Well here we go again. I tried once before with blogspot http://aranhia.blogspot.com to start writing and posting updates. That field proved too narrow and after completing the work related to it (flash games) I didn’t have a reason to keep up to speed. This time I am writing on whatever I feel needs saying and I am just lazy enough to use a pre-fab wordpress blog for it.
I had been posting things to my super simple website that once lived at jonathanmccarver.com but i was frustrated with the inability to receive comments. I will probably recycle some of those articles into this blog but for now I feel like explaining why I, a few-years-in web developer with over a decade of hardcore programming experience, would use name.wordpress.com for my content.
Most web professionals have (or should have) a website of their own showcasing their abilities, their design asthetics, and their sense of brand. The quality of that site will without doubt be used as a direct indicator of that persons overall skill. I have many times been the interviewer rating candidates on the quality of their work and sometimes snickering at the poorly crafted sites some people maintain with pride while other times wondering where they found the time for such quality self promotion. I would never spend weeks of time making the perfect sales pitch for me. Of course I’ve never considered myself a web person anyway, at this point it’s just a job.
I would prefer greatly to have a web presence that indicates my interest and more than that a place to explore my philosophical musings. I want to be informed by my readers and corrected about my inaccurate assumptions. What am I, just a knowledge sponge?
I get by without having a nice website because I solve problems and I use logic in ways that tend to impress people. If applying to a job I can cite enough samples of work I’ve done to make a good impression and once in the interview I let my natural self out as much as possible. I go to any job opportunity looking for a good mutual fit, not a chance to get a job.
Additionally I don’t do design. I don’t care to either, there is plenty of good work out there but the popular design aesthetic at the moment doesn’t appeal to me. I am however aware enough to know that how I want a site to look fits a slim to nil audience and won’t do anything to boost my image for most people. I prefer to let the content speak for itself. Its just like product marketing. If you want me to buy your product then just make it the best choice and tell me where to find it.
Anyway enough patting myself on the back. I hope some people find what I post here useful. Thanks for reading.