Saturday, October 04, 2008

Boston Market | 4th Quarter, 2008

Panic in the financial markets on Wall Street.

Stability in the technology job market on Beacon Street.

Top 20 Web Technologies

There are more job listings this month than last month for nine of the top 10 technologies.

The list of the most in-demand Web-related technologies has been updated and appears in the right-hand column along with links to job postings for that technology at Boston.com.

This quarterly report of the job market goes deeper than the monthly Boston Market updates. In particular, let's explore the remaining technologies that comprise the Top 50 most in-demand Web-related skills in Boston.

The Top 30

Rounding out the Top 30 are the following 10 technologies:

  1. Apache [ 110 ]
  2. VB.NET [ 108 ]
  3. Visual Studio [ 106 ]
  4. Tomcat [ 84 ]
  5. API [ 81 ]
  6. Dreamweaver [ 70 ]
  7. Web 2.0 [ 69 ]
  8. SOAP [ 67 ]
  9. SEO [ 66 ]
  10. InDesign [ 71 ]

Of these technologies the most valuable might be Visual Studio (#23) because it is the centerpiece tool for developing Microsoft-centric Web applications that incorporate the following technologies:

  • SQL Server (#4)
  • C# (#6)
  • Web Services (#9)
  • ASP.NET (#11)
  • Ajax (#13)

Each of these technologies has increased in value in the Boston marketplace since the last quarterly report, having moved up in the charts by at least one position in each case. ASP.NET climbed four positions.

The Top 40

Rounding out the Top 40 are the following 10 technologies:

  1. SaaS [ 70 ]
  2. DB2 [ 67 ]
  3. Acrobat [ 62 ]
  4. "Content Management System" [ 60 ]
  5. DHTML [ 57 ]
  6. Ruby [ 57 ]
  7. XHTML [ 52 ]
  8. Struts [ 47 ]
  9. ActionScript [ 30 ]
  10. social networking [ 30 ]

The Top 50

Rounding out the Top 50 are the following 10 technologies:

  1. VBScript [ 44 ]
  2. Quark [ 33 ]
  3. Rails [ 29 ]
  4. blog [ 24 ]
  5. ColdFusion [ 22 ]
  6. DOM [ 18 ]
  7. Fireworks [ 17 ]
  8. CS3 [ 17 ]
  9. RSS [ 16 ]
  10. QuarkXPress [ 16 ]

Out of World Series Contention

Popular Web-related technologies that don't make the Top 50 include the following:

  • Adobe + Flex [ 15 ]
  • "Web standards" [ 14 ]
  • Drupal [ 8 ]
  • jQuery [ 7 ]
  • Silverlight [ 7 ]
  • WordPress [ 4 ]
  • Joomla [ 3 ]
  • Adobe AIR [ 2 ]

These technologies offer value. However, relative to other technologies, there is little market demand for Web professionals with expertise in these skills compared to the Top 20 Web Technologies.

Of these technologies that are currently out of playoff contention, consider looking at jQuery, a popular JavaScript library used in Ajax development. The reason this technology will likely grow in popularity is that Microsoft has agreed to incorporate jQuery into its ASP.NET Ajax Framework.

Biggest Trend

So, let's conclude by taking a look at the Top 20 Skills in the right-hand column. Three technologies are bunched together as follows:

  1. ASP.NET [ 191 ]
  2. HTML + CSS [ 187 ]
  3. Ajax [ 175 ]

HTML & CSS are both foundational skills. ASP.NET and Ajax add a layer of value to these core skills.

Here is a trend chart of the absolute demand for these four technologies over the past several years:

When viewed on a relative scale, however, no other technology is growing in demand faster than Ajax, as evident by the chart below.

Check out Indeed's Job Trends to compare the absolute and relative values of your current skill set.

Best Training Option

The one technology that will add the most value to a Web professional's skill set over the next three months is likely to be Ajax.

The best training value in the marketplace today is Head First Ajax by O'Reilly Media. Barnes & Noble is currently offering Head First Ajax at 40% off.

For under $30 -- and an hour a day of study and practice over the next 90 days -- you can buff up your resume with Ajax and add sparkle to your career.

Posted by at

Friday, September 26, 2008

Microsoft Salary Survey | 2008

The results are in and it pays to develop skills implementing Microsoft's technology solutions.

The 13th annual Redmond Salary Survey has been released. The survey was a joint effort by Redmondmag.com and mcpmag.com, two publications dedicated to serving the Microsoft technology community. Results were compiled from the returns of nearly 1,500 e-mail responses to technology professionals who implement solutions using Microsoft technologies.

Survey Highlights

  • The average base salary among survey respondents was $78,100.
  • The average bonus was $6,400.

[Click image for larger view]

  • More than one in five (21%) earn a six figure salary.
  • Managers and those with project management expertise make up more than a quarter of respondents.
  • Longevity counts as the average career experience was listed as nearly 14 years.

[Click image for larger view]

  • If you hold the job title "Webmaster/Developer/Producer" you can expect to earn, on average, $78,400.

[Click image for larger view]

  • If your expertise is "Web Site Development/Management" you can expect to earn, on average, $80,900.

[Click image for larger view]

The Next Step

Web developers who are open to learning Microsoft technologies can focus first on developing generic skills such as the following:

  • SQL | #1
  • Ajax | #15
Then, attention can be focused on gaining experience implementing these skills using Microsoft's technologies including the following:
  • SQL Server | #4
  • C# | #7
  • ASP.NET | #12

NOTE: The number represents the relative value in the Boston marketplace with links to job listings in the right-hand column.

Posted by at

Saturday, September 20, 2008

WebAwards | 2008

The Web Marketing Association announced the winners of its twelfth annual WebAward Competition for Web site development.

A snapshot of the competition:

  • 2,400 website entries
  • 45 countries
  • 96 industry categories

Entries were judged on the following criteria:

  • design
  • copy writing
  • innovation
  • content
  • interactivity
  • navigation
  • use of technology

Web designers and developers can review these award-winning sites to stimulate creativity and benchmark Web creation standards.

The Best of The Web

The Best of Show Winner was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Here are the Best of Industry award winning websites for 2008:

Additional award-winning categories can be searched at the WebAward site.

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Sunday, September 14, 2008

Manpower Employment Outlook | Q4 2008

Manpower's latest employment projections suggest "continuing softness in hiring activity" during the fourth quarter of 2008. Overall, Manpower expects a Net Employment Outlook of +9%, meaning more hiring is expected than layoffs. In particular,

  • 22% of employers expect staffing increases
  • 13% of employers expect staffing reductions

Approximately 14,000 employers across the United States participated in this survey. Details of the survey can be found in a Manpower press release.

Massachusetts Employment Outlook

A closer looks at the data for Massachusetts suggests that not all regions of the state can expect to participate in this "continuing softness" equally. If fact, much of the Boston metro area can expect hiring rates better than the national average. With the exception of Boston proper, employers north and west of the city, as well as, along the South Shore, will be looking to add new employees at rates up to 10 times more frequently than those anticipating layoffs.

For example, employers along the 128 Corridor (Burlington to Waltham) report the following:

  • 37% of employers expect staffing increases
  • 3% of employers expect staffing reductions

This net change of +34% reveals that companies in this part of the Boston metro area will be most aggressive in their hiring plans.

Here is a chart of hiring expectations throughout Massachusetts for the 4th quarter of 2008:

Manpower provides a snapshot of Massachusetts' companies hiring plans (pdf) for the fourth quarter.

New England's Digital Industry

Workers looking for opportunities will likely improve their chances of success by targeting companies along the Route 128 Corridor. It is likely not a coincidence that many of the employees that make up New England's Digital Industry work at companies that have offices along Route 128.

Technology opportunities continue to lead employment growth. Workers with solid technology skills and a professional network that extends into technology companies should fair better than average in an economy that exhibits "continuing softness."

Posted by at

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Web Innovators Group | WebInno19

If you are interested in previewing the latest innovations on the Internet and mobile devices, check out the next gathering of the Web Innovators Group.

This 19th installment (WebInno19) will feature the following presentations (sign in to your LinkedIn account on a separate tab, then click the "in" icon below to reveal your LinkedIn contacts at each company):

Main Dishes

  • Givvy | the first comprehensive charitable giving management solution; track both online and offline donations; compare how you donate to others in your network; receive systematic recommendations based on your giving behavior.

  • Brring | develops services and technologies allowing you to customize your communications: customize your ringback tones; form and join calling groups; connect with friends through social networking applications such as Facebook.

  • Pixily | a simple, intuitive and one of a kind service that helps you aggregate, organize, find and share your paper and digital documents online.

Side Dishes

  • Tune Rooms | record your music, upload and collaborate

  • Peopleahead | a career advancement website

  • JobVent | inside information about the jobs and employers we love and hate

  • VendorCity | connects your company with the best vendors that service your area

  • Openvote | a Facebook application designed to find out what your campus is thinking

  • RunKeeper | allows you to track your runs and map and view progress in your running history

Details

Monday, September 15, 2008, 6:30 pm

Royal Sonesta Cambridge

Registration is FREE and the networking could prove invaluable! Check out the Attendee List of several hundred pre-registrants to determine if this networking event is right for you.

Registrants are encouraged to join the Boston Web Innovators Group on LinkedIn and connect with more than 700 members.

Posted by at

Sunday, September 07, 2008

IT Hiring Index & Skills Report | Q4 2008

"Organizations are directing recruitment efforts toward professionals who can . . . support the launch of Web 2.0 based functionality."

This is one conclusion reached as a result of a quarterly survey of Chief Information Officers (CIOs).

Robert Half Technology

According to a quarterly hiring index compiled by Robert Half Technology there will be a net increase in hiring in the greater Boston area during the fourth quarter. Here are the hiring plans for Boston Metro area technology executives according to The Boston Globe:

  • 13 percent plan to add staff
  • 5 percent anticipate personnel reductions

Skills in Demand

While Web professionals are not the top hiring priority for CIOs, Web development / website design skills are valued by 42% of those surveyed.

The Skills Behind Web 2.0

Earlier this year PC World published an article by Katherine Spencer Lee, the same Robert Half Technology executive who announces the quarterly skills report. In the article entitled Web 2.0: The Skills Behind the Buzzword she outlined many of the skills that she feels comprise a Web 2.0 skillset including the following:

  • Microsoft .NET
  • Ajax
  • JavaScript
  • (X)HTML
  • CSS

Boston Market

All of the skills mentioned above are in the Top 20 listed in the right-hand column. The September Boston Market Report reveals that "Web 2.0" is in 24th position on the skills-in-demand list ahead of the following popular design-oriented skills:

  • Dreamweaver | #25
  • InDesign | #34
  • Fireworks | #46

Adding Web 2.0 skills and experience to your resume will not only help open up doors with technology executives, they may even make you the coolest kid on your block!

Posted by at

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Boston Market | September 2008

An annual survey on employment and compensation trends released last week reveals that employers are just as anxious about the current job market as those looking for work.

Both employers and employees were asked to rate the current job market on a scale of one to five (five being the most challenging). Here are the ratings:

  • rating given by job seekers in finding a job: 3.56
  • rating given by employers in finding qualified candidates: 3.47

On average it takes between four to 14 weeks to fill an open position. The more senior-level positions require the most time.

Companies continue to face a shortage of highly skilled professionals in certain fields. Two professions, in particular, were singled out:

  • technology
  • accounting

A press release of The Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations (EDGE) Report summarizes the responses from more than 500 hiring managers and 500 workers and is available from both Robert Half Technology and CareerBuilder.com.

Boston Market

Not all technology skills are equally valued in the marketplace, however. This monthly Boston Market analysis of the technology skills most in-demand reveals a general move to the downside since early August. This in not unexpected since August is a traditionally slow hiring month.

The Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated and appears in the right-hand column. The three technology skills (followed by the number of job postings) that bucked the seasonal downward trend were as follows:

All three technologies are core Web development skills and posted slight increases from early August.

A quick look at the marketplace using a different set of keywords (followed by the number of job postings) reveals the following:

  • Web Developer | 88
  • Web Designer | 30
  • Graphic Designer | 26

By this rough measure the demand for Web Developers outpaces the demand for both Web Designers and Graphic Designers combined by more than 50%.

Useful Technology Career Websites

As we enter what should be a promising two month hiring window (September and October), Web technology professionals who are looking to maximize their employment prospects should consider expanding their use of career websites targeting technology professionals.

According to a recent Network World article entitled Looking for IT Work in all the Right Places, technology professionals should consider expanding their search to include the following technology-friendly resources:

  1. Dice
  2. RealMatch!
  3. Smuz
  4. Jobfox
  5. Doostang
  6. The Laddders
  7. Jobs in Pods
  8. Thingamajob
  9. Computerwork.com
  10. CareerOneStop
  11. Glassdoor.com
  12. Vault.com
  13. Job.com
  14. JobSniper
  15. Blue Chip Expert
  16. JobWarehouse.com
  17. Careerjet.com
  18. Indeed
  19. Simply Hired
  20. Beyond.com

Final Thoughts

While job boards are one source of information, keep in mind that according to the 7th Annual Sources of Hire Study, employee referrals (28%) outpace job boards (26%) as a more efficient tool for hiring new staff from outside an organization.

According to Network World, "Recruiters would rather search LinkedIn or Facebook than go out to Monster because they find more active candidates and less stale information."

So, get out from behind the monitor, meet with people face to face and keep your LinkedIn profile and connections up to date.

Posted by at

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Fastest Growing Private Companies | 2008


Inc. magazine has revealed its 27th annual ranking of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in America.
The second annual Inc 5000 provides an expanded version of this analysis.
Only Utah exceeded Massachusetts in terms of the number of companies making the expanded list when compared to state population.

Boston Area Map


The most popular cities in the Boston metro area for fast growing companies were the following:
  • Boston | 17
  • Waltham | 10
  • Burlington | 5
  • Dover, NH | 5
  • Cambridge | 4
  • Framingham | 4
  • Wakefield | 4
  • Woburn | 4

Fastest Growing Metro Boston Companies

Fast growing companies need qualified employees to help the organization maintain its growth trajectory. Here are the 100 fastest growing private companies in the Boston metro area:
[ Note: Log in to your LinkedIn account in a separate tab, then click the "in" icon below to reveal your LinkedIn contacts at that company. ]
  1. Senior Whole Health | Cambridge
  2. Nantero | Woburn
  3. Innovative Foods | Wilmington
  4. Ahura Scientific | Wilmington
  5. Smart Destinations | Boston
  6. Hillery Holding | Boston
  7. DestinationWeddings.com | Framingham
  8. SANBlaze Technology | Maynard
  9. Infoscitex | Waltham
  10. eIQnetworks | Acton
  11. Avention | Lawrence
  12. Planet Shoes | Waltham
  13. MindLeaf Technologies | Bedford
  14. TalentBurst | Natick
  15. Acronis | Burlington
  16. Zipcar | Cambridge
  17. S4 | Burlington
  18. SOURCEntra | Framingham
  19. CSN Stores | Boston
  20. 21st Century Biochemicals | Marlborough
  21. Sell My Timeshare Now | Dover, NH
  22. Everon Technology Services | Boston
  23. Treeline | Wakefield
  24. AccountAbility Outsourcing | Newton Lower Falls
  25. K Logix | Brookline
  26. Planet Fitness | Dover, NH
  27. The Brookeside Group | Acton
  28. Plenus Group | Lowell
  29. Syrinx Consulting | Waltham
  30. Comfortsource.com | Waltham
  31. Bullhorn | Boston
  32. KaZaK Composites | Woburn
  33. NitroSecurity, Inc. | Portsmouth, NH
  34. Incendia Partners | Framingham
  35. Overdrive Interactive | Boston
  36. AgencyPort Insurance Services | Boston
  37. Communispace | Watertown
  38. Litle & Co. | Lowell
  39. Astaro | Burlington
  40. Observant | Waltham
  41. Compete | Boston
  42. WorldAPP | Braintree
  43. Accounting Management Solutions | Waltham
  44. NameMedia | Waltham
  45. Wellesley Hills Group | Framingham
  46. Integrated Process Technologies | Devens
  47. Isis Maternity | Needham
  48. DB Healthcare | Burlington
  49. Beacon Hill Staffing Group | Boston
  50. Veroxity Technology Partners | Bedford
  51. PepperDash Technology | Allston
  52. Recycline, Inc. | Waltham
  53. Granite Telecommunications | Quincy
  54. BioTrove | Woburn
  55. Synergic Solutions | Chelmsford
  56. Moonrock Paper Company | Burlington
  57. PeopleServe | Chestnut Hill
  58. Satuit Technologies | Norwell
  59. Sagent Healthstaff | Wellesley
  60. Salient Surgical Technologies | Dover, NH
  61. Resourcesoft | Marlborough
  62. OpenAir | Boston
  63. Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation | Boston
  64. PHT Corporation | Boston
  65. Gomez | Lexington
  66. FlyPrivate | Hingham
  67. Grandstream Networks | Brookline
  68. Agility Manufacturing | Dover, NH
  69. J. Calnan & Associates | Quincy
  70. ZoomInfo | Waltham
  71. Jets.com | Quincy
  72. Liquid Advertising | Boston
  73. Turbine | Westwood
  74. Beacon Partners | Weymouth
  75. IntrinsiQ | Waltham
  76. Tri Wire Engineering Solutions | Tewksbury
  77. ITA Software | Cambridge
  78. SmartPak Equine | Plymouth
  79. Commodore Builders | Newton
  80. Agiltron | Woburn
  81. Oasis Systems | Lexington
  82. PENSCO Trust Company | Portsmouth, NH
  83. Picis | Wakefield
  84. Lawrence Pumps | Lawrence
  85. Xfact | North Andover
  86. RewardsNOW | Dover, NH
  87. Ambient Devices | Cambridge
  88. Roxbury Technology | Jamaica Plain
  89. Merchant Warehouse | Boston
  90. Collegeboxes | Boston
  91. M.J. Scully & Co. | Wilmington
  92. Verndale | Boston
  93. Display Solutions | Hudson
  94. Fulgent Media Group | Boston
  95. Iatric Systems | Boxford
  96. iMarc | Newburyport
  97. Odyssey Systems Consulting Group | Wakefield
  98. Glance Networks | Arlington
  99. Eliassen Group | Wakefield
  100. Leader Bank | Arlington

The Next Step

According to one conclusion from the 7th Annual Sources of Hire Study:
"Good or bad, we advise job seekers to never apply to a company without first networking to an employee in that firm for a referral. The difference in probability of getting 'up to bat' is too large to ignore."
If you believe you can excel in a fast growing organization, then tap into your LinkedIn network to gain an introduction into that organization and explore ways in which you can add your unique value to their operation.
Posted by at

Monday, August 04, 2008

Boston Market | August 2008

News Flash #1

In July the unemployment rate in the United States rose to its highest level (5.7%) in more than four years. There has been a net loss of more than 460,000 jobs in the U.S. since the beginning of 2008 according to Bloomberg.com. In general, Massachusetts is fairing better than the national economy. The statewide unemployment rate stands at 5.2% according to the Boston Business Journal.

News Flash #2

In July employment in the information technology (IT) professions reached an all-time high. The report by the National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses (NACCB) covers the most recent data from June and a press release is available from Reuters. NACCB issues its IT Employment Index (pdf) monthly.

While the roof appears to be collapsing in the overall economy, workers in Massachusetts are fairing better than most and workers with information technology skills remain a valuable commodity.

Boston Market

The Boston Web technology marketplace continues its cautious rebound from two dramatically down months in April and May. The Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for August and appears in the right-hand column.

Five of the top six technologies have demonstrated an increase in job postings for the second month in a row. The six most in-demand technologies are as follows:

  1. SQL
  2. Oracle
  3. Java
  4. XML
  5. SQL Server
  6. JavaScript
Only Java opportunities are down this month, and only by six job postings. Of the remaining 14 technologies, two technologies posted increases for the second month in a row. These technologies are as follows:
  • Web Services | #9
  • PHP | #18

These trends are quite remarkable given that June and July are traditionally slow hiring months -- even in a strong economy!

Implications

One conclusion that can be inferred from the data might be that Web 2.0 skills are in demand. Web 1.0 websites are static. Web 2.0 websites are interactive. While (X)HTML and CSS skills are required to build a Web 1.0 site, two additional skills are required to transform that site into an interactive site that engages viewers and prompts potential customers to take action. Those skill categories are as follows:

  • programming > Java, JavaScript, Web Services, PHP
  • databases > SQL, Oracle, XML, SQL Server

August Opportunities

The best training opportunity for August is the following:

This FREE online course is brought to you by the HP Learning Center. Registration has begun and the first of six lessons has been posted.

The best networking opportunities for August are the following:

Posted by at

Monday, July 21, 2008

TECH cocktail Boston 2

TECH cocktail is returning to Boston this week and you are invited to attend.

TECH cocktail is a social event co-founded by Eric Olson, a Massachusetts native and Bentley College alumnus. Previous events have been held in the following cities:

  • Chicago
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Boulder
  • Boston

This is the second visit to Boston.

TECH cocktail looks to help Boston and other technology communities "amplify the technology signal and have fun doing it."

A handful of startups will be present to show off their Web 2.0 businesses in an expo-style to the rest of the Boston community.

Who Should Attend?

The guest list includes primarily developers, designers and entrepreneurs:

More than 300 guests have preregistered. Check the Attendee List to see if this a networking event that you might find valuable.

Details:

Location: Tequila Rain, Boston (map)

Date: Thursday, July 24, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Price: FREE (with nominal donation)

Registration: RSVP required

For additional information visit TECH cocktail. Also, consider joining the TECH cocktail Attendee Group on LinkedIn and begin networking with more than 50 attendees in the Boston area and more than 700 attendees globally.

Posted by at

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Boston Market | 3rd Quarter, 2008

The Boston Market for Web technology jobs has rebounded after two dramatically down months. There are more job postings this month than last month for 19 out of 20 popular Web technologies.

Top 20 Web Technologies

The list of the most in-demand Web-related technologies has been updated and appears in the right-hand column along with links to job postings for that technology at Boston.com.

This quarterly report of the job market goes deeper than the monthly Boston Market updates. In particular, let's explore the remaining technologies that comprise the Top 50 most in-demand Web-related skills in Boston.

The Top 30

Rounding out the Top 30 are the following 10 technologies:

  1. IIS [ 104 ]
  2. Python [ 102 ]
  3. Visual Studio [ 99 ]
  4. Web 2.0 [ 98 ]
  5. DHTML [ 91 ]
  6. Tomcat [ 85 ]
  7. Acrobat [ 81 ]
  8. SEO [ 77 ]
  9. XHTML [ 75 ]
  10. InDesign [ 71 ]
Of these technologies the most valuable might be Visual Studio (#23) because it is the centerpiece tool for developing Microsoft-centric Web applications that incorporate SQL Server (#5), the C# programming language (#7), Web Services (#10), Ajax (#14) and ASP.NET (#15).

The Top 40

Rounding out the Top 40 are the following 10 technologies:

  1. Dreamweaver [ 67 ]
  2. "Content Management System" [ 67 ]
  3. Quark [ 57 ]
  4. Struts [ 54 ]
  5. DB2 [ 52 ]
  6. Ruby [ 51 ]
  7. social networking [ 47 ]
  8. ActionScript [ 34 ]
  9. VBScript [ 33 ]
  10. blog [ 32 ]

Of these technologies the most valuable might be Ruby (#36). A report at Dice.com called Expanding Opportunities in Open Source Software reveals that the open source Web development framework Ruby on Rails is in demand.

The Top 50

Rounding out the Top 50 are the following 10 technologies:

  1. ColdFusion [ 29 ]
  2. DOM [ 28 ]
  3. "Web standards" [ 28 ]
  4. Rails [ 26 ]
  5. Fireworks [ 25 ]
  6. wiki [ 20 ]
  7. QuarkXPress [ 19 ]
  8. WSDL [ 17 ]
  9. Adobe + Flex [ 14 ]
  10. CS3 [ 14 ]

Of these technologies the most valuable might be Rails (#44) because it is part of the Ruby on Rails web application framework.

Out of Playoff Contention

Popular Web-related technologies that don't make the Top 50 include the following:

  • Silverlight [ 11 ]
  • Drupal [ 10 ]
  • WordPress [ 7 ]
  • Adobe AIR [ 3 ]

It's not that these technologies are not valuable, it is simply that there is little market demand for Web professionals with expertise in these skills compared to the Top 20 Web Technologies.

FREE Online Training Courses

Learning a new skill is just a mouse click away. If you are new to the collection of Top 20 skills supported in the Microsoft development environment (SQL Server, C#, Web Services, Ajax and ASP.NET) you might want to start with the following FREE online seminar:

ASP.NET 2.0: Building Applications

  • started Tuesday, July 1
  • continues weekly for five weeks

While the current version is ASP.NET 3.5 this gentle introduction provides and overview of Microsoft's approach to Web development.

The following two FREE training opportunities are much more in-depth and offer a certificate upon completion:

Ruby, JRuby, and Rails Application Development (with Passion!)

  • starts Tuesday, July 15
  • continues weekly for 19 weeks

Ajax and Web 2.0 Programming (with Passion!)

  • starts Wednesday, July 30
  • continues weekly for 20 weeks

Of these three technologies -- ASP.NET, Ajax, "Ruby on Rails" -- ASP.NET offers the most opportunities in the current marketplace as evident by the chart below.

However, Ajax and "Ruby on Rails" are two of the fastest growing technologies in the marketplace as evident by the chart below.

Check out Indeed's Job Trends to compare the absolute and relative values of your current skill set.

Posted by at

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Web Innovators Group | WebInno18

If you are interested in previewing the latest innovations on the Internet and mobile devices, check out the next gathering of the Web Innovators Group.

This 18th installment (WebInno18) will feature the following presentations (click the "in" icon to reveal your LinkedIn contacts at each company):

Main Dishes

  • TotSpot | a place for parents to publish a page about their kids and share with family and friends -- part online babybook, parent journal, and social network.

  • WebNotes | a tool that helps you create and manage online annotations -- you can highlight text and stick notes to web pages.

  • Zeer | "You are what you eat" -- you can research grocery products in advance, read reviews, obtain nutritional info, join communities that match your needs, and more.

Side Dishes

  • 211me | personalized mobile mashups

  • WordChamp | the language learning network

  • PaperG | promote your local business or organization online

  • CreaturePark | Ingeeni Studios | artificial intelligence technologies for online interactive entertainment

  • YouCastr | a real-time, interactive, global sports network

  • LuckyCal | get more out of your calendar than you put in

  • Snipd | Stealth

Details

Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 6:30 pm

Royal Sonesta Cambridge

Registration is FREE and the networking could prove invaluable! Check out the Attendee List of several hundred pre-registrants to determine if this networking event is right for you.

Registrants are encouraged to join the Boston Web Innovators Group on LinkedIn and connect with more than 600 members.

What is LinkedIn? Check out this video on how LinkedIn works.

Posted by at

Monday, June 30, 2008

SummerMash Boston

Mashable.com has announced its U.S. Summer Tour for 2008 and Boston is one of seven destinations.

Mashable.com is one of the Top 10 most popular blogs in the world according to Technorati.com. It focuses on providing up-to-the-minute news about the Web 2.0 phenomenon that is social networking. It was started by Pete Cashmore in a small town in the north of Scotland.

U.S. Summer Tour 2008

The Mashable Summer Tour will feature a social networking event in each city. Each event will feature the following:

  • approximately 500 to 900 attendees
  • networking opportunities
  • formal introductions to the sponsors
  • raffle prizes
  • giveaways
  • music
  • drink tickets
  • light appetizers

Here are the locations and dates for Mashable's US Summer Tour 2008:

SummerMash Boston

Here are the details of the Boston event:

Local sponsors include the following (click the "in" icon to reveal your LinkedIn contacts at each company):

  • Trip Advisor | Newton
  • W3 Edge | Boston

Additional local sponsors will be included as the event draws near.

Registration is required and is available online via Eventbrite. The cost is $17 for the first 100 to register by August 4. Additional tickets will be made available for $21 after the first slots are filled.

Expand Your Network

If you are a Web Designer/Developer and want to learn more about Web 2.0 and social networking then your action plan is as follows:

Posted by at

Saturday, June 28, 2008

IT Salary Survey | 2008

According to the recently released Cybercities 2008 report, Boston is the fourth largest city in the U.S. in terms of technology employment. The top four cities are as follows:

  • New York Metro Area
  • Washington, DC
  • San Jose/Silicon Valley
  • Boston

The Boston metro area employed approximately 192,000 tech workers in 2006, according to the report. The average tech worker in Boston earned approximately $95,000.

IT Salary Survey | 2008

More recent salary data can be found in the annual InformationWeek U.S. IT Salary Survey. The average information technology (IT) manager earns $103,000 (bonus included). Median base pay according to the survey:

  • staff | $73,000 (+ $3,000 bonus)
  • managers | $96,000 (+ $7,000 bonus)

Half of staffers and two-thirds of managers receive bonuses.

Median total compensation for staff with the "programmer" title comes in at $66,000.

Critical Job Skills

Half of IT staffers identify the following as their most critical job skills:

  • aligning business and technology goals
  • interacting with customers
  • analyzing data

For IT managers the critical skills are as follows:

  • business technology alignment
  • the ability to communicate and collaborate with internal stakeholders
  • the ability to communicate and collaborate with customers

Salary by Job Function

"There are some jobs that are seeing an uptick in salary, particularly those with Web design and development roles," according to an excerpt of the full report that is available for purchase.

None-the-less, "Web content management" ranks as one of the lowest paid IT management functions. Here are the highest and lowest paid management functions:

Highest Paid Management Functions:

  • Data mining/data warehouse | $130,000
  • Web infrastructure | $121,000
  • Wireless infrastructure | $121,000

Lowest Paid Management Functions:

  • Training | $79,000
  • Web content development | $75,000
  • Help desk/IT support | $72,000

This data is reported in an annual survey of more than 9,000 workers across 20 IT job functions and management positions. An InformationWeek article provides additional insight. A slide show is also available summarizing the results.

Bottom Line

Based on this compensation survey the surest route to a six-figure paycheck in the technology marketplace is to improve in the following four areas:

  • acquire additional technical skills, especially data analysis
  • improve communication & collaboration skills
  • develop business skills
  • assume managerial responsibilities

By helping a business enterprise improve it's bottom line you can help improve yours.

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Saturday, June 14, 2008

Firefox Download Day

Download Day 2008

Firefox Download Day is scheduled for Tuesday, June 17. On this day Mozilla will officially release the Firefox 3 Web browser from beta. The current release is Firefox 2.

The Mozilla Foundation is looking to set the Guinness World Record for Most Software Downloaded in 24 Hours and they are asking for your help.

Why Get Involved

Most Web Designers/Developers prefer working with standards-compliant Web browsers like Firefox. Non-compliant browsers, like Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 (IE 6), simply create extra work for coders whose job it is to make Web pages work equally well in all major browsers. By spreading the word about Firefox Download Day, Web professionals can help educate less-informed Web users on the benefits of designing with Web Standards.

To participate simply access the Firefox Download Day website and click the Pledge Now! button. More than one million Internet users have made the pledge to download Firefox 3 on Tuesday.

Additionally, you can join a Firefox 3 World Record Facebook group to help promote the event.

Practical Implications

Beantown Web reports on Web browser usage statistics and posts these figures in the right hand column. According to NetApplications.com the current Browser Version Market Share is as follows:

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 | 46%
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 | 28%
  • Firefox 2.0 | 17%
  • Safari 3.0 | 4%
  • Other | 5%

Currently, Internet Explorer 6.0 is more popular than Firefox 2.0 in viewing Web pages. Firefox Download Day will help raise awareness about the value of the Firefox viewing experience. However, the campaign may not have much affect in converting IE 6 users to Firefox 3 users. For that we turn to another campaign.

Say No To IE 6!

The Say No To IE 6! campaign from SaveTheDevelopers.org focuses on assisting users in upgrading their Internet Explorer 6.0 web browser.

"This campaign will result in former IE 6 users having a more enjoyable experience on the web while (hopefully) creating a less stressful and complicated environment for web developers by hastening the retirement of an outdated browser."

Here's how it works:

  • Simply add one line of javascript code to any web page.
  • If the page is viewed using IE 6 the browser will activate a clickable dropdown image (below) that will encourage the viewer to upgrade to the much-improved IE 7 version.

Access the Save The Developers website to see how it works and to obtain the code.

Get Out The Vote

No matter which candidate you prefer, Firefox Download Day or Say No To IE 6!, this Tuesday presents a unique educational opportunity to help inform the casual Web user of the value of using a standards-compliant browser.

Join a campaign and spread the word today!

Update: Firefox 3 Downloaded 8.3 Million Times in First 24 Hours

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