"Among web professionals, "web development" usually refers to the main non-design aspects of building web sites: writing markup and coding. Web development can range from developing the simplest static single page of plain text to the most complex web-based internet applications, electronic businesses, or social network services." - Wikipedia
I have grown up learning websites. Since the age of 12, I have been learning about the internet, and making websites. I started with the simplest of websites, and quickly progressed through many different levels of skill. Sometime in 2001, I started working with one of the main languages used today for web programming; PHP. (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor is a widely used, general-purpose scripting language that was originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. - Wikipedia)
Growing up, my father instilled in me a craftsman's pride for the work I do, and I have carried that value on through all the work I do. I love to write code, to tackle the problems that arise in making something incredible from the building blocks I have been given.
These days, I am using pieces of code from a framework named Zend Framework to spin websites from. This use makes the websites I develop more secure and better performing, and takes a lot of the time out of developing, which also saves you money.
The Cost
These days, you can find many developers, at many price points. I have set my price at $25/hour, which leads to a basic website costing approximately $1000 to develop. (see below: A Triathlon Site, S----- Runner Website). However, the final cost does not always correspond to the per hour rate I charge, since many things fall into that rate without being billed for time (phone calls and meetings, small changes (a tweak to the look of the site for ex), etc.)
"That sounds like a high number", I can hear you thinking to yourself right now. However, that same website can vary in price from $200 to as high as $6000, depending on the developer's skill, ability, and greed. Feel free to shop around, but keep a wary eye out for those that are priced too low (limited experience or lack of ability), or too high (greed, large overheads).
Portfolio of Development
A Building Supplies Site
Technical Features
- Database driven product management system.
- All products are loaded dynamically into the page, using AJAX.
- Product details are loaded into a window that overlays the page, like a popup that does not open into a new window.
- Administration system allows uploads of photos and documents.
- Each photo or document can be assigned to mulitple products, enabling easy reuse.
Project Information
A Building Supplies Site (not the real name), is the website of a local building supplies company. The goal of this project was to create a website to increase the visibility of this particular company.
The entire product system is AJAX driven, allowing a lightweight interaction with this website. All product lists for every category are loaded from a database, and to change categories or navigate between pages of products are done in one page. This means less time that the customer has to stare at a page loading bar, thereby improving their experience.
The owner of this website has an entire backend system that can be logged in to, which allows modification of almost all of the website content at any time. The owner can add or remove products, ads, and image and documents for any product with this system.
A Triathlon Site
Technical Features
- Database driven news, events, sponsors and links systems.
- All page content is stored in a database, allowing ease of editing by the customer.
- Templated elements allow for easy reuse of complex design elements.
S----- Runner Website
Technical Features
- Database driven news system.
- All page content is stored in a database, allowing easy editing, as well as 2 column layout.
- Administration system allows customer to upload and manage her own photo albumn.
A Triathlon Racer Website
Technical Features
- Complete layout modification for hosted blog.
- Flash image banner rotates through several images.
- Javascript used to overcome several programming access issues.
A Running Series Website
Technical Features
- In page content editing system, which uses AJAX and Javascript to pop out an editor.
- Complete database driven page content system, allowing complex layout and content modifications by the customer.
- Contact form automatically emails to appropriate contact depending on subject.
Technical Features
- Complete database driven system for listing and managing apartments and companies.
- Javascript overlay of various style elements for enhanced visual quality.
- Code allowing for override of standard website style in premium company pages.
- Database driven system for managing tentant complaints from break to fix.
- Google Maps integration for ease of locating various addresses, with automatic coordinate lookup.
Technical Features
- Static content system, enabling quick load times.
- Google Maps embedded, allowing display of store location easily.
Technical Features
- Database driven content system.
- Full dynamic theme modification, allowing extreme customization of all theme elements.
- Flash based poker timer, with theme elements modified based on current custom theme.
- Custom group URL, allowing easy access to customers by allowing them to use any name they choose.
Project Information
House Poker Stats is a poker tournament statistics tracking tool. It is designed to enable anyone to set up and run their own poker tournaments easily.
This website was designed with many complicated elements, including Flash and JavaScript. The entire website is database-driven, allowing most pages to be generated on the fly. There are a few JavaScript elements that allow users to interact with the website in interesting ways.
One of the more interesting aspects of this project for me was theme design. All the color themes were designed by hand, and some took hours. Thanks to the dynamic theme system however, users are able to switch instantly between any of the packaged themes that were developed, or even take the time to crete their own theme.
Technical Features
- Static content system, enabling quick load times.
- Database driven product listing system.
Zero Tolerance Gaming
Technical Features
- Database driven content and profile system.
- Retooled database driven image gallery system.
- New message system with AJAX functionality.
Project Information
Zero Tolerance Gaming is an online community of computer gamers from all corners of the world.
This project started as a complete rewrite of the base code, to convert it to more efficient methods. During the conversion, a whopping 67% of code was removed from the project, resulting in a much faster loading website.
Since starting on the project, many new features were added to this website, to improve it dramatically from what it used to be. As part of the Gallery of images, jQuery Lightbox was integrated to making viewing the images a much more pleasant experience. The layout was completely revamped, resulting in a much more functional and aesthetically pleasing place to be.
The most recent contracted upgrade was of the private message system. This system was overhauled to use AJAX-based methods to make navigating through messages much easier. Before the upgrade, marking a message, reading, and deleting were all things that you had to be sent to another page to complete. Now, all those tasks can be completed on the same page, meaning a better experience for the user, as well as a much lighter traffic load for that system then there used to be.
