Sunday 11 January 2015

The Myth Of DIY Websites And Its Impact On Web Developers

Do-It-Yourself websites are here and not going anywhere. That's just a basic fact of our industry. However, there is a big misunderstanding about the ease of use in connection with WordPress and other Do-It-Yourself platforms website creation and must be addressed.

For starters, WordPress is fantastic. I use it to build most of my sites, is great for surfing through each site, both in the front and the back, and has a fantastic group of people who write beautiful plugins for everything from presentations grid designs complex forms and further contact. That's all true, because I know what I'm doing. The myth of which I speak is the ease of use of programs promoting DIY website for the inexperienced, who are under the false assumption that websites can be created in 30 minutes or less.

Let's look at WordPress for a minute. As for the creation of an initial site is concerned, works great, even for someone who knows a <div> of a <video>. Allows the user to create a URL, configure a user name and password and that even includes 2 songs from decent to get started on your way to creating web appearance. That is where the fun stops and frustrations occupies. If you want your site to look like thousands of others who use the theme Twenty Fourteen on your blog, you can be well here (but most likely will not). If you want your site to be creative, innovative, unique and popular, there's a good chance most people will not be able to do it yourself, no matter what they read on the Internet.

One of the most frustrating things is that the expansive phenomenon DIY web site has created an illogical, irrational and unsupportive look at our profession manner. Customers are now more likely to negotiate with you on something as small as a change of image, a color scheme different link or new logo placement. This is for fear they should be getting the raw end of the deal, because everyone knows has built its own site, and therefore should be a piece of cake, right? While that may be the case, the customer should really do some research to see what these sites are alike, and after waiting rethink their position on their work.

There are some techniques that we can use, allowing us the user application developers to explain our jobs, maintain a professional attitude and appearance and keep customers happy at the same time:

1. We are professional: It is crucial that we convey this message (as well as possible) and explain that we know more about the web than they. Sounds complicated, but it can be done, showing examples of well-built sites, perhaps in a book or two, perhaps even showing a bit of research material or data. Just walk the customer through the process can be helpful too.

2. Communication: This is essential for both parties to facilitate successful and positive relationship work. Do not be afraid to ask questions when needed, but also to give advice when warranted. Many times, it will be necessary for the client to be informed of a procedure or design that may not have been known in advance, and it is our job to tell about it.

3. Time management: Be sure to set a timetable for the construction of a site according to what the customer wants, and then transmit that information to them. It is a common misconception that web coding takes very little time to do it, we know it is far from the truth. Again, make sure the customer is educated as to the amount of work that goes into each specific job; otherwise you're likely to find more problems down the road.

4. It is a process: You not only a site is built in a day and says, "Well, there you go," and is already finished, though the customer may be under that assumption. Time, revisions, additions and more is needed to make a good site run smoothly. Make sure you are aware that you will have to rotate, adjust and try to get your site works as it should.

Now it is true that you can only take a few minutes for a developer to change the image of the front of his legal advice, and may be an easy solution for a programmer to build a new page for annual summer picnic slideshow of your company. But the bottom line is this: As in any business, you pay someone to do what cannot, as teaching how to jump from an airplane, or operating in your heart, or what you and your guests to dinner seared duck and foie gras ravioli. We are professionals and we have to be treated as such.

That does not mean that there is a big market for building new custom themes, especially those intended strictly for WordPress. That certainly exists, and is profitable for coders and web designers from around the world, and may also be useful if you need a certain look for a customer as soon as possible. Building custom theme is very complicated, so, so the really big issues cost money. Again, the client (or developer, for that matter) pay someone a lot of money for the service they have provided. It's not that hard, really.

I talk to people around the world about the ins-and-outs of design and development, and this has been a problem for a long time. Everyone we dealt with our own work and customers and do not want to pay a fee "outrageous" as for our services. I do not know about you, but my student loans certainly are not going to pay themselves. Ideally, customers will pay for me. Is not that the point of choosing a profession and giving everything you have?

While WordPress and other DIY sites have a lot actually helped and many people join the slaughter of blogs in the last decade or so, it feels like it has diminished the value of web developers only slightly over the years. As I said before, I love WordPress as a development tool. I use it daily and I am very grateful that came into our little world. I just wish the stereotype that web development is easy, and anyone with a computer can make a great looking site in about 20 minutes or so disappear from our lives forever. Until then, let's all focus on educating our clients in this business, and all that is needed to make a great design and developing a great website. Sounds good?