In 1997 when I discovered you could publish to the Internet if you knew HTML, I started looking for a class to learn the language. My dial-up modem was slow, and rendering images on early browsers was hard, but it didn't matter... I couldn't learn tables, forms and meta tags fast enough.
Once I knew how to build a site, I learned to research and register domain names, find hosting, learn new software, and educate others about the process. Finally, in 1999, I proudly posted my agency's first website. Full image
As the novelty of having a web presence wore off, websites shifted from offering mere images and content to providing functionality, such as online tax preparation. I was there, writing user-friendly content for H&R Block in 2000. Full image
At first, backlinks, meta tags and other text elements could contain practically any content, as long as they were present. But thanks to Google, in 2001 white hat SEO and algorithm angst were right around the corner. Full image
My learning curve hasn’t been completely linear. Plenty of tactics, strategies and technologies fell by the wayside as websites evolved. The 2004 iteration of my own website featured Flash. Full image
I loved the immediacy of online publishing from day one. But it wasn't until 2009 that my interest in creating a personal SEO-analytics laboratory compelled me to start a blog. Full blog
By the time I started my WordPress elder care blog in 2013, I'd already used Teamsite and other custom content management systems. I enjoyed the new access to themes and widgets, but I never lost interest in exploring new web technologies. Full blog
Now that I've earned my full-stack certificate, I'm excited to keep growing as a hybrid developer. Class is over, but I have the research skills and affinity for learning about everything from single-page apps to microcopy's role in usability to PHP pros and cons to keep growing as a developer.
In 2018 I started using Sitecore for website management, then learned Pardot as well to handle email automation, landing page development, and other digital marketing jobs. I'm kicking off 2020 excited to push the automation envelope, learn and experiment more, and accomplish new dev goals.