jmarbach.com

Believe it or not, even today, it’s possible to make a website TODAY, that will someday compete with Facebook, YouTube, etc.

As you have probably have heard multiple times, there is no secret formula to the success of these huge sites. However, there are a few common characteristics of their founders and stories. An idea is the starting point, but a unique idea that makes your site better than another person’s is the idea that will succeed. Then, executing the idea takes persistence and patience. The part that many people often leave out is timing, timing is everything. What makes the web so special and unique, is that it is constantly changing. Whatever is successful today, may not be successful tomorrow. Emerging technology forces web companies to code newer and more efficient tools on the web. The time that your startup site enters the web is crucial to it success because of these new tools, making or breaking a success story. This is unlike other industries/careers, such as doctors and lawyers because for the most part, the tools that made you a successful lawyer ten years ago, will most likely make you a successful lawyer today. (Not saying that lawyers or doctors aren’t great professions, that’s not true, they are very dedicated people.)

Back on the “Big” website idea, basically, if you focus on strategy (long term) instead of tactics (easily mastered in short term), then you will have a higher probability of developing successful website. Having a passion for your idea will allow you to outlast your competitors when they get bored. But ultimately, the reality is that it takes years for sites to go “big”. If it really is that idea that has been brewing inside your head for months, that idea that you know will take you to great heights, just don’t have you or the idea saying: “Please, please, don’t leave me.”

This post was inspired by Seth Godin’s post on  The Secret of the Web.

All of the sudden actively maintain an online profile/identity has become mainstream. More people than ever before are sharing content and producing content, because web developers have made it extremely easy for them to do so. However, with the current generation of web developers reaching their prime now, where is the next generation of developers to continue building new programs, applications, and other tools on the web? Two blog posts that I’ve read recently explain just that:

Where is the Next Generation of Developers (SitePoint.com)

10 Skills developers will need in the next five years (TechRepublic.com)

The younger generation is certainly involved with the computers, but they are not learning how to build these programs that they use everyday. This is not a good sign for the future of computer science, since computers use continues to grow, while education of how to use computers declines. Some of the most important reasons that kids are not interested in learning about programming are that to many it seems straight up boring, all of the programs that they need exist already, and educators don’t offer it to them in school.

First, the boring part can be fixed most of the time. To get kids interested in programming, engage them. Easier said than done, but if you make it relevant to their lives and provide meaning, they will want to learn. As for programs existing already, this is vital to applications that will be developed progressively. Understanding and manipulating existing code is vital to the innovation of currently developed applications. This is hard to solve though, because in most schools, computer science courses are limited and educators do not see the importance of computer programming literate students in the future. Checkout this eye-opening video: