Category: Web Standards

Web Standards

Irish web standards compliant websites revisited

I wrote a post a few weeks back about Irish web standards compliant websites and development agencies. In that post I listed commercial and non-commercial Irish web standards compliant websites and development agencies who develop to the web standards, in response to queries from participants on a talk I gave for the Irish Internet Association.

In the meantime, Colm O’Riordan of Communicraft has come back to me pointing out another site developed by Communicraft which is web standards compliant. The site is called Crann – it is the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices based in Trinity College Dublin.

If there are any other Irish web standards compliant sites or development agencies out there that I have missed, feel free to contact me and I’ll happily give you a mention.

Blogging, Web Standards

Web standards and blogging – important skills for new graduates

I was invited to deliver a talk to the final year Computer Science students in University College Cork yesterday.

The title of my talk was Computer Science Prospects – it was a talk, from the perspective of someone who has been in the industry for a few years now (ahem!), advising prospective graduates on useful skillsets to make themselves more desirable to employers.

I pointed out that with the increasing awareness of web standards, and the advantages they confer, it is vital for graduates to be intimately aware of them and to have demonstrable experience of development using the standards.

I then went on to point out as blogging is now, fast, becoming a mainstream means of corporate customer communication (witness the blogs of Randy Baseler – VP of Marketing for Boeing, General Motor’s Blog, and even the blog of Margot Wallstrom – vice president of the European Commission!), graduates with a knowledge of blogging technologies will be increasingly in demand.

Anyway the talk is available in Powerpoint format here.

Community Interest, Technology, Web Standards

Web standards compliance

Michele mentioned my post listing standards compliant websites in an article on his site this morning.

He correctly pointed out that many development companies think that they can jack up the price when asked to produce standards compliant sites – “Mention w3c standards and the price starts to climb”. Unfortunately, this is often the case and is generally because the companies in question are still on the learning curve when it comes to rolling out standards compliant sites and so, are charging their clients for learning how to produce the site!

In fact, the cost of production of a web standards compliant site should be no more than the cost of a non-compliant site, and could even be cheaper.

The next time a development company tells you that it costs more to produce a standards compliant site – ask them to justify it. If they can’t to your satisfaction (i.e. not in techspeak) tell them you are going to a company who knows web standards and are not still on a learning curve.

Community Interest, Technology, Web Standards

Irish standards compliant web development agencies and websites

Since I delivered the talk for the Irish Internet Association last Thursday in Mitchelstown, several people have asked me for the names of web development agencies who develop standards compliant websites.

I know of a few Irish web development agencies who develop web standards compliant sites and will list them here – if anyone knows of any that I have missed out on, be sure to let me know and I will update this list.
9mmfilm.com
Copper Reed Studio
Communicraft
Ionet Limited
TheDesignTribe Interactive
iQ Content
Enhance.ie
Fusio
Eoghan McCabe Web design

I was also asked for examples of Irish commercial websites which are web standards compliant. Again I am listing the ones I know of or have been made aware of. If you know of any that I have missed, please let me know and I will include it here.
Fota House – Developed by 9mmfilm.com
Morgan Leahy Group – Developed by Copper Reed Studio
O’Hurley Blair Irwin – Developed by Copper Reed Studio
trinityhorne – Developed by Copper Reed Studio
Blooming Amazing flower company – Developed by Fusio
MetLab – Developed by Ionet Limited
SalesLeads.ie – Developed by Ionet Limited
Exact Ltd. – Developed by Ionet Limited

Below are a couple of non-commercial Irish standards compliant sites that I felt deserved mention:
Children’s Research Centre, TCD – Developed by Copper Reed Studio
University of Limerick, Cooperative Education & Careers Division – Developed by Copper Reed Studio
The Labour Relations Commission – Developed by Fusio
The Department of Finance – Developed by Fusio
The Department of Foreign Affairs – Developed by Fusio
Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General – Developed by Fusio
Dublin European Institute – Developed by Ionet Limited
Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices – Developed by Communicraft

Again, if there are any sites you feel should be listed here, send me on the domains and I will add them.

Updated Mon 12th June 2006

Personal, Technology, Web Standards

Practical Web Design Advice presentation

The IIA (Irish Internet Association) have asked me to give a presentation at a one day E-business Seminar they have organised in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork, in association with Ballyhoura Development. I agreed to give the talk – the title of my presentation is Practical Web Design Advice. I’m recommending the use of web standards, particularly as a means of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) in the talk.

I have uploaded a copy of the presentation to this website – click here if you’d like to see it.