when hiring someone. Basically, someone should be able to take a look at your source code and know exactly what everything is, and what it does.

Here is a great article which goes into further detail about presenting your best work in your portfolio.

Resources

Domain Name Registration: Go Daddy is the preferred site for purchasing domain names.

Site Hosting: Dream Host is inexpensive, offers a variety of hosting levels depending on how much site traffic you get, and offers pretty good tech support. They also have one-click word press install.

Design Trends: Smashing Magazine