Another common error occurs when including a URL which contains an ampersand (“&”):

<a href="foo.cgi?chapter=1&section=2&copy=3&lang=en">...</a>

This example generates an error for “unknown entity section” because the “&” is assumed to begin an entity reference. Browsers often recover safely from this kind of error, but real problems do occur in some cases. In this example, many browsers correctly convert &copy=3 to ©=3, which may cause the link to fail. Since ⟨ is the HTML entity for the left-pointing angle bracket, some browsers also convert &lang=en to 〈=en. And one old browser even finds the entity §, converting &section=2 to §ion=2.

To avoid problems with both validators and browsers, always use & in place of & when writing URLs in HTML:

<a href="foo.cgi?chapter=1&amp;section=2&amp;copy=3&amp;lang=en">...</a>

Note that replacing & with &amp; is only done when writing the URL in HTML, where “&” is a special character (along with “<” and “>”). When writing the same URL in a plain text email message or in the location bar of your browser, you would use “&” and not “&amp;”. With HTML, the browser translates “&amp;” to “&” so the Web server would only see “&” and not “&amp;” in the query string of the request.

via htmlhelp.com

Most blogs aren’t very good.
Bloggers can’t write.

The writing isn’t the only thing that makes blogs bad; the lack of consistency isn’t helping either.

And I am a victim of this too. Blogs are kinda of a chore when you know that no body is going to read them. Maybe if there were more appreciation for the work put into blogs then the writers would care enough to put more time into them. Or maybe it’s the other way around. If writers put in more time, then people might care to read them.

Just a thought … (and a personal note to myself).

1999 – Build it and they will come. (a.k.a. field of dreams syndrome)

2004 – Build it for users, not search engines, and they will come.

2009 – Build it for users, optimize it for search engines, create content for link bait, promote it through social media, reoptimize it for conversions and they will come and convert.

The advice hasn’t changed. There are just a few more pieces.

via SEOmoz

This is a beautiful post about the state of the industry and Noah Stokes really hits the nail on the head:

Let’s face it, we are a low hanging fruit.  Anyone can design a site.  And everyone’s neighbor’s step-cousin’s twin can code it.  You don’t need to be certified, you don’t need to be licensed by the state, or submitted to the cruelty known as the Bar Exam.  Nope, you just need a computer, and a hacked iPhone to tether to.  How is that for an entry barrier?  The problem is that until someone loses their Xbox (read: million dollar home), or God forbid gets killed, there is no reason for us as web designers and developers to be a licensed profession.  (Hat tip, Greg)

Now, just because we’re not a licensed profession, doesn’t mean we can’t act like one.  I wonder if the clients that think our services are worth pennies on the dollar to what we bill would reconsider if we could just step it up a little bit.  Here are some things I think might help.

First, stop thinking your client is stupid.  Your client is not stupid.  I don’t care if they want an all Flash site sized at 800x600 with a dancing unicorn for the navigation.  You may laugh at them behind their back, just remember, they laugh at you when OMG, your precious Tweeter is down.  We are in the services industry.  Get used to it.  Your client is your lifeline.  Show them the respect they deserve, even if they don’t deserve it.

Stop your effing whining about IE6.  Yes, it sucks.  Yes, a large percentage of your clients customers use it.  Code for it.  Make it work.  Side note, they don’t go to your IE6 Sucks, or DownWithIE6, or letsgettogetherandmoanaboutIE6anditslackofstandards.com sites.  Let’s be honest, that’s just a circle jerk for us now, isn’t it.  Over time, you’ll learn it’s quirks and you’ll get faster at coding for it.  Maybe then you’ll stop your whining.

Educate your clients.  Sure, you can educate them about their antiquated browsers, but do it in a respectful way, remember, your client is not stupid.  Sit down with your client, explain your processes, walk them through the steps you take to build their site.  Help them to realize that there is more that goes into building a site than a Frontpage template and some Ajax.  Tell them about Information Architecture, A/B Testing, Accessibility, UX, Project Management, SEO, Web Standards.  Educate them.  The more you do that, the more your client realizes the difference between you and cousin Jim.

If you’re not doing those things I just mentioned, then start.  Yes, there is more to web design that just those pretty gradients and shiny buttons you learned in the latest Smashing Magazine post.  If you don’t know how to do them, then buy some books, or look them up online.  Don’t stop learning, teach yourself new methods, new practices, new technologies.  Stay current with trends, even if you don’t use them be aware of them, and be prepared to give solid reasons as to why your clients should or should not utilize them on their site.  If you’re a designer, learn some HTML, CSS and Javascript.  If you’re a developer, try to read about UX.  Just keep learning.

The more you know, the better you will be able to advise your clients.  They may not take your advice, but it’s your job to give it when asked.  Don’t be caught not knowing about what they’re asking.

Be confident in your pricing.  Increase your rate each year as your skill set grows.  Yes, experience is worth more.  If you have to take a job because you need money, then do it.  Just know your worth, and don’t sell yourself short.

Find a mentor.  Don’t go run over to Dan Cederholm at SXSW and declare your apprenticeship.  You don’t even need to talk to Dan.  Read his blog, study his work, look at his code.  See how a true professional works, and start to model a professional career accordingly.

Be a mentor.  You don’t need to be Dan to help someone along.  Blog what you’re learning about, offer to help others in need, respond to every email, every DM that you can.  Be cool, we’re a community.  Everything I learned, I learned online by others who were willing to share.  Help others learn, so we can collectively grow together.

Be passionate about what you do.  If you’re not passionate about design, or development, do us all a favor and start doing something else.  Passion can lead to greatness.

The possibilities are limitless, the frontier is only at version 2.0, right?  One day we may be licensed and held to a strict standard and code of ethics, but until then, let’s act like we are now.

If Seinfeld is a show about nothing then Reddit is a website about itself.