Web developing Programming, Website Coordination, Content Development

Web developing
Programming, Website Coordination, Content Development


In human history, very few things have changed the way we live as Internet has done. So much so that the modern era has come to be called the era of Internet. The websites on the internet provide information about almost everything in the universe –from the price of food items to theories in rocket technology. If you are internet savvy and have a technical bent of mind, along with creativity and imagination, a career in Web Developing would be a great choice for you. In this field, you will have to upload information in a lucid and comprehensive manner, in cyber space. You will the opportunity to give shape to your creative ideas by designing aesthetically appealing websites. Great pat packages are assured in this industry as the Information Technology sector is one of the best performing sector of the economy.
A website is a set of interconnected web pages i.e., pages on the Internet, which are prepared and maintained as a storehouse of information by any particular individual, organization or group. Web Developing is the activity of designing, building, supporting and maintaining websites.
A website marks the presence of an individual, an organization or a group on the World Wide Web. The web pages of ant particular website, which are documents coded in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), are always connected to each other, and sometimes to pages of other websites. A website is generally dedicated to some particular topic or purpose and usually has a homepage that acts as an introduction to the contents and objectives of the website.
A website is hosted on a server by its owner or at an ISP (Internet Service Provider). Generally, a website has to stay on the server along with many other websites. However, a website may also reside on a server created exclusively for it or may reside on multiple dedicated servers. In order to qualify as a website, the web server has to be available on the internet, round the clock. A website can be accessed by using a software programme called website browser which is also known as HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol).
Websites are of two types- Static website and Dynamic website. The contents of a Static website do not change frequently and such a website is maintained manually by a professional or a team of professionals by the use of editing software. A Dynamic website, on the other hand, is one whose information changes very frequently. When a request for a certain page is sent to a web server, the page is automatically generated by the software, in direct response to the page request.
Due to the stupendous growth in Information Technology, there has been a huge increase in the number of website on the World Wide Web. The design, development and maintenance of these websites are the work of a large number of trained professionals working in different areas of Web Development.
A number of activities and functions comprise Web Development. These include the designing, building, supporting and maintaining f websites. Broadly the work in Web Development is divide into three areas- programming, design and graphics, and other activity like website coordination and content development. Web Developers, Webmasters and others are involved in the area of programming. The design and graphics section is handled by Graphic Designers, Visualisers and others. Websites Coordinators and Content Developers work in the management of the Web Developing team and in providing content on the site, respectively. Professionals involved in the areas of programming and database administration have work which overlaps with each other. Designers and Content/ Developers of the website do not have overlapping work profiles. But in the development of a website as a whole, all professionals have to work in close coordination with each other.
Developing of websites has two distinct aspects-technical and creative. Of these two, the creative side comes first. It involves visualization and conceptualization, after this phase is complete, there comes the technical part. The technical part is about converting the layouts into HTML and giving effects with the help of Java Script and AJAX. A web developer’s work involves surfing the Internet to check out other website for gathering inputs. In the same way, he can also bank on his own creativity to make a template. Once the client approves the template, the technical work gets started.
A lot of programming is required to develop and run a website smoothly. Web Developers are the professionals who are into the job of programming. A Web Developer selects the hardware to be used in the website as well as the software needed for the smooth and hassle-free functioning of the website. A Web Developer also decides upon the design that is most suitable and fit for the website as well as the navigation technique that requires to be very user=friendly. The Web Developer has to take care of these factors, since these factors are responsible in determining the familiarity of users with the website, thereby ensuring that they return to the same website. Thus, the Web Developer, in a long way, determines the kind of business done by an organization through its website.
The better a website is programmed, the greater its functionality is for the users. As a programmer, a Web Developer has to prepare multiple applications by the usage of both front-end (Visual Basic Script, JAVA, etc.) and back-end (MS-SOL, ACCESS, etc.) tools. In addition, a Web Developer has the responsibility of gauging the volume of traffic in the website, as also understanding as to how the traffic uses its time while surfing the website. A Web Developer does this by the help of data base and reporting tools.
The website comes under the total responsibility of the webmaster, after it has been designed and built. The structure and content of a website has to be restructured, refined and updated from time to time. This work is done by a Webmaster. It has always to be made sure that a website caters to the needs of various groups of people. The Webmasters studies the feed backs of various users apart from analyzing the statistics available on Internet usage from time to time. Changes are brought about in the website based upon these studies. A Webmaster has to be aware of the latest software tools that would enable the website to maintain it at par with technology.
Any website has to be visually attractive and aesthetically appealing. In order to provide information to users in a lucid manner, numerous pictorial and graphic representations of data have to be provided in the website. These aspects of Web Development are taken care of by the Graphic Designer. A Graphic Designer is responsible for the aesthetic appeal of the website. This is done by choosing appropriate designs, graphic Designer provides an accurate picture of the aims and objectives of the company as well as the products and services offered by the company. A Graphic Designer has to be aware of the latest software packages in the Graphic Designing and their usage in order to give the state of the art look to the website.
The job of a Website Coordinator or a project Manager is to oversee the effective functioning of all the aspects in Website Development. A Website Coordinator/Project Manager ensures that projects are completed with in the deadline. A thorough understanding of technology is required in this job but a project manager/Website Coordinator does not do the technical work. The Project manger/Website Coordinator also need not know the functions of the latest software but knowledge about the tools used to build the website id absolutely necessary. A Project Manager’s job is more in the nature of managerial tasks. A Project Manager has to coordinate the team of technicians, keep in touch with the client and coordinate the front-ends and back-end operations. A Project Manager /Website Coordinator has to ensure that the website truly portrays the objectives of the organization and helps in enhancing its business prospects. A job as Project Manager/ Website Coordinator requires good communication techniques, interpersonal skills and organizational capabilities.
Content of a website is its most important part. Writing and editing the matter on the website is the job of the Content Developer. Content Developers provide the matter on a website in an interesting and convincing manner that lends quality and grace to the website. The success of a website depends on the qualitative and informative matter on the website. Hence, the job of a Content Developer is very important in Web Development.

Eligibility
Successful completion of 10+2 or its equivalent examination is the minimum eligibility criteria to require two-year or three-year courses in IT skills. Some courses can also be opted for directly after the completion of the matriculation examination. Completion of graduation is the minimum eligibility criteria to avail of one to two-tear long courses in IT skills. Graduation is the minimum educational qualification to avail of specialized courses like Web Designing, Programming, etc.

Aptitude
Creativity and imagination are very essential in order to build visually attractive and operationally functional websites. A technical bent of mind is required in order to do the coding for the programmes. Programming is a brain-numbing task and one needs to be hardworking and meditative enough to do the task of programming. A Graphic Designer has to be creative and imaginative in order to build visually attractive and aesthetically appealing websites. In order to work as a Project Manager/Website Coordinator, one must have good management skills, good interpersonal skills and sound organizational capabilities. Creativity and imagination, couples with the flair for writing and conveying information in a lucid manner, is required in order to work as a Content Developer. One should be able to tell a story in a sensible manner and form in order to do well as a Content Developer.
To excel in this profession, one requires to possess a high level of imagination and the willingness to experiment and learn. On top of that, one should have the capability to understand the brief clarity, come up with original creative solutions and bring them alive on the web. The capacity to think analytically proves to be a great advantage. Aspirants will do better to imbibe a sense of team spirit, most of the time, web developing is not a solitary process. Ability to sit long hours in front of the computer and an ego-less and fun-loving attitude will take one places in this profession.

Courses
To become a web designer, one needs to learn about the web, HTML, Photoshop, software like Dreamweaver and Flash, CSS (cascading style sheet, for managing content formatting ), and at least one programming language such as ASP, ASP.NET or PHP. Various courses in different areas of Web Development are offered in institutes and colleges across the country. One can avail of two to three-year courses imparting comprehensive IT skills after the completion of the 10+2 level of education. One to two-tear long courses in specialized areas of Web Development, like programming, web Designing etc., are available for Graduates, in many institutes across the country. Intensive, high-end course in networking or programming are available for Engineering in many institutes. Courses in Graphic Designing as also in computer programming languages like JAVA, etc., are available in small and big institutes across the country. A one-year Diploma programme in media technologies is offered by SAE Technology College which is based in Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and has branches across several big cities like Mumbai, Bangaluru and New Delhi. Apart from Web Designing and Web Programming, the course curriculum includes other modules like advanced multimedia studies, 3D audio and video for multimedia. At a course fee of Rs. 1.6 lakh, modules like animation, online publishing, digital imaging and graphics are included.
A Diploma in Digital Web Authoring is offered by the NIIT. This course includes web animation, integration of audio and video films, creation off splash screen and interactive banners. Other modules like image editing, layout designing and web page structuring, file uploading and downloading, website testing and publishing through publishing servers are also included in the course. Various online courses in different aspects of Web Developing are also available on the Internet. One can avail of these courses, right from the comfort of one’s own home.

Prospects
The modern age is the age of Information Technology. Any company worth its salt has to ensure its presence on the World Wide Web by virtue of its own website. Apart from companied, several governmental departments, non-governmental organizations, voluntary organizations, miscellaneous groups and even individuals have website to their names. As many as 80 millions websites are to be found on the World Wide Web presently, according to one calculation. A vast pool of trained professionals is required to maintain and update these websites apart from building new websites.
In emerging technological hubs like India, the field of web developing has become an era with multiple avenues. Developing and managing websites required people with varied skill sets and experience. Developing and managing websites normally requires system administrators who manage the servers and the computer network. It also needs content developers who prepares or edit content; animators for developing attractive animation s that run on website; and quality control specialists to help meet various quality parameters such as browser and system compatibility, technology issues, link errors, load testing, etc.
Largely, advertising agencies, web solution firms and web portals employ trained professionals in Web Developing on contractual basis. These professionals work on the project as long as it lasts. According to NASSCOM (National; Association of Software and Service Companies), the number of qualified web professionals is constantly on the rise. This is a clear sign of the high demand for qualified Web Designers. Hence, a professionally trained Web Developer will find ample job opportunities with attractive salaries in this field.
A lot of companies, based outside India, also develop their website in India due to the availability of highly qualified technical personnel at comparatively lower salaries. Nowadays, a large number of big companies outsource web developing to freelancers. So, a developer can work from home as well. He/she can create his/her own profile on certain websites to draw more orders. With such huge amount of work being outsourced to India and newer concepts being worked upon, like interactive websites, web banners, multimedia presentations and animated e-cards, newer skills are required of Web Developers. Moreover, one will also be able to earn a lot in this industry, as the sector is one of the few booming sectors of the economy.

Remuneration
One will get a handsome salary in this industry, even as a starter, which may be in the vicinity of about Rs. 50,000 per month, if one is professionally qualified in any area of Web Development. As a free-lancer for various Web Developing Companies, one will get handsome compensations for the work done. The salary goes on increasing, as one gains experience in his field. With constant increase in the number of websites developed, the average salary for a Web Developer is sure to increase in near future.