skip to content rich footer

stevenclark.com.au

subscibe to the StevenClark.com.au rss feed

Keep an eye out for me on Facebook and Twitter

Joel Spolsky and Web Worker Daily

There have just been two brilliant articles written that I’d like to pass on as must reads if you’re into web application development or Information Technology management. The first is Joel Spolsky’s Strategy Letter IV which deconstructs the business case for writing an AJAX SDK that kicks arse – I particularly like the way he goes into historic detail to explain how we evolved through phases of computers and how Lotus 1-2-3 lost market share. If you’re an entrepeneur, programmer or simply interested in where the industry is headed Joel’s article is really good.

Second, and this one is from my nowdays favourite information site, the Web Worker Daily has posted Does your CEO Get Web 2.0? – its something I find particularly frustrating with government. Do they understand Web 2.0? Really? The suggested path for informing them is by

  1. recapping the basics – Web 2.0 is about the customer wanting a say
  2. own up to the fact your corporate site sucks
  3. explain that it isn’t a single great step (Mao’s Great Leap Forward – NO)
  4. suggest a next step which is reasonably fast and achievable
  5. finally, don’t whinge when you’re doing it

It frustrates me with government to see people not wanting to understand the public (who pay the bills) deserve a best practice solution not an inaccessible and badly designed mash of content management angst. Step 2 was to own up that your corporate site sucks right? Citizens do deserve accessible government solutions, in fact I’d suggest considering the amount of tax donated to them citizens deserve best practice and an equal effort to providing them with information and mechanisms to participate in government as one would see going into the design and planning of an urban park area.

I am very passionate about government apathy and their having bad web sites. Why? Because it can be fixed and its in their economic interest to listen to my suggestions about using web standards. The public are not an incidental. The public deserve and require the best that can be provided. The public pay for that after all.

If you’re not onto the Web Worker Daily already I’d highly recommend it as they cover all sorts of tech and web related issues which touch the industry we work in. Joel Spolsky on the other hand writes excellent articles about software engineering so you might get a lot of value out of trolling his archives.

Comments are closed.

About the Author

Steven Clark Steven Clark - the stand up guy on this site

My name is Steven Clark and my passions are business, web development, photography and writing. My current CV [PDF 775KB] discusses relevant work history and interests. Currently I'm in the second half of a post-graduate university degree of MBA (Journalism and Media Studies) at the University of Tasmania.

Social Networks

Lo and behold I now happen to inhabit the realms of Facebook and Twitter so see you over there.

Photography

My fine art photography is available online at Steven Clark Studio. You may also enjoy my photo blog Walk a Mile in my Shoes.

Recently Reviewed Books

Site Supporters

Hosted by Brett Drinkwater at Tashosting who is always there at the other end of my every inconvenient question and technical crisis. Brett's local community support for us over the last five years is greatly appreciated.

skip to top of page
Currently Reading The Accidental Guerrilla by David Kilcullen

Late last year I watched an address to the Australian National Press Club from counter-terrorism expert and author of The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One , David Kilcullen. In that address he mentioned the period after World War 2 when, in retrospect, we had wars against colonialisation as countries pushed back against dominating forces. Similarly, when we look back at the current wars we’ll see them as wars against globalisation – people pushing back against the tide of world wide Americanisation and globalised culture. David Kilcullen is there to inform us that what the American government are group-labeling global terrorists are more often than not local insurgents with local concerns. Understanding this crucial point and unraveling the complexity of the enemy is crucial to America's success in the field.