When I joined the Library in January 2006, I was hardly web-savvy. After getting involved in the project to redevelop the Library's main site, www.natlib.govt.nz, I decided I needed to upskill myself pretty promptly. In true geek form, I set myself the challenge of learning something new about the web everyday, and blogging it so that it stuck in my head.
Posts like this one by Ryan Deschamps, Under the Hood of Web 2.0: the top ten programming concepts for librarians to understand, have been invaluable to me. Here, Deschamps gives a brief introduction to:
- Object-Oriented Programming
- Client-Side Scripting
- Relational Database
- Server-Side Scripting
- Http Protocol
- Open source Software
- The Document Object Model
- Encryption and Digital Rights Management
- Platforms
- Stylesheets
Now that I'm a bit more up to speed, and have found the areas that I'm interested in, I've given up the daily blogging in favour of my trusty feedreader and ever-expanding Ma.gnolia bookmarks. Here are some of the sites I follow, broken down by area:
Writing for the web
Contented NZ's own Rachael McAlpine
Copyblogger
Problogger both this & Copyblogger have a strong focus on tips that will help monetise your blog/site, but the advice stands even if you're not looking to leave you day job and become a full-time blogger (umm).
Online communities, user behaviour & usability
Creating Passionate Users (now sadly defunct, but worth going back over)
Common Craft (makers of the now-famous paper videos)
The Future of Communities
Online Community Report These latter two are not so regularly updated, but the posts are often enlightening
General goings-on
TechCrunch Multiple daily updates of new products, buy-outs, people news and more
ReadWriteWeb Great source for daily reviews of programmes and products
Fresh & New(er) From the web team at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
Web development
These three magazines-style sites are regularly updated with articles on everything from designing for the iPhone to writing good alt text
A List Apart
Vitamin
Boxes and Arrows
1 comments:
Thanks for the mention! I always like to help out. I would say that I only knew enough to be dangerous (may so even now), so learning this stuff is not impossible. :)
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