O'Reilly Ignites Boston

O'Reilly wants to Ignite Boston and you are invited to a special event.

O'Reilly Media is the publisher of technology books including such popular series as Head First, In a Nutshell and the upcoming Dynamic Learning self-paced training system for learning Adobe CS3.

Tim O'Reilly is the founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media and a Harvard graduate. He is credited with coining the phrase Web 2.0.

Ignite Boston takes place on Thursday, May 31 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm at Tommy Doyle's at Harvard Square in Cambridge. The event includes a keynote address and "guest speakers who’ll catch you up on the cool, new, innovative stuff going on in technology today."

RSVP

If you plan to attend, email IgniteBoston [at] oreilly [dot] com for the chance to win $300 worth of really cool technology books, compliments of O’Reilly Media. You must be present to walk away with the prize, so sign up and show up to win!

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Google Developer Day

Google is going global on Thursday, May 31 to discuss its view of the future of web applications. The first ever Google Developer Day™ will feature live, free webcasts discussing Google's Web development tools.

Early birds can catch the London keynote address live at 7:00 am EDT. The Mountain View keynote address will be broadcast live at 1:00 pm EDT.

Building Blocks for Better Web Applications

Google will offer presentations on the following topics:

• Google Maps
• Google Calendar
• Google Spreadsheet
• Google Checkout
  
• Ajax
• XML
• Mashups
• Python
  

Presentations begin at 2:00 pm EDT. A complete schedule is available at Google Developer Day 2007 Website.

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Second Life (In the Year 2525)

In the Year 1969

Zager and Evans became a one-hit wonder when their hauntingly futuristic song In the Year 2525 orbited the Billboard charts for six weeks.

"In the year 2525,
If man is still alive,
If woman can survive,
They may find..."

In the Year 2007

A San Francisco-based company with its own vision for the future acquired a Waltham-based company called Windward Mark Interactive and is looking for talent to help bring its vision of the future into focus. The name of the company is Linden Lab and its vision of the future can be found in Second Life, a three dimensional online community.

In the Year 2011

. . . 80 percent of active Internet users (and Fortune 500 enterprises) will have a "Second Life"' in the virtual world, according to Gartner, Inc. " . . . don't ignore this trend. [It] will have a significant impact on your enterprise during the next five years." To learn more access a summary of Gartner's Five Laws for companies participating in the virtual world.

In the Year 2017

"Instead of Web sites like we have now, we'll have 3-D representations in the virtual world," according to a representative of Mozilla which oversees the development of the Firefox browser. "Business travel, telecommuting, and even the basic things people expect in day-to-day business will be affected." To see how the Web browser will evolve to accommodate 3D technologies championed by Linden Lab access an Information Week article.

Meet The Lindens

If you would like to be part of this future, Linden Lab would like to meet you. They are throwing a private party in Boston the evening of Wednesday, May 30. To find out how you can attend and impress the Lindens with your skills, register for the Boston Recruiting Party for your opportunity to begin a Second Life!

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Omnivore or Indifferent?

Imagine a world without the Internet or cell phones. It was not that long ago that this world existed. Yet, nearly half of adults in the United States have a somewhat distant or non-existent relationship with modern information technology. This technology includes Internet access and cell phone usage.

A survey of more than 4,000 adults conducted by the Pew Internet Project categorized adults into the following three groups:

• elite technology users (31%)
  
• moderate technology users (20%)
  
• have little or no usage of the Internet or cell phones (49%)
  

The focus of the survey was on information technology, especially the Internet and cell phones, but also included other technologies such as digital cameras.

Omnivores

Elite technology users were categorized into four subgroups as follows:

• Omnivores: voracious users of information gadgets and services
  
• Connectors: use technology to connect to people and manage digital content
• Lackluster Veterans: frequent Internet users, but not early adapters; less avid about cell phones
• Productivity Enhancers: main focus is personal and professional communication

Moderate technology users were categorized into two subgroups as follows:

• Mobile Centrics: heavy cell phone users; infrequent Internet users
• Connected But Hassled: find connectivity intrusive and information something of a burden
  

Indifferents

Low level technology users were categorized into four subgroups as follows:

• Inexperienced Experimenters: occasionally interactive; late Internet adopters
• Light But Satisfied: technology does not play a central role in their daily lives
• Indifferents: use cell phone and the Internet intermittently and find connectivity annoying
• Off the Network: content with old media and have little use for cell phones, digital cameras and the Internet

The implications of this research are important for helping marketing and technology professionals understand who is most likely to be receptive to Web- and cell-based communications. To learn more about this study access a press release available from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Which technology group do you belong to? To find out take a ten-question quiz.

Editor's Note: The results of my quiz reveal that I am a Connector. Here is my profile:

Connectors, which make up 7% of the population, have a median age of 38, with a majority (54%) in the 30-49 age range. Ethnically, it is mostly white (72%); 16% are Black and 12% are English-speaking Hispanics. The typical Connector has been online for 9 years, which suggests they were a second-wave of late 1990s adopters. Most are women (55%) and they rate above average in educational attainment and income.

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JavaFX Script & Silverlight

Two new kids have moved into the neighborhood and Web designers and developers should take notice. The kids names are JavaFX Script and Silverlight. JavaFX Script has siblings in the JavaFX family and Silverlight is related to the Expression family.

New Kids on the Block

JavaFX Script is a new scripting language based on Java which was created by Sun Microsystems. JavaFX Script enables content rich, highly interactive sites to be built by creative professionals on Java-based devices including computer, television and mobile.

Silverlight is a Microsoft product designed to compete with Adobe Flash. It was engineered using a subset of Microsoft's .NET technology. Silverlight provides support for such technologies as XHTML, JavaScript, Ajax, Apache, PHP, Visual Basic, C#, Python, Ruby and MP3.

Families

JavaFX is a Sun Microsytems family that currently includes the siblings JavaFX Script and JavaFX Mobile. New follow-on content authoring tools are expected to be added to the family in the near future.

Expression is a Microsoft family of tools developed for professional designers who build Web and Windows client applications and rich media content. Expression Studio includes the following family members:

• Expression Web, a design tool used to create standards-based Websites
  
• Expression Design, a illustration and graphic design tool
  
• Expression Blend, a user interface design platform for Silverlight
  
• Expression Media, an asset management tool

Test Drive

JavaFX Script and Silverlight are currently in test release. Microsoft Expression is available for purchase and free trial versions of the entire suite or individual family members can be downloaded for 60 days.

Beantown Web will monitor the demand for Web professionals who have developed expertise in using these new tool sets as these technologies become mainstream.

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Boston Market -- May

Quality jobs remain plentiful as the U.S. economy continues its expansion. Here are three positive indicators from surveys released during the past week:

• Deloitte's 2007 CEO Survey -- CEOs of the fastest growing technology companies report that finding, hiring and retaining qualified employees continues to be their biggest operational challenge.
• Spherion IT Employment Report -- Three factors -- growing technology economy, increasing Web 2.0 activity, declining graduation rates of science and engineering students -- are converging to create an abundance of open IT jobs with few qualified candidates available to fill them.
• Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series -- Massachusetts leads the country in job openings per capita with more than five vacancies for every 100 persons in the labor force.
  

This month's analysis of the job market for Web-related technology professionals focuses on scripting languages. Earlier this year Evans Data Corporation released its 2007 Scripting Languages – Developers Choice Report. More than 400 developers evaluated 12 scripting languages. The focus of the survey was to determine which provided the best security.

Two scripting languages provided superior security:

• Adobe® Flex™
• Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX (previously code-named “Atlas”)
  

So, does best security equate to best job prospects? Here is a list of the 12 scripting languages along with the number of listings for that technology at BostonWorks.com:

• JavaScript [ 228 ]
• Perl [ 207 ]
• ASP.NET [ 177 ]
• Python [ 70 ]
• PHP [ 65 ]
• ColdFusion [ 40 ]
• VB Script [ 31 ]
• Ruby [ 25 ]
• ActionScript [ 18 ]
• Tcl [ 7 ]
• Adobe Flex [ 4 ]
• XAML [ 1 ]

If you are a Web technology professional and would like to expand your career prospects, consider formulating a training plan to learn one of the top three scripting languages:

• JavaScript
• Perl
• ASP.NET

All three of these languages are in the Top 10 Web Technologies list which has been updated for May and appears in the right-hand column along with links to jobs that list that technology skill in the job description.

Once again database and programming skills dominate the Top 10 Web Technologies list. Expertise with these technologies form the foundation for solid career prospects as website owners continue to move beyond static website offerings.

The remaining 17 Web-related skills are as follows:

11. CSS [ 122 ]
12. Photoshop [ 97 ]
13. Flash [ 91 ]
14. Ajax [ 86 ]
15. Python [ 70 ]
16. PHP [ 65 ]
17. MySQL [ 64 ]
18. DHTML [ 59 ]
19. Visual Studio [ 47 ]
20. Dreamweaver [ 45 ]
21. ColdFusion [ 40 ]
22. DB2 [ 40 ]
23. VBScript [ 31 ]
24. Ruby [ 25 ]
25. XHTML [ 22 ]
26. ActionScript [ 18 ]
27. DOM [ 12 ]

Average Salaries in Boston and Browser Version Market Share have also been updated and appear in the right-hand column.

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Web 2.0 Expo: Best of Show

If you couldn't make it to the recently concluded, first annual Web 2.0 Expo on the Left Coast, Beantown Web provides you with links to everything you need to know.

Web 2.0 Expo is an annual gathering of technical, design, marketing, and business professionals who are building the next generation web.

The Expo featured 115 Web 2.0 companies competing for attention. Webware.com, a site where computer users can learn about new and useful Web applications, selected their Top Five Web 2.0 services from the conference as follows:

• Tellme provides new ways for anyone to search for information they need from any phone by speaking or typing their query and then hearing or seeing the answer.
  
• Octopz offers next-generation online collaboration software created specifically to meet the challenges of creative professionals, such as product designers, graphic artists, photographers and digital media producers.
• Dapper is a service that allows users to build web applications and mashups using data from any website without any programming.
• Coghead offers a way to create web-based business applications that can be used by anyone, anytime, anywhere.
• Spock, currently in private beta, is building the broadest and deepest people specific search engine.

Webware.com offers a four-minute video that summarizes its selections.

Webware.com would like you to participate in The Webware 100 Awards -- the Web's first user-generated Web 2.0 awards. The Webware 100 will list the 10 best Web 2.0 sites in 10 categories. Feel free to nominate your favorite Web 2.0 site.

Nomination deadline is Monday, May 7. Beantown Web will highlight the winners which are scheduled to be announced on Monday, June 18.

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Web 2.0: Most Likely to Succeed

<> YouTube <> Wikipedia <> Flickr <>

Two years ago you may not have heard these names. But now they are mainstream and prototypes for Web 2.0 sites to follow. All three of these services feature UGC -- user generated content.

The Next Big Thing

What are the next Web 2.0 sites that are about to explode? Hitwise offers its candidates for exponential growth over the coming months.

Hitwise is a Web service that offers competitive intelligence on how people interact on the Web. Based on an extensive filter of 25 million Internet users and some 860,000 Web sites, Hitwise has identified the following six Web 2.0 sites with the greatest potential to become the next Big Internet phenomenon:

• Yelp
• StumbleUpon
• Veoh
• WeeWorld
• Imeem
• Piczo

Never heard of them? Here's what they do:

Yelp is the fun and easy way to find, review and talk about what's great -- and not so great -- in your area.

StumbleUpon helps you discover and share great websites.

Veoh is a virtual television network that organizes, showcases, and delivers clear, full-screen video programming to anyone with a broadband connection.

WeeWorld puts a friendly face on the Internet by giving you a graphic alter-ego that allows you to express yourself, communicate and have fun with old and new friends both online and on your mobile phone.

Imeem is an online community where artists, fans and friends can promote their content, share their tastes, and discover blogs, photos, music and video.

Piczo has created a space that gives teens around the world the freedom and tools to express themselves and connect with friends in a safer social networking environment.

Hitwise's prediction of explosive growth potential is the result of an extensive filtering of traffic patterns that show Web 2.0 usage compared with overall Internet traffic has expanded from 2% in its first year to more than 12% currently. Details about the Hitwise Web 2.0 projections are available in an Information Week article.

Implications for Web Developers

As UGC continues to expand, Web professionals should consider developing technical skills to offer to prospective clients who might want to add Web 2.0 features to their list of Web services. Here are three ideas to consider:

• Register for PHP and MySQL: Building Web Applications
  

• Register for Microsoft ASP.NET: Building Applications

Both online courses are FREE, but neither are currently in session. The HP Learning Center will contact you when the next session is offered.

• Register for a Ning account. Ning is an online service that allows you to create, customize, and share your own Social Network. You can make it public or private and use it for anything - and anyone - you'd like.

Ning is FREE and offers Developer Support.

NOTE: You are cordially invited to join the new Boston LinkedIn Network, powered by Ning.

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2007 Entry Level Job Outlook

Expect competition for that entry level job. Employers project an average of 73 applications for each available entry-level position.

These findings were revealed in an annual survey conducted by Monster.com. Results were captured from surveys of nearly 1,000 employers and more than 2,500 students. A summary of the results is available in a Monster press release.

Here are two positive findings that employers revealed in the survey:

• 76 percent of employers plan to hire 2007 graduates in the spring or summer
  
• 38 percent expect to recruit more entry-level candidates than in 2006

Here are two positive findings revealed by students about their confidence in finding work:

• 89 percent expect to receive at least one job offer by graduation
• 74 percent expect two or more offers

Employers and graduates both perceive the following as the most important factors in hiring recent college graduates:

• relevant work experience
• personal characteristics, such as interviewing skills

Recognizing that employers value relevant work experience, 78 percent of graduates plan to complete at least one internship experience prior to graduation.

Here is how employers and graduates use the Internet during the hiring process:

• One-in-five employers will check candidates' personal online profiles
  
• Three-in-five of last year's graduates maintained an online profile

Finally, here is the biggest mistake a prospective candidate can make during the job search process:

• lack of professionalism, such as tardiness or not sending a thank-you note

One in three of last year's graduates said they did not send thank-you notes after interviews.

Summary:

If you are near the beginning of your career and exploring employment opportunities, here are three strategies that can help separate you from your competition:

• Set a goal of making at least 73 contacts in your search for meaningful work
• Maintain an up-to-date online profile that includes all relevant work-related experiences, especially internships, practicums, and other client-related work
• Show up early and express written thanks to everyone who helps you along the way
  

Simply follow these three recommendations and multiple job offers are sure to follow.

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Chowda Chat: Dan Keldsen

"Chowda Chat" is a periodic Beantown Web installment that features a conversation with an influential member of the Greater Boston technology community. The purpose of "Chowda Chat" is to provide Web technology professionals with information to help advance their careers. The format involves three questions and responses followed by one final thought.

Today's issue of "Chowda Chat" presents the thoughts and observations of Dan Keldsen, Analyst and Consultant at The Innovation Lab of Perot Systems and publisher of BizTechTalk.

1. Your blog, BizTechTalk, offers podcasting, one of many "Web 2.0" technologies that are increasingly being used to connect with an audience. How time consuming is podcasting and how can one get started?

"At it's heart, podcasting is just a slight spin on older technologies or media. As with any media production exercise, the key to producing content in a timely manner is in having a system or process in place to go from concept, through pre-production, production, release and marketing (and sales if you choose to monetize the content)."

"All of the podcasts that I have done so far (roughly 45 recorded, 30 or so released as of this interview) have been interviews with either one or two people, typically recorded over the phone or via Skype, so my examples will assume another person is involved in the conversation."

"Even with relatively minimal prep time to prepare a framework for discussion (I don't use set questions for each interview), you should expect easily 30 minutes as a minimum, and perhaps as many as several hours if you need to do any significant level of reading, summarizing and creation of your interview format for these interviews."

"Once the recording starts, we treat it as though we are live in front of audience, which helps to minimize the audio editing necessary on the back end. Depending on the effort you want to put into the final product -- some stammer, um and ah removal is typical -- add 100-200% more time to the editing process than whatever amount you have recorded. If you were not careful in applying some structure to the interview, editing the audio so that it makes a more coherent story can add a significant amount of time. Avoid that at all costs!"

2. The "Innovation Lab" of Perot Systems has assisted more than 20,000 professionals determine how to invest in strategic technology to create competitive advantage. What is the one non-technology skill that a technology professional should develop today to create a strategic career advantage?

"The ability to rapidly and thoroughly problem solve is at the heart of any job I can think of today, certainly in any operationally-focused technology position, but through more customer-facing and forward-facing new product development scenarios as well. If you can't solve problems on the fly, you are toast. If technology worked exactly as advertised, nothing would ever go wrong, but technology has glitches, and the swift survive on this one! Since I have a background as a musician, I tend think of life and work as one extended improvisation, where keeping one's cool while finding a solution is THE skill to have. Just don't let the thrill of solving problems instantly prevent you from keeping an eye on larger problems that may take more of an effort to solve."

3. The one-word advice offered to Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate was "plastics." Assuming that the two-word advice for today's recent graduates is "The Internet," what advice would you offer a young professional just getting started in a Web-related career?

"Great question - will have to throw that back on the queue in NetFlix! Stay hungry, and assume a love of lifelong learning, because the Internet has opened up opportunity across the globe at scales we wouldn't have imagined possible just 10 years ago. If you aren't learning from this massive experiment called the Internet, be prepared to be obsolete as those who ARE learning every day outrun you in the global (and local) playing field."

Final Thought: "Make sure you are personally using the tools of the Internet to keep yourself sharp, always be on the lookout for intelligent people to add to your network (LinkedIn primarily, from a professional standpoint), and keep up with the fast pace of change, not just in your current field, but in business, technology, and what is happening around the world. Eyes wide open, ready to spring into action, and you should be able to weather any change that comes at you. Chance favors the prepared mind!"

Thanks Dan for providing our readers with a perspective on podcasting and how Web technology professionals can stay sharp and prepared through networking and lifelong learning.

Fastest Growing Private Companies

The Boston Business Journal (BBJ) has identified the 60 fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts.

Called the BBJ Pacesetters, these Mass Movers are more likely than average companies to be hiring and contracting quality talent to help them keep their expansion rocketing forward.

Web designers and developers should consider establishing a relationship with the following five staffing agencies who are among the fastest growing in the state:

• Beacon Hill Staffing Group (Boston)
• John Galt Staffing, Inc. (Burlington)
• Professional Staffing Group (Boston)
• The Computer Merchant, Ltd. (Norwell)
• The Footbridge Companies (Andover)

The complete list of the fastest growing private companies in Massachusetts follows:

• Accounting Management Solutions, Inc. (Westborough)
  
• Alliance Energy Corp. (Chelsea)
  
• Aptima, Inc. (Woburn)
• Arbor Networks (Lexington)
• Ascend Consulting (Waltham)
• athenahealth, Inc. (Watertown)
• Beacon Hill Staffing Group (Boston)
• Boston Rack, Inc. (North Easton)
• Braver, PC (Mansfield)
• Bullhorn, Inc. (Boston)
• By Appointment Only, Inc. (Bedford)
• City Express, Inc. (Boston)
• Click Tactics, Inc. (Waltham)
• Communispace Corp. (Watertown)
• Constant Contact, Inc. (Waltham)
• Constantino Richards Rizzo, LLP (Wakefield)
• Creative Financial Staffing (Boston)
• Datafarm, Inc. (Marlborough)
• Davies Murphy Group, Inc. (Burlington)
• EBI Consulting (Burlington)
• e-Dialog (Lexington)
• Endeca Technologies, Inc. (Cambridge)
• Environmental Fire Protection, Inc. (Marlborough)
• Feeley & Driscoll, PC (Boston)
• Goodwin Procter LLP (Boston)
• Granite Telecommunications, LLC (Quincy)
• Harry R. Feldman, Inc. (Boston)
• Health Dialog Service Corp. (Boston)
• IneoQuest Technologies, Inc. (Mansfield)
• Infoscitex Corp. (Waltham)
• Integra Technology Consulting (Waltham)
• Integrated Design Group (Boston)
• J. Calnan & Associates, Inc. (Quincy)
• John Galt Staffing, Inc. (Burlington)
• NEXX Systems, Inc. (Billerica)
• OpenAir, Inc. (Boston)
• OpenPages, Inc. (Waltham)
• Payette (Boston)
• Professional Staffing Group (Boston)
• Prospectiv (Woburn)
• PTO Today, Inc. (Wrentham)
• Resource Options, Inc. (Needham)
• Revenue Solutions, Inc. (Pembroke)
• S4, Inc. (Burlington)
• Schneider Associates (Boston)
• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc. (Waltham)
• Strategis (Stoughton)
• Suffolk Construction Co., Inc. (Roxbury)
• The Computer Merchant, Ltd. (Norwell)
• The Footbridge Companies (Andover)
• The Right One, Together Dating (Norwell)
• Unidine Corp. (Newton)
• Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (Watertown)
• Verc Enterprises, Inc. (Duxbury)
• Veroxity Technology Partners, Inc. (Bedford)
• Vitale, Caturano & Company (Boston)
• W.B. Mason Co. (Brockton)
• William A. Berry & Son, Inc. (Danvers)
• Winsper (Boston)
• Wolf & Company, PC (Boston)

BBJ Pacesetters companies will be honored on Friday, April 13. For details and registration information access the Boston Business Journal Events page.

Boston Market -- 2nd Quarter, 2007

Job seekers with skills and experience that are valued in the marketplace are in the driver's seat of today's economy, according to a new study. Here is what staffing directors are saying in this latest research:

• 73 percent report that competition for talent has increased since 2005
• 79 percent expect it to further intensify in 2007

The report reflects responses from 628 staffing directors, 1,250 hiring managers and 3,725 job seekers across five global regions, and reveals that a tightening labor market has tilted the advantage toward job seekers.

Press releases for the report entitled "Slugging Through the War for Talent: Selection Forecast 2006-2007" are available for review at WebWire and Development Dimensions International (DDI). A more detailed Executive Summary (pdf) is also available for review.

Boston Market

While the report does not provide details about metropolitan regions in the United States or specific job categories that may be in greater demand than others, this quarterly review of the Boston Job Market provides such insights.

In the greater Boston area the demand for Web Developers with the right skills and experience far exceeds the demand for Web Designers as the following keyword search at BostonWorks.com indicates:

• Web Developer -- 1,163 job openings
• Web Designer -- 81 job openings

14:1 Ratio (Developer vs. Designer)

Currently there are more than 14 jobs that include the keywords "Web Developer" for every one job that includes the keywords "Web Designer."

A more detailed search on specific Web-related skills confirms this demand. Programming proficiency and database dexterity dominate the list of Top Ten Web-related skills most in demand in the greater Boston area:

1. SQL [ 669 ]
   
2. Oracle [ 610 ]
3. HTML [ 430 ]
   
4. SQL Server [ 385 ]
5. XML [ 351 ]
   
6. JavaScript [ 212 ]
7. ASP.NET [ 184 ]
8. JSP [ 120 ]
9. Photoshop [ 114 ]
10. CSS [ 109 ]

The second 10 of less-in-demand, Web-related skills are as follows:

11. Flash [ 76 ]
    
12. Ajax [ 69 ]
13. MySQL [ 59 ]
14. PHP [ 55 ]
15. Dreamweaver [ 47 ]
16. ColdFusion [ 47 ]
17. Visual Studio [ 42 ]
18. DHTML [ 44]
19. VBScript [ 28 ]
    
20. XHTML [ 28 ]

Web designers and developers who would like to advance their careers should consider implementing the following game plan over the next three months:

1. review the Top Ten list
2. identify one core skill that would be advantageous for you to improve on
3. develop a plan to improve that skill (self -study, online course, etc.)
   
4. demonstrate improvement in that skill by displaying a Web project

Editor's Note: In the Boston Market -- 1st Quarter, 2007 I stated that I would report on my progress toward improving my skills. I have identified the Web-related skills I will be focusing on and have outlined a list of self-study books I will be using to improve those skills. The Web Apprentices Training Center is available online and feedback is welcome. I will report on my continuing progress in early July, 2007.

Web 2.0 & BarCamp

Two recent studies reflect the increasing activity in technologies related to Web 2.0.

Tagging

First, on any given day, seven percent of Web surfers in the United States engage in an activity known as tagging -- categorizing and labeling material they upload or find on the Web. Four times as many (28 percent) have tagged online content such as blog entries, photos, Web sites, video clips, and news articles. A complete review of this trend is available for download (pdf) from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Web 2.0 Survey

Second, companies are using Web 2.0 features to engage with their customers at an increasing pace, according to a survey completed in the United Kingdom. The results reveal the following percentages of companies that plan to implement respective Web 2.0 technologies in 2007:

• apply user-generated content (UGC) to their websites (42%)
• implement corporate blogs (35%)
• implement videocasting (35%)
• implement podcasting (33%)

This survey of more than 800 Internet and/or customer experience professionals was conducted by E-consultancy.com, a provider of information, training and events on best practice online marketing and e-commerce. A press release is available for review.

BarCamp

If you would like to learn more about these and other technology trends consider attending an unconference to be held this weekend at MIT in Cambridge. BarCamp is a series of technology gatherings coordinated around the world that are organized on the fly by attendees, for attendees.

A few of the topics that may be of interest to Web designers and developers include the following:

• user interface (UI) design
• programming languages
• open source software
• Ajax
• RSS

Other topics may include:

• the future of technology
• startups
• entrepreneurship
• mobile computing
• social software
• hardware hacking
• robotics
• bioinformatics

There is no registration fee, however, participation is encouraged in the form of group discussions, demonstration of projects, or other participatory activities.

Details are available at the Boston page of the BarCamp wiki (pronounced BAH-camp), including dates, times, directions and registration instructions. Please note that if you are looking for alcohol at BarCamp you will be disappointed. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted on site.

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Boston Market -- March

Signs of a continuing strong job market persist. Here are three positive indicators:

1. CEO Economic Outlook Index: Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) believe that the economy is growing at a comfortable pace. "The projections for sales, capital spending and employment all point to steady growth with no significant acceleration or slowing over the next six months."
2. CEO High Tech Business Climate Survey: More than two thirds of CEOs of Massachusetts-based technology companies expect job expansion this year, a 13 point increase from 2006.
3. Monster Employment Index: This index of online recruitment activity stands at its highest level since its inception more than three years ago. Opportunities for workers with design and creative backgrounds have increased mostly due to an increase in advertising, marketing and public relations opportunities.

According to Certification Magazine three of the fastest-growing segments of the information technology industry are as follows:

• software publishing
• Internet publishing and broadcasting
• Internet service providers, Web search portals and data-processing services

Access Newbies: How to Break Into the IT Industry for hints and tips on getting started with a career in these areas.

The following categories (right-hand column) have been updated to reflect March statistics:

• Average Salaries in Boston
• Top 10 Web Technologies in Boston

Two of the Top 10 Web Technologies are JavaScript and Photoshop with 220 and 95 job listings, respectively. Training opportunities this month for these two skills, as well as, for MySQL (63) and PHP (60), include the following:

• JavaScript: Web Programming Basics
• Adobe Photoshop CS2: Advanced
• PHP & MySQL: Building Web Applications

All classes begin Thursday, March 15 and are FREE, compliments of the HP Learning Center.

Also, for the first time since September, 2002 no single browser version commands a majority market share. In the fall of that year Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) was used by at least 50% of Web surfers. That percentage climbed steadily as IE6 replaced IE5 as the preferred Web browser. Now that IE7 is replacing IE6, IE6 usage should continue to fall in the coming months. This is good news for Web designers as IE7 provides better support for Web standards. Browser data is also presented in the right-hand column.

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Best Web Sites on Capitol Hill

Beantown Web maintains a policy of not discussing politics. This posting is an exception. Feel free to contact your Senator or Representative to discuss the findings presented in this story.

There are 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 100 members of the U.S. Senate. The websites of these 535 members of the U.S. Congress were graded by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF). A press release is available for review.

The most common grade issued: "D"

Less that 14% of websites received an "A" rating. The 85 best websites received one of three Mouse Awards as follows:

• 18 Gold Mouse Awards (A-plus)
  
• 27 Silver Mouse Awards (A)
  
• 40 Bronze Mouse Awards (A-minus)

Two Bronze Mouse Awards were issued to Massachusetts Congressmen:

• Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
• Representative Ed Markey (D-MA)

Massachusetts Senators not receiving awards:

• Senator John Kerry (D-MA)
  

Massachusetts Representatives not receiving awards:

• Capuano, Michael E., Massachusetts, 8th
• Delahunt, William, Massachusetts, 10th
• Frank, Barney, Massachusetts, 4th
• Lynch, Stephen F., Massachusetts, 9th
• McGovern, James, Massachusetts, 3rd
• Meehan, Marty, Massachusetts, 5th
• Neal, Richard E., Massachusetts, 2nd
• Olver, John, Massachusetts, 1st
• Tierney, John, Massachusetts, 6th

The Congressional Management Foundation did not release the grades of any students other than the "A" students.

If you are not from Massachusetts you can identify your U.S. Senator and your U.S. Representative and then check to see if he or she was one of the 2006 CMF Mouse Award Winners.

"One of the key purposes of the awards is to highlight best practices so offices can improve their sites by learning from those doing a good job," said a CMF resprsentative.

Websites were evaluated based on how well they incorporate five basic building blocks of web communication effectiveness:

• audience
• content
• usability
• interactivity
• innovation

A downloadable report (pdf) presents a nice 20-page discussion on "Building a Successful Web Site" using the five basic building blocks listed above.

Sources of Hire Survey

Where do companies find new employees? Organizations that track this information refer to the data captured as Sources of Hire (SOH). An annual SOH survey sheds some light on which strategies might yield the best results for job seekers attempting to obtain gainful employment.

The survey, now in its sixth year, covers 40 large highly-competitive, high-profile companies that employ nearly 1.3 million people. Smaller companies are less likely to track SOH data. So, these findings may not be consistent with how smaller companies find qualified workers.

The Sources of Hire survey was coordinated by CareerXroads. A summary is available from ZoomInfo.

Here are a few highlights from the most recent survey covering 2006 hiring data:

• positions filled by internal transfers and promotions (34%)
• positions filled by employee referrals (26%)
• positions filled via the company website (21%)
• positions filled via job boards** (12%)

** Monster.com, CareerBuilder and HotJobs are the top three job boards.

Best Strategy

So, the best strategy appears to be getting your foot in the door, perhaps through a temporary assignment via a placement agency. Then, you have an inside shot at bidding for open positions -- full-time employees are usually given preference for these jobs.

Next Best Strategy

The next best strategy appears to be good old-fashioned networking. An employee referral is the primary source that companies use to fill vacancies with external candidates. So, expanding your network of contacts remains a reliable job search strategy.

Alternative Strategy

When you are not already on the inside and don't have an internal connection, you are nearly twice as likely to land the position if you apply via the company website, as opposed to, a job board. So, if you see the job you want on a job-related website, go directly to the company website and follow the online application instructions.

Suggested Game Plan

To improve your job search prospects, it pays to expand your network of contacts. One strategy for doing so was outlined in a Beantown Web posting published one year ago entitled Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

In this article I introduced readers to a social network for business professionals called Linkedin. My Linkedin network at that time consisted of one contact. One year later my network has expanded to more than 100 contacts. These contacts have more than 8,600 direct connections.

One key to successful networking is to offer something of value to your network of connections. Beantown Web is one strategy I use to offer value. If you are a Web professional and find that the resources I have made available on this blog have helped you, here are several ways for us to connect:

• I would be happy to add your e-mail address to my distribution list if you don't already receive e-mail notices of new postings.
• If you have an idea for an article or a service that could help your Web-related career I'd like to hear from you.

Where would you like to go today? Perhaps, I can help you get there? My contact information is listed in the right-hand column.

BATEC Workforce Study

"Technical skills get you the interview, soft skills get you the job."

This is just one conclusion from a study presented at the Boston Area Advanced Technological Education Connections (BATEC) IT Futures Forum conducted at Staples headquarters on February 2.

This study presented data on current and future information technology (IT) workforce skills requirements in the Boston area. Data was compiled as a result of live focus groups and telephone interviews and was gathered from the following three sources:

• IT workers
• hiring managers
• strategic planners

For students the research attempted to answer two questions:

• Who is getting the jobs now?
• Who gets to keep them in the future?

Technical skills:

Career growth potential is a function of the technical area that you chose to focus on. In general, Web developers (programmers) with database knowledge and expertise should do quite well. The research projected the following outlook for the greater Boston area:

Much faster than average growth potential:

• database design and administration

Faster than average growth potential:

• Web development and administration
• Digital media (desktop publisher)
• Programmer

About average growth potential:

• technical writing
• technical training

Declining growth potential:

• technical support (help desk)

Soft Skills:

In addition, customer service skills are in demand as more IT jobs are becoming customer-facing. Technical workers should highlight experience working with the following three groups:

• internal customers
• external customers
• potential customers

Finally, employability skills, in addition to technical skills, factor into the soft skill set that will help win over the hiring manager. Listed below are eight general skills that employers are looking for. Providing examples during an interview of how you have implemented these skills in a work setting will help separate you from your competition:

• communication (oral and written)
• work productively in teams and groups
• customer and business focus
• listen for meaning and comprehension
• resourceful and creative problem solving
• prioritize work and self evaluate
• comprehend and communicate quantitatively
• develop original solutions to novel problems

The PowerPoint presentation and streaming video of Peter Saflund's presentation are available on the BATEC website. The full report is expected to be published by the end of February.