Web Standards can make you rich!
September 29th, 2008
In more ways than one, in fact, by adhering to shared and common practices for developing accessible Web content, you will save money! There is no question about it. How you might ask? Others may say…”yeah yeah yeah, we have heard it all before, same old…I know this, goodbye!”, in any respect let’s take a closer look at just how we can save, and make money.
Microsoft cut a hole in your pocket and is stealing your change, then sending you a check bi-weekly
This is not going to be a flame on Microsoft, so sorry if you wanted it to be, and you’re welcome if you are relieved. What I am going to say is that as a designer…
I want to make IE6 into a person at some times, and urinate on their shoes.
Even still, at other times I want to say “thanks for the job”.
Think about it. If it weren’t for IE6’s quirks and garbage, some of us might not be in a job right now. If you started at a company that primarily developed for IE6 and is now moving towards the Standards based approach their competitors are, how much time have you spent fixing bugs? Add it up. It probably is a lot of time, in turn equaling a lot of money (hopefully you are compensated fairly).
More about getting rich…
If you are in the market for a new job, you would have probably noticed at some point or another an interest in “Cross Browser Compatibility”, or “Web Standards a must”. If not, you are either at an ideal job, or cannot read. So, if you know what companies are looking for, and understand how to give it to them, you are headed in the right direction. Towards a career, and money.
Blog about it, because others do it too
You might say that I am “guilty” of this as well, but I would like to think that I practice what I preach, and am not an empty-suit. How many times have you seen a post talking about Standards, and just said “argghh, enough already with the fluff, give it a rest”? I can say that I honestly have a tough time reading some posts, because they all seem the same, or appear so at first glance.
There are lots of blogs out there, without pointing fingers, that we have all come across that are only out to make a quick buck. Their structure is a mess, their content lacking, but they still offer the same “top 80 thousand ways to use CSS today” and people still click on them. They may even have a large following, and they might even make a killing off of advertising.
If it is money you are after, follow suit and hop on the train. But if it is a different “richness” you seek, you might want to try to write some quality content rather than just pictures, and links.
When I do my Friday’s Five each week (or almost each week), I try to only feature sites that go above and beyond. Websites that validate completely and are pleasing to the eye, are becoming hard to come by. Or at least it is hard to get 5 a week, so I do my best to feature ones with “limited” amounts of errors, while still inspiring the designer in me and you alike.
Some sites offer money for published posts. This is another way to make some fast cash, earn a reputation, and a strong reader base all at once. Not too shabby!
Ok, I have heard most of this before, when is something going to really change?
I just recently read a post over on A List Apart, by Molly E. Holzschlag about pretty much the state of Web Standards in the community as of 2008. It was pretty interesting, and worth a read. One of the comments I came across made me think even more than the article though:
…As long as browser inconsistencies hurt developers more than customers, the current deadlock remains in place. It is that same deadlock that prevents us from moving forward with HTML 5 or CSS3. As long as Apple, Microsoft, Google, Adobe and maybe some other big names don’t feel the pressure of customers they don’t have an incentive to cooperate in the W3C or any other group. It has to hurt them in the bottom-line figures to get some cooperation, or laws and regulations have to do it. But I guess that’s a direction no one wants to turn to.
posted at 08:04 pm on September 23, 2008 by Martijn ten Napel
I think he hit it right on the head here. We can rant, hoot, and holler about Standards until we are blue in the face, but if it is not hurting companies bottom lines ($$$), then we are going no where fast.
So how can we influence these companies into using Standards to their advantage? Well, if their applications are working, for instance to use the Bank Statement example, then how can we make it better? No one can say with a straight face that they haven’t used an online banking system and saw room for improvement. What was it that bothered you? I for one got into a full argument with a bank representative on the phone once about how their system for lack of a better word, sucked. It was confusing, and made no sense. It rendered differently in all browsers, and was not as consistent as it should have been. If they get enough of these complaints they will be forced into fixing the problem.
I feel rich even without seeing a check when I create a site that I know will scale, validates, and provides an overall better user experience. The money is just the icing on the cake. So if you want to eat some cake, stop the non-sense, open notepad, and do your absolute best. Do such a good job, that when you are done, you say, “my eyes burn, my head hurts, but this is great”, then and only then have you done your job.
Web Standards are not something that you should charge extra for. They should be automatic. If when you are done with a site for a customer you know you cut some serious corners, you are stealing. You are stealing the customers right to a quality project, and your right to know you did your best. In the end no one wins.
What do you think? Is there money in Web Standards? Blogging? Or am I just bitter because I don’t have the time to make gigantic roundups daily?
- Posted at 12:18 pm in web design
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