Topic awaiting preservation: The future of the web? (Page 1 of 1)

Where's it going? Where's it been? Why? What are you doing here? Why are you so special? Where's the money? Is web design as dead as the author?

Will web design become something 14yr olds do for pocket money instead of mowing lawns?

There are kids who mow for a few bucks and there are expensive companies that perform expert landscaping. I think you know what I mean.

the only steadfast certainty in the field is change. If you wanna do it for a living it's gonna be a lot like work. Work sucks, usually. Just gotta find the work that allows you the most bang for your buck; for some that's mowing lawns, for some it building sites.

I'm special because, I like/respect/relate to on some level/ almost everyone I've ever met. I think that makes me 'special', or different at least.

The money is in a gunny sack, molding under the pear tree in the north lot, and noone cares. You can have it if you like.

I did not know the author of web design died, was there a memorial? It wasn't that towel day thing was it? Gore right?

I think my friend Dracusis is unhinged, I like your stream of conciousness tho. Yeah, what Wes said.

Jason

No, not really.

Looking at the extremes is one thing, but where does one draw the line between professional and amateur? Do you need a degree to be a talented web designer? No, not anywhere near as much as you would to be a landscape architect.

How many of us are thinking we can cut a peice of the pie by being a web developer? Turn back the clock far enough and anyone that knew HTML could get a decently paid job. Now what? HTML's nothing anymore. It's about as useful as as your 6th grade certificate of merit in a job interview.

We all know this market is flooded but how bad is it really? Will it get better? Will the upcoming technologies open up new doors for those willing to put in the time to learn them? If they do, how long will it last before they too become general knowledge?

Hell, I'm studying Multimedia and the future looks rather dismal to me. I'm having the time of my life but I'm not any kind of career path to follow. The paths of those who went before me have been worn away, now where?

Luckily I have a few years to find a path, or figure out how to create my own, but what about now? What path are you traveling? Is it taking you through the web? Do you feel safe? Do you know where your heading and why?

I'd love to hear your thoughts or experiences. I'd like to know what's happening where and where you think it's going? I'm looking at everything from academic eyes so it's all a lil fuzzy to me. In three years time will being an expert landscaper still be enough?

Edit: JK, just caught your post when I sumbitted mine. The Author bit was in relation to the writing and how we say "The author is dead". I'm starting to think "The web designer is dead" too.

[This message has been edited by Dracusis (edited 07-30-2002).]

I was being silly, as usual.

My first paragraph was serious tho, I don't think things becoming common knowledge as you put it is the real threat. The development of software that does it for you is what causes all the amatures to get into it and take a chunk of market share. Luckily for the people that pursue any of the technology fields, keeping up with the current tech is always one step ahead of the state of the art in wysiwyg development tools.

Case in point, the Windows Media/Quicktime streaming methods require you to take special steps in order to deliver the streaming solution across all different platforms. You must study the formats, the special steps, experiment/implement them, voila! you're state of the art and marketable. Hypothetically speaking, the release of Premiere 7 will probably see the SAVE FOR WEB feature kick out a special companion piece to the movie that does this all for you. BUT, by the time they implement this feature in Premiere, state of the art has changed (learn it and be marketable above the amateurs). You see the circle/rat race I'm talking about? If that appeals to you, that type of rat race, then you've found your spot, if it doesn't, mebbe look somewhere else.

I know a lot of people in the technology related fields that have burned out, I know a lot that love it. Personally, I think it's the most stressful rat race going these days. Air traffic controllers are panty-wastes compared to a System Administrator who has to fight daily to stay current and battle the Asian IT market for a job. I like being involved in this rat race, it's fun for me, too blessed to be stressed, but I definitely see the insanity of the speed at which it progresses. That's fun though, I like breaking out in maniacal laughter when I think of the future, a good maniacal laugh clears the cache, you can reformat and start fresh after a nice breakdown.

That's a pretty narrow view of a market chunk tho: "state of the art". There's a ton of room/business/career opportunities for those lagging behind the latest and greatest. I ramble, I stop now.

Jason

I resent that!

Resent what?

I can't see you mentioned by name anywhere.

Koan 63, written on the wall of cell number 250:
Those who Believe
Can
Those who Try
Do
Those who Love
Live

~Slaps insider until he's a bloody pulpous on the floor~

Can you get any more annoying? On seconds thoughts, don't even bother answering that.

JKMabry,

Yah, I see what your saying. I must be honest, I'm being extremely pessimistic about this whole thing. I think in part because I'm loving it so much I just can't fathom any feasible way that someone would ever want to pay be money to do something so downright nifty.

And I'm a little lost in all of this myself. I have a least another 2 years of my degree left, 3 If I decide to switch to a double degree in IT and Multimedia. I'm not sure where I'm heading thus questioning weather I'm actually heading well, anywhere. Here at University I'm surrounded by rules and guidelines and have ample time to f&#k up while still managing to get by.

Yet again it comes down to direction, and trying to understand where the 'livable' paths are and weather or not they'll still be there in three years. Should I do that double degree? What if I end up getting hired as a programmer because of that and end up as a code monkey for the next five years. Will I be able to switch back to design after 5 years of straight programming? Then again, having an extra IT degree under my belt would open a lot more doors for me to explore....

Maybe I just shouldn't really give a shit right now and focus on having a good time -- just try and stay flexible in what I do, writing my path as I travel down it.

Insider said that because you mentioned 14 year olds, and he's 14.

I think what it comes down to is the difference between being able to make a web site and being able to make a web site well. The crucial point is making clients see the difference. I think if you're really good at it, then you can point out to a potential client the advantages of hiring you over hiring someone cheaper who doesn't know the ins and outs of the trade. Then the crucial point is just getting to them first. Or showing them that their current web site sucks, and why.

I think as long as there is a large difference between professional and amateur, and there certainly is in web design, then it's not too big of a concern. You were right about having to keep up with technology, but I don't think that's really all that hard, personally. New technologies are based off of old ones. It's just *experience* that you need, and as you spend more of your life doing it, you'll gain more experience. Newer things won't seem so difficult.

Just know your stuff.

Thankyou slime.

Hm, tricky Q's... but good!

Where's it going?
Well, I firmly believe that the web will continue in the main direction where it all started, communication in some form. A more accurate question for me is "In what form will we communicate on the web in the future?" What media will we use?
The web is in it's essence a communications-protocol, no more no less! It's up to the front-line to find out how this will/can be used in an attractive and useful way for the majority.

One thing that will become more structured, I'm sure, is in the area of transfer of knowledge (e-learning) and information gathering. As it stands today for both areas, is that it is hard to find, it is hard to authenticate/validate what you find. I can see specialized searchengines for different areas/topics that you can buy searches on and get a guarantee on the validity of the information. Yes, buy... As much as I hate it myself, the big dogs can't see why they should pay to provide information to you for free anymore.

B2B will grow stronger and stronger as companies decide that they can save money on cutting out the "third hand" in the commerce chain.

Where's it been?
Well, it's been (and still is) an information archive built by individuals and non-profit facilities.
It's been (and still is) a showcase of pets/family/whatnot by the pioneers of homeusers.
It's been (and still is) a marketplace for porn (ppl do pay for that).
It's been (and still is) an advertizing ground for ppl with "different" views on society, for good and bad.
It's been a goldmine for ppl with that special knowledge/talent to create something out of the ordinary.


Why?
Because it was, and still is, easy to make your voice heard using this technology, it might not be beautiful or educated, but you can make yourself heard.


What are you doing here?
I love the possibillities that opens up in this media, the basic principle that I can sit in my bedroom and communicate with people all across the world, in realtime or like this still awes me. To be able to contribute to this, to make it possible for more people to do this, with the added bonus of actually getting paid for it (most of the time).... Call me naive if you like, but that's the basic drive for me.


Why are you so special?
See above...
I'm a people person, I have the ability to explain tricky things to people that pay for it, as well as being able to produce quite a lot of things in this areaa. I'm wide in my knowledge (from GUI to presentation coding, to serverside, to logic, to storage) which gives me an edge over specialists that more often than not have a more narrow field of expertise.

Where's the money?
(in my pocket...) No, The money will (as always) go to those who stand out above the rest, in talent/knowledge/boldness as long as they are amongst those who are first in the field.


Is web design as dead as the author?
In it's hobby sense, maybe... As a profession... No, at least not if you are flexible and curious enough to place the clients needs and wants first. Webdesign is rapidly becoming a lot more intricate than creating a nice cool interface for a website. A lot more demands will come as everyone want's to be top-notch.


Will web design become something 14yr olds do for pocket money instead of mowing lawns?
For the neighbour maybe, not for businesses of any size. It does take experience to read and translate a requirement specification into an interface filling all needs including looking good regardless of the visitors hardware AND physical abilities.

That's my point of view...
/Dan

{cell 260}
-{ a vibration is a movement that doesn't know which way to go }-

Insider: Get over it. It's called a generalisation. A stereotype. Just becuase it mentions 14 year olds doesn't mean it refers to you specifically. Unless you are mentioned by name, just let it slide. And even if you are menjtioned by name, just letting it slide is probably still the best option.

Porn.

That's probably scarily close Optic....

I have, at times, found myself both plagued by and ambivolent to these questions. Yes, as someone who plans to spend the rest of my life doing some type of design I must ponder how exactly I intend to survive (i.e. make money, keep my sanity) in a "market place" that is not and cannot be readily defined. However, once I become fully perturbed my overly simplistic side kicks in and tells me, "It doesn't matter."

Allow me the time to try and explain that. Everyone that checks these forums will soon come to realize that I am in no way a professional designer, nor am I the most talented, skilled, or motived artist out there. I'm a scared, ignorant, naive eighteen-year-old who has found no better way to express his emotions that creating a piece of eye-candy. I don't anticipate that I will ever be the best in whatever art-oriented field I choose, but I take solace in the fact that "the best in an art-oriented field" is a erroneous statement. There can be no best. I will find money (another topic of discussion is how sad it is that money is THE motivating factor. . . then again I AM naive) in web design or advertising or special effects because not everyone in the world has the same tastes. Some people want complex, visually stimulating web-sites while others prefer cut-to-the-chase simple web-sites. A prime example would be the difference between yahoo.com and google.com.

So, what's my point? The internet will be around, I'm sure, at least until I die. Our culture simply cannot survive without it any more. Because it will never "die" and because everyone wants something a little different out of it, we, the strange and outcast few who create for creation's sake will survive. We may not be rich and powerful. . .but then who cares? Not me.

-Adam

refreshingly firm grasp on reality for an 18 year old =) welcome Adam.

Jason

skaarjj: i did let it slide , you don't see me bashing heads with anyone do you?

I view my job (multi-media producer) not as a technician, but as a story teller.
Sure, there are lots of so-called technical parts of my job...everything from HTML to Java to database design, etc, but the quality I have, the skill I have learned that makes and will continue to make me special and marketable is I can tell a story.

I look at it like this.
One day, long ago, the pen was a new technology. Did society have, at that time, writers and pen technicians?
Of course not...silly.

Anyway, it's the same today. We have a whole range of 'new' technology type stuff we can use to communicate. Some of that communication is done with words, images, music and video, via the web, a cassette, a CD, a DVD, film, the printed page and even our own mouths.

A good novelist succeeds because he is the master of the story, not because he has excellent word processing skills.
A good painter succeeds because her colors touch someone's heart and soul, not because she can adequately wield a brush.
A corporate trainer succeeds because he can capture an audience and engage them in the process of learning a new skill or concept, not because he is an excellent powerpoint slide maker.

Just as with the pen, we should not so easily seperate the communicator from her/his medium.
Good story tellers, who are quick to catch the intricacies and peculiarities of each medium, and know what situations require which medium, will succeed.

That is the future of our business.

mobrul

Amen mobrul

A long time ago, Windows 98 was seen as the latest and best that Microsoft has to offer. Nowadays, we have much more stable operating systems such as XP.

Technology is constantly changing, advancing, becoming obsolete, changing face... and we have to keep up with that. Who knows what computers will be like in 20, 30, even 50 years from now. Silicon is reaching its limits as a raw material to make processing chips. We simply can't get any faster or smaller. There are rumours that optical computers (using a laser to perform binary calculations in the same manner as fiber-optic technology) will replace the silicon chip within 15-20 years. Processing power will need to increase dramatically to meet the demands of the population. We need to take leaps and bounds if we are to get anywhere.

Of course, that's just the way I feel about this.

S^abaal ud T'a johtizuc^ ult'a Fedaro.