(Warning: History Buffs Only)
I’ve been geeking out on the World Wide Web since 1995. That’s when I came up with the idea that my employer at the time, PCMCIA, should have a Web site. I engaged a web development shop called IMV Internet to do the work, and in working with them I realized I had both a knack and a passion for web development. I love Web development because it represents the union of three things I hold dear: attractive design and layout, smart organization and prioritization of information, and copy that makes its point and lets readers decide what they want to learn next.
Jumping Into the Deep End at Nextron
I eventually “jumped ship” to join IMV, which we rebranded as Nextron Communications during my time there. During my tenure with IMV/Nextron I was immersed in the world of the Web. I was responsible for branding and building the Web sites of spinoffs including a hosting offering called Dev-Com (Developer’s Community), a retail site creation package called EasySite, and a custom high-end design and development team called Global Impressions. Given my position and expertise I also served as the creative director of Global Impressions, and oversaw the design of the user interfaces and site design templates for both EasySite and the company’s core offering, which was a browser-based tool for the high-volume development of small business web sites. I think it’s safe to say I was about as Webby as you could get in the second half of the 1990s.
Taking it to Another Level at TIBCO
I left Nextron for TIBCO Software in 2000, and one constant through my many roles of escalating responsibility in the marketing communications department was owning the brand and strategic aspects of the company’s Web site. I was fortunate to work with as good a webmaster as you’ll find in Brent Heslop, and in my 8 years with TIBCO I learned volumes aboutWeb development from him. Between the executive oversight of our boss Larry Neumann, Brent’s technical expertise and my mad MarCom skills we created and maintained a series of increasingly sophisticated, interactive and effective web sites.
Learning Through Work on Personal Sites
During my TIBCO time a number of personal Web projects popped up. I call them personal projects because the “clients” were my fraternity’s alumni board and my wife in her role as a professional realtor, but I treated them as clients and did professional-caliber work that I’m proud of. Both sites have been through a number of iterations over the years, many of which are featured on this site. I built the most recent iterations with the blogging platform WordPress, something you can learn more about on the “geeks only” page “Behind the Scenes of a GBarr Web Site.”
Becoming WordPress’s Biggest Fan at Solace
In February 2008 I left TIBCO to join a Canadian startup called Solace Systems and work for Larry Neumann again. One of my initial charters was to update the content of the web site. When I dug into the site I realized that it was inflexible and built on outdated technology, and would have to be rebuilt from the ground up, including the replacement of a really cool back-end administration system that let you see exactly what each person who registered for the site did and downloaded during their visit. The Solace site was far larger than anything I’d built by myself, but based on my experience with WordPress working on the Holly Barr and Theta Chi sites, I had the idea of building the entire site (over 100 pages plus a growing blog) on WordPress. Thanks to WordPress I completed the ground-up overhaul of the entire Web site, including the introduction of a blog and replacement of the user tracking system, in just 2 months for a total cost of under $1,000. I can’t do anything nearly that big for you because I have a day job, but I’m very proud of what I accomplished and felt like showing off.