I have an idea?..Who's in ??????

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I was going through my study notes this morning ( site designer v5 , prosoft) and started reading about " Web project collaboration". It said that some web teams are frequently dispersed geographically and it's not uncommon for web teams never to meet in person. Not sure how true this is in this country (UK)?..but it got me thinking?????????
Now....there's two things us "wanna be" web designers need.

1. The certifications ( which we are all dealing with )
2. A bloody good portfolio ( which is gonna be the hardest part )

So....i have got an idea.

Why don"t we all put our heads together ( all the CIW students ) and build a web site.....TOGETHER!!!!!
I dont know how many of us there is using this forum but even if only a couple of you are interested, then it's a start. Not only will we learn to work as a web project team, but we all will booster our skills and most importantly...." Have something for our portfolio". What do you think:hhhmmm
Put it this way, i have quite a few ideas floating about inside my head, but what i want to do is a little bit beyond my skill set. Like flash and javascript. Now if we all get together and be honest with ourselfs as to what skills we are good at. Then i can't see why we all couldn't pull this off.!

Give me your opinions?
Another thing i would like to add is this article from contractor uk. If anyone is in doubt of the demand for web developers, read this....
http://www.contractoruk.com/news/003339.html

 

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Here's my portion...

<TITLE>The CertForums Collaborative Web Site</TITLE>

Unfortunately... employers don't want to see a project you collaborated on... they want to see YOUR work.

 

Michael...
Every post i read of your's is negative and full of sarcasm, What's the matter with ya????
If someone who use's this forum fancies working on a web site with me ( obviously not you!), then.....why not. What employers want to see is proof that you can design a web site. Doesn't matter if it was collaborated or not, if you can give them some example of work you did on a LIVE web site even if you didn't design it all, then it can't be bad can it. I have a couple of weeks working on a dance DJ's web site which should then be complete? I will have two other examples of company logo's i have designed and if i can supply any other examples of work i have worked on...then my E-PORTFOLIO might look better then the person with no portfolio. Ain't that what the CIW course teaches you?....come on, you did the course......didn't ya???????????????????????

Anyway...i am using xhtml, so the title tag you supplied should be in lowercase.! lol

 

Well I don't generally agree with Mikes tone but do think he has a point, employers can be very cynical themselves and a site with a great many colaborators may not be of much use.

Experience in general though is a good thing, many people say they donated their time and experience to local charities in order to get experience and I think this is a very good idea. Generally I would try to create something of worth that there is a demand for, open source is another good example of this. You could help on a web based open source product or create the documentation or supporting web site.

Of course if there is collaboration involved I would generally insure it is not for profit and there are no intelectual rights or licensing issues.

Theres also a few labour trading sites that have sprung up mostly for web development, however just like normal business this is fraught with difficulties.
(Third world labour is MUCH cheaper, working remotely has many drawbacks, how do you know you will ever get paid ?)

xhtml seems to be another non-standard, the closer you look at it the less it seems to exist....

 

No, no sarcasm intended... it's usually humor I'm trying to make. If it's a poor attempt at humor, then I guess I should apologize for that.

The "negativity" shouldn't be construed as such... I'm trying to let you know what employers *DO* look for so you can adjust your portfolio accordingly... because I've "been there, done that". Though I've neither been a Web developer nor a programmer, I know what employers look for when they're searching for them - I worked for a Web design company from '99 to '01.

If you submit work that several people did collaboratively, then you're not showing an employer what YOU can code, nor are you showing how YOU design pages... two skills that are crucial when hiring a designer. If you submit the work and state that it was a collaborative effort, then how will the employer know which portions are yours? If you submit the work and state that it is yours, then the employer might hire you under the false impression that you know how to code everything in the work and that the resultant design came from you.

Thus, submitting a collaborative work isn't particularly helpful... to you or an employer... and that's why I gave the warning. Take it or ignore it for what it's worth.

All that said... while collaboratively working on a site isn't good for your portfolio, it IS worth doing in order to learn design and coding skills from one another so that you CAN create better sites on your own for your portfolio.

I've stated this before... but I'll state it again: I didn't take a CIW course; I got the certifications. You don't need to take a course to get certified.

 

Well, for a second there i thought you was taking the piss. No hard feeling's though. Had a bit of a bad day today so took your post the wrong way.
I can see what you are talking about, and i am not in a position to NOT take advice from someone who has more experience and knowledge then myself.
But i will add that this idea of mine is just a bit of fun, and if you think me and others would be taking this collabrated web site and use this as the only proof of our skills and knowledge, then you are hugely mistaken, well...thats not what i had in mind. Like i said in previous posts... i do have several examples of my work already and a web site near completion. And i am sure others have to. If not, then this might be the kick up the backside they need.
I thought people on here doing the CIW training would like to get involved in something that can be fun and educational !!!!!!!
and if they designed the logo, then say so on their portfolio, if they designed the flash splash page, then say so on their portfolio, if they designed the template of the whole web site then they can saaaaaaaaaaaaay sooooooooooooooooooo!

It's nothing much just a little piece of the portfolio to go with the large bits. ( we hope)

Any advice will be much appreciated michael!

 

I think this sounds like a good idea. I am sure you can learn many things about designing and working in a team.

 

Actually, that's about the extent of my Web design advice... general knowledge about what Web design companies look for. Particulars, unfortunately, are outside of my realm of expertise.

...but hey, if you want to know what a <b> tag is, I can certainly provide some answers... heheh!!!

 

Hi Nelly,

I like your idea. While it may not be professionally beneficial for an individual to build a collaborative website, I think the idea of working together to learn the principals and practices is a good one. I thought that was what these forums were all about.

I'm not so much interested in obtaining the actual CIW Certification, but I have a need and desire to learn the material. I've already started a CIW Wiki on WikiBooks. It's not much yet, but growing. There are pages reserved for different exams and they're broken down into sections according to objective domains. Have a look. Any help or opinions are appreciated.

There doesn't seem to be an awful lot of participation in the CIW sections of the forums I visit, but maybe with a little participation, we can get something going.

 

Hello bill,

Nice to know that you like the idea. And even though you are the third person to say so....nothing has really been planned. The thing is, we are all busy doing our thing and having to keep in contact with each other is gonna need organization.

So i am gonna put it to you ( and anyone else who is interested)?
We need someone who is good at xhtml, we someone who is good at css, then someone who is good at javascript and then theirs Flash.....arhhh!!!! ( sorry, had to get that in)
I was hoping to get the flash job?, i can create a nice splash page and then leave all the rest to you nice folk?

The ideas are what we really need so jot some down and put it in your post.

Regards
nelly

 

OK. I'm not bad at xhtml, css and javascript (glad you've called the flash), and what i don't know I can learn quickly. Although I've got exam revision I can afford a bit of time during breaks/evenings. Give us an outline of what you propose and I'm definitely in.

 

Keep in mind now that I'm just getting started with the Fundamentals. I am getting a pretty good grip on simple HTML, and I've touched a bit on XHTML and CSS, but I've got a long way to go.

I'm not sure how much good I can be to you, but I am interested in learning all I can. Working with a group on a shared project is a great way to learn. I work at home and can usually squeeze a little time out of the day. If you think I can be of any use, I'm in. And if not, I'd love to watch your progress.

 

Have you changed your mind Neil ??

 

Hello Nelly,
I am studying for the CIW v5 foundation exam, and currently doing about 20million different things aswell I think it is a good idea mate, however I would not have much time to have any input on the site but I would certantly like to see how it would be done and how well you guys get on with it. As for the experience it would be great I agree. If it all goes well and I have time to work on it with you then maybe I will. Keep me informed bro and good on you

C

 

Okay....due to the kick up the arse i just got( cheers stu ) we need to get some idea's jotted down and perhaps get something started this weekend?

Who's in:

Stupeas......stu.
CIW XHTML CSS... wayne
Brotherbill.?

I have two ideas that i would like to get started on and i have two domain names to go with them.
The first idea is a beauty & health web site thats gives advice on healthy eating and general well being. We can also give away a free ebook on recipes for both healthy foods and beauty therapy. ( i have a few ebooks with resell rights).
There needs to be a bit of research doing here as i haven't got much content. But there must be hundreds of free advice floating around. ( just look in the newspapers)

The domain name for this will be: www.newnaturalbeauty.co.uk ( obviously these links are dead)

The second is a web site that my BOSS! wants to set up. In his spare time he is a drum & bass DJ and record producer and needs to start promoting himself and his crew.
I have started on this but i would like to scrap it and start again. so, i do have most of the content for the site and it will only be six pages.

The domain name for this will be: www.handballrecordings.co.uk

No real need to use these ideas, so if anyone has anymore then post them on here!
Once we know who's doing what then we can figure out how or who's going to host the site, or sites.

Cheers fella's
Neil

 

I vote for the beauty one, just because of the availability of content and possible affiliate programs.

 

hi guys i hope im not jumping from outside but i would like to say that neil`s idea is fantastic.. im still new for this forum and CIW but at the past i have done a few works.. i`ve helped building a few websites anyway what i want to say is i realy would like to join you guys

 

Sounds good to me. Send a Personal mesage to Nelly and let him know. Keep your eye on this thread to find out whats going on.

 

Yer no worries, i will PM you and bring you up to speed...( well....where we are...er?....yer)

 

michael how much time and money did you spend on the ciw certifcate ??
cheers buddy really just wnat to know how quickly i can pass the exams know what mean




(only the self is real)