The Tweetly Wrap-Up: Week of February 20, 2012

Web Development

• The terms “operating system” and “platform” are often used interchangeably in the technology industry. But should we be referring to Google’s Chrome OS as a platform?
• The World Wide Web is only 20 years old and people are already pining for its “good old days” of the web. We thought this discussion was pretty interesting as it questions the accessibility of today’s “bloated” websites.
• Did you know that QR codes can be beautiful? We didn’t know so, either. Web developers can start using these codes to their fullest potential by using URI schemes.
• Google is suffering from another black eye due to ‘Cookiegate’, or as some like to call it, ‘Safarigate’. What’s the deal with this exactly and how does it affect web privacy standards?

Project Management

• We know that adding more resources to a failing project won’t save it. So, we especially loved this article that explains why throwing money, including time and resources, at a problem won’t save it.
• Videos are a great way for project managers to capture low-performing or inefficient processes. Likewise, it may be just the proof you need to nudge project stakeholders in the right direction.
• How do you make sure you get requirements right 99% of the time? Check out what our senior project manager, Crissy Koger, recommends to accurately obtain them from clients.
• We thought this list of the 10 rules of project management was pretty spot on. We especially love #1: it’s always important to set and manage expectations up-front.
• Project managers should go with their gut, but they should do it cautiously. Making decisions on intuitive insights, after all, is risky business.

Interactive Design

• It’s almost the end of February, but it’s never too late to read what others are saying about web design trends for 2012.
• Determining what your clients really want is a task in itself. We thought these recommendations were a great way to start communicating more effectively with client.
• Designing for search engine optimization is the best way to promote your website to search engines. Designers have more power than they think to influence SEO and overall search rank.
• How do you avoid the ghost of decisions past? One way is to hold regular design reviews to keep the creative team engaged with design principles and constraints.

Software Engineering

• Mozilla announces that the Mozilla Marketplace will be open for developers to submit web apps, which will enable them to write a single app that runs across multiple devices and platforms.
• Microsoft has released the beta of ASP.NET MVC 4, which supports bundling and minification. In non-developer speak, this simply means developers can now build faster web apps on mobile devices.
• So do you want to be an app developer? Apple launches a new guidebook called “Start Developing iOS Apps Today” to help all those aspiring developers.
• Are we all coders? We enjoyed reading this article and hope you will, too.