Today has been a good day. Today I won a Web Standards Award ...
... and what a brilliant surprise it was too. For a long time I have been going on the WSA site to check out some of the latest and greatest sites being designed and developed throughout the world, and a tremendous source of inspiration and knowledge it has been and continues to be too. Especially for the likes of myself who are at the ‘testing the water’ stage of their web adventure. To see my own work on the site is quite surreal but tremendously exciting.
For a long time, I didn’t really have the courage to post any comments about the designs that were on the site. Partly because I could only really comment on them on one level (because my knowledge was limited), and partly because my own site and projects weren’t as good as I wanted – if you’re going to start giving opinions about other’s work, you need to be able to back it up in your own practice.
To be included on a site like the WSA, and to have your worked acknowledged and praised by the likes of John Oxton, is a real honour.
It will be interesting the comments my site receives (if any!), as there has been some quite heated discussion taking place regarding the other recent winners. I am first to acknowledge that certain areas of my site are not particularly tidy. I guess this was the challenge I had when I decided to add certain weird additions to the layout.
My first objective was to bring the ideas to a ‘realisation’ stage that worked on all modern browsers. To do this I have used css hacks and added rules all over the show. I guess I now need to go through my manic (but valid, mind) code and make it slick and tidy. As John mentions, the site is scruffy, but you can’t carry that theme on into the markup!
I’m hoping visitors to the site from the WSA link will give me the sort of crit where I am able to use and apply the comments to address some of the issues (hopefully mixed in with some compliments as well!), rather than comments like: "The site isn’t semantically 100% correct, and the site doesn’t look good when you scale the type up to twice the size of my aunt’s bungalow" or some such bum-gravy.
Anyway, I’ll have to see what occurs – just checked the time and it is time to hit the sack.
COMMENTS
I can’t really comment but I don’t think you’ll get much heat. Seems to me like your site is being enjoyed and rightly so. We fellow Welshmen have to stick together right? Oh shit, now you’ll get some heat, I mean we must be related or something! ;-)
@John: Heh! Cheers John! Yeah, gettin’ good feedback. I expected a few comments about the css – it is a little sloppy, but – as you mentioned – it is me that has to update it so I’ll make that a little sub-project to do in my spare time. As for this blog – not ideal, that is why I’ve hidden it away a little, don’t want it to be a massive part of the site at the mo’ – if folk come across it then that’s fine and dandy at this stage. Just out of interest, what is the best way of going about a total cms blog? I see a few use ‘movable type’? ...‘Diolch yn fawr’ for all the support John – much appreciated!
Just out of interest, what is the best way of going about a total cms blog? I see a few use ‘movable type’?
There are so many, for me though it is Textpattern all the way! :)
As for the other thing you said in an email, yes please, keep me up to date! :)
Oh yeah and I am really sorry about deleting your WSA comments, I am such a nonce!
@John : Cheers, will look into Textpattern and get that sorted real soon. No worries on the comment deletion thing – it happens and it’s nay big deal