Spring Business Barometer

According to the Spring 2005 Business Barometer, a nationwide survey of more than 1,000 leaders of small and medium-sized businesses, two out of three business leaders believe that business Web sites influence overall sales. More than half of the small businesses surveyed now have Web sites in place, and a full 96 percent of those say their online identity is critical to their success.

The top three business priorities according to these business leaders all tracked back to the bottom line:

• revenue growth (79 percent)
• customer retention (70 percent)
• expense reduction (46 percent)

Web developers can use this survey data to help position their services and assist business leaders with helping to meet their business priorities. In particular, the following three "e-commerce features" were listed as valuable to small business owners:

• online payment transactions
• online business forms
• email requests

In addition, small business owners ranked these Web-based marketing strategies relatively low: e-mail marketing, search engine keywords, and banner advertising. The top three marketing tools critical in driving business for their companies were as follows:

• community relations (55 percent)
• Web sites (47 percent)
• public relations/media coverage (31 percent)

By sharing this survey data with small business owners, Web developers can position themselves as business advisors and increase the likelihood of developing cost-effective Web projects that meet the needs of small business owners.

Microsoft Access Training

As detailed in the Boston Market - May blog posting, database expertise continues to be in high demand among companies seeking technology professionals in the greater Boston area. In particular, nearly 200 job postings are available via BostonWorks.com for individuals with Microsoft Access knowledge and experience. More than 370 job postings are available at Monster.com.

Microsoft Access training is available for free at Microsoft's New England District offices on Wednesday, May 18. The agenda is as follows:

• Introductory sessions -- 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
• Intermediate sessions -- 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
• Developer sessions -- 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM

For further details go to Boston Access Day.

Yahoo! Website Service

I decided to test Yahoo!'s new Website development service. I used it to list Web Apprentices in Yahoo!'s local business directory. Check out the results here:

http://ma.local.yahoo.biz/webapprentices/

It took me about one hour to set this site up. It's easy to do once you know what you want to say -- it might take another hour to capture and edit the content.

As you will see, this approach has limitations (advertising, lack of flexibility, etc.). However, this might be a solution for some businesses who merely want to establish a temporary Web presence until a custom solution is developed.

Check it out. We are all aware of a local business that could use a simple Website. Your sister's Beauty Salon. Your nephew's lawn mowing service. Your local church, mosque, or synagogue. Offer to get them on The Web using this service. Keep in mind that your time has value. At the very least you should barter for two hours worth of service in exchange for your efforts.

Boston Market -- May

Database expertise continues to be in high demand among companies seeking technology professionals in the greater Boston area. Currently, the Boston Globe lists the following opportunities (number of listings in parentheses):

• Oracle (369)
• SQL Server (225)
• Microsoft Access (188)
• MySQL (19)

Monster.com lists the following opportunities (number of listings in parentheses):

• Oracle (831)
• SQL Server (507)
• Microsoft Access (366)
• MySQL (53)

Regardless of the database product Web developers can enhance their career prospects by learning SQL, the standard programming language used to access information from databases.

• The Boston Globe lists 404 SQL opportunities.
• Monster.com lists 931 SQL opportunities.

The links above and on the right-hand side provide easy access to Web development job listings in the greater Boston area.

Webby Award Nominees

Nominees for the 9th Annual Webby Awards have been announced. The Webby Awards is the leading international award program honoring excellence in Web design, creativity, usability and functionality. Five nominees were recognized in each of 63 categories. Winners will be announced in early May.

Web developers can benefit from reviewing the nominee websites and incorporating the "best of breed" concepts into future development projects. Simply click the category below to gain access to the five nominee Websites in that category.

Webby Award categories:

• activism
• arts
• associations
• automotive
• banking
• beauty & cosmetics
• best copy writing
• best home/welcome page
• best navigation/structure
• best practices
• best use of animation or moving images
• best use of sound or music
• blog
• broadband
• celebrity/fan
• charitable organizations nonprofit
• community
• consumer electronics
• cultural institutions
• education
• employment
• events
• family/parenting
• fashion
• financial services
• food & beverage
• games
• games-related
• government
• guides/ratings/reviews
• health
• humor
• insurance
• investor relations
• IT hardware/software
• law
• lifestyle
• magazine
• movie & film
• music
• news
• newspaper
• personal web site
• pharmaceuticals
• politics
• professional services
• radio
• real estate
• religion & spirituality
• restaurant
• retail
• school
• science
• services
• social networking
• sports
• student
• telecommunications
• television
• tourism
• travel
• weird
• youth
  

Disruptive Technology

According to a recent report issued by The Kelsey Group, 70 percent of households in the United States now use the Internet to gather information when shopping locally for products and services. However, another report from June, 2004 by the same group revealed that nearly half of small to medium sized businesses did not yet have a Website and 30% of those businesses indicated that they intended to have one within 12 months.

Yahoo! has decided to capitalize on these trends by launching a new feature that provides free Web sites for small businesses. The service features five free pages that can be customized from a variety of templates, as well as, free listing in the Yahoo! local search engine.

If you are a veteran Web developer you merely need to be aware of this service. Small businesses with limited resources are probably not in your target market.

Junior developers, on the other hand, can position this free service as an entry level offering in a portfolio of services. You can offer to develop a limited "free" Website for friends and neighbors with small businesses and charge an hourly rate for your service. You can use the Yahoo! local search engine to identify prospects. As you develop a client base you can interest these small business owners in additional value-added services, such as database connectivity, as their needs expand.

You can learn more by accessing the Yahoo! local website beta site.

Boston Market - April

HTML skills continue to be in demand. This month's analysis of the Boston job market reveals that 153 jobs listed in the Boston Globe require HTML skills. This compares to 61 listings for Photoshop and 23 listings for Dreamweaver.

Database skills are in even greater demand with 390 listings for individuals who can demonstrate an understanding of SQL, the language used to access information from databases. Individuals with knowledge of proprientary database management systems such as Access (156), SQL Server (209) and Oracle (385) continue to be in high demand.

Connecting a Web page to a database requires HTML and SQL knowledge, as well as, understanding of a server-side scripting language. Four common scripting methods include the following:

• ASP (107)
• ASP.NET (67)
• PHP (21)
• Cold Fusion (11)

ASP continues to be the most in-demand scripting method followed by the next generation -- ASP.NET. Both techniques are proprietary Microsoft technologies. PHP is an open-source (free) alternative.

Monster.com consistently lists twice as many opportunities as BostonWork.com. The links on the right-hand side provide easy access to these job listings.

The Next 10 Years

Now is the time to map out the next 10 years of your career. According to a FORTUNE magazine report IT will be back in a big way. In fact, seven of the top 20 fastest-growing professional jobs require computer expertise. In addition if you have health care experience and/or financial management skills, then opportunities will be prevalent.

The following seven technology jobs will likely see 20% employment growth over the next decade:

• network systems and datacom analysts
• database administrators
• biomedical engineers
• compensation, benefits, and job analysts
• network and systems administrators
• computer specialists

According to FORTUNE, "the more sophisticated the skills, the greater the demand." So, map out a plan today to upgrade your technical skills to prepare for the high-paying jobs of tomorrow. The upcoming Boston Market analysis for April will point you in the direction of the top technical skills in demand today.

ASP Retirement Date

Just as Dan Rather retired this week from network news broadcasting another veteran of the communications community will soon bid farewell -- ASP (Active Server Pages). More accurately, Microsoft announced this week that it will no longer provide standard support for its programming language Visual Basic 6.0 (VB6) beyond the end of this month. The planned phase out is designed to encourage programmers to utilize Microsoft's newer Visual Basic .Net platform. An InformationWeek article provides the details.

ASP is a Web-based technology that utilizes VBScript to interact with a Web server. VBScript is a "lite" version of the Visual Basic 6.0 programming language. The practical implication of Microsoft's announcement is that Web developers are being discouraged from creating ASP applications in favor of Microsoft's newer ASP.NET technology.

So what's a Web Developer to do? If you are familiar with creating ASP applications, then you should consider upgrading your skills to include ASP.NET training. If you are not yet familiar with server-side scripting using ASP you might consider learning an open-source alternative called PHP.

Beantown Web will begin monitoring job opportunities in the greater Boston area for ASP.NET and PHP, as well as, ASP in its "Boston Market" report at the beginning of each month.

Keep in mind that Dan Rather is not going away -- you can still see him on 60 Minutes (Wednesday). ASP, likewise will still be around for a while before slowly riding off into the sunset.

What is a Webmaster?

The median salary of a Webmaster in the greater Boston is $70,000 according to Salary.com. Add in bonus and benefits and compensation approaches six figures. Salary.com provides the following Job Description:

Webmaster: Develops and maintains the company's portal. Performs backups and ensure user accessibility to the site. Monitors site traffic and helps scale site capacity to meet traffic demands performance. Improves the company's efficiency and designs the look and feel for the site. May require a bachelor's degree and 2-4 years of experience. Must have a working knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, and SQL. Relies on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. Works under general supervision; typically reports to a manager. A certain degree of creativity and latitude is required.

So, what does it take to become a Webmaster?

• Training: HTML, JavaScript, and SQL
• Experience: 2-4 years

Future blogs will explore training and certification opportunities in preparation for obtaining a six figure Webmaster position.

Who's Hiring?

The computer systems and design sector employs approximately 42,700 workers in the greater Boston area. The bad news is that this employment level represents a 36% decrease from the 66,600 employed in February 2001. The good news is that technology companies that employ creative tech workers are hiring.

A majority (52 percent) of technology chief executives in Massachusetts say they plan to create jobs this year, according to a new survey conducted by the Massachusetts High Technology Council. Only 6 percent said they plan to eliminate jobs. Increased sales is the primary reason for improved job prospects.

A press release detailing the survey results is available at the Council's Website. Approximately 100 Massachusetts technology companies belong to the Council. A roster of member companies along with links to their Websites is also available.

Boston Market -- March

Core Web skills continue to be in demand in our monthly survey of technology expertise that employers in the greater Boston area desire in job candidates.

In the area of Web Design knowing how to manipulate HTML code is eight times more valuable than being familiar with how to use a program like Dreamweaver that will manipulate the code for you.

In the area of Web Development knowing how to access information from a database using SQL is two and a half times more valuable than being comfortable manipulating Web pages using HTML.

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 (144)
JavaScript (50)
Photoshop (61)
Dreamweaver (18)

Web Programming Skill (Number of Job Listings)

SQL (362)
MS Access (178)
HTML (144)
ASP (106)
JavaScript (50)

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

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.

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.

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)

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."

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.

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:

• HTML 2: Enhance Your Web Site
• Introduction to Cascading Style Sheets
• Surviving the Internet 1: (Viruses, Worms, Phishing, Email Hoaxes)
• Surviving the Internet 2: (Spyware, Adware, and Personal Firewalls)

The class I will be taking is the following:

• How to Develop A Marketing Plan

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:

• Google Blogger
• MSN Spaces
• Lycos Tripod Blog Builder

You can search blog on the Web at the following sites:

• Bloogz World Wide Blog
• Blog Search Engine

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.