Sunday, February 27, 2005

Most Admired Companies

FORTUNE magazine has announced the results of this year's Most Admired Companies. Fifteen companies with headquarters in Massachusetts made this year's list. While website design is not one of the criteria used to determine the list, Web developers can learn basic design principles by reviewed how the Most Admired Companies in Massachusetts present themselves on the Web. Check them out here . . .

Analog Devices Norwood
Boston Properties Boston
Boston Scientific Natick
EMC Hopkinton
Gillette Boston
Iron Mountain Boston
Liberty Mutual Insurance Boston
Massachusetts Mutual Life Springfield
PerkinElmer Wellesley
Raytheon Waltham
Reebok International Canton
Staples Framingham
State Street Boston
TJX Framingham
Thermo Electron Waltham

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Survey of Design Salaries

Last year 3500 design professionals completed what is "widely recognized as the most comprehensive survey of compensation conducted" for creative positions, according to the organization that commissioned the study. Three of the 15 job titles included the following:

  • Web designer
  • Web developer: front-end/interface systems
  • Web programmer/developer: back-end systems

The median total cash compensation for each job title in the New England region is as follows:

  • Web designer ($50,000)
  • Web developer ($55,000)
  • Web programmer/developer ($56,000)

An Entry-Level Designer with one to two years experience, however, can expect to earn considerably less ($31,000).

To review job descriptions for all 15 job titles access an online salary calculator made available by the American Institute of Graphic Arts. The entire survey is also available for download.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Wikis & Blogs

New online collaboration tools are emerging to help businesses communicate and share documents. Web developers who are familiar with these information sharing tools will have a leg up on the competition. Learning more about tools such as wikis and blogs can make a difference between whether or not you are selected to help a customer develop a Website, a one-time event, or help a client solve a communication and collaboration challenge, an ongoing relationship.

To learn more about wikis and blogs access a Yahoo! Technology WebTech text-based article. A version of this article that includes hypertext links to collaboration tools such as JotSpot, Socialtext and Blubber can be downloaded from the BHCC_web data files, under the file name wikis_blogs.doc. This document can be forwarded to prospective clients to help educate them on the range of possibilities for online collaboration.

Monday, February 07, 2005

Job Market -- February

The job market in the greater Boston area continues to be strong for Web Designers based on job listings in The Boston Globe. Web Designers who have advanced their skill set to include training in scripting (ASP) and data storage (SQL and Access) dramatically improve their employability and earning potential in today's job market.

The following analysis illustrates the demand for Web Design and Web Programming candidates based on keyword searches in BostonWorks.com. The Links in the right-hand column provide easy access to these job listings.

Web Design Skill (Number of Job Listings)

  • HTML (157)
  • JavaScript (59)
  • Photoshop (57)
  • Dreamweaver (21)

Web Programming Skill (Number of Job Listings)

  • SQL (381)
  • MS Access (159)
  • HTML (157)
  • ASP (98)
  • JavaScript (59)

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Web Standards

To learn more about Web Standards check out Bob Delaney's new blog, DelaneyDesign on Web Standards.

Bob is veteran Web designer who provides "thoughts, links, information, and ramblings from the perspective of one web designer making the transition from "old-school" design methods to the use of modern web standards."

Thursday, February 03, 2005

2005 Salary Guide

Robert Half Technology (RHT) announced the release of its 2005 Salary Guide. Billed as "the definitive resource for those hiring - and being hired - in the information technology field," the 2005 Salary Guide features starting salary ranges for more than 60 IT positions, regional and national employment trends, management strategies and more.

According to RHT's quarterly e-newsletter six information technology initiatives are driving demand for highly skilled project professionals including the following:
  • The Web – Continued investment in the Internet allows businesses to enhance collaboration, customer service, customization, streamlining and management.
To receive your free copy of the 2005 Salary Guide visit the RHT Career Center.

Sunday, January 30, 2005

Online Web Classes

Virtual University's Winter 2005 Calendar of Online Classes are scheduled to begin on Monday, January 31. A few of the Web Development classes that offer promise include the following:

The class I will be taking is the following:

The end product will be a marketing plan for WebApprentices.com.

Classes typically last for five weeks with weekly lesson plans being posted every Monday. You can register for up to three classes for a cost of only $20. Check 'em out!

What is a blog?

A blog (contraction of "web log") is a journal that is available on the Web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in cronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominantly.
Blogging software is generally free. Check out a few of the following resources:
You can search blog on the Web at the following sites:
Web developers will be asked by clients about the value of blogs. Setting up a blog site for a client is easy and can add instant value. The best way to learn is to sign up and start blogging today.