mindgraffiti

Outside In

From the perspective of an outsider looking in, as a web developer I can see how woefully behind the times our company’s web site is: it’s disgustingly out of date in design, doesn’t validate, uses archaic technology (Coldfusion 4.5, anyone?), loads slowly, and is a general disservice to anyone trying to use it.

How great would it be, to not fix the problems with the current site, but to scrap it and start fresh? Many server-side technologies are ripe for the picking, but we have had little time, no budget, and too much red tape to have a chance to shine.

Inside Out

From the perspective of someone on the inside looking out, the services offered by Angus Productions Inc. are incredible. We are the industry leaders in the cattle business, and our company is the industry leader on the web. While I consider the online sale books project a paltry offering, our competition was scrambling to catch up- even going so far as to steal our naming conventions later on.

The Future

It’s amazing to see the evolution of the web, through the eyes of the cattle industry: we set a precedent with the eye candy and presentation of the “as printed” sale books, and everyone else stood up, took notice, then ran like crazy to catch up.

Amazing! If something as insignificant (technology-wise) as sale books become the talk of the town, imagine what will happen when we really get to run amok. The web is not just a toy for playing games. It has evolved into a powerful tool that could make so many of our customers’ lives easier.

With this new project on the horizon (API is just now slowing down from busy season) we are likely to blow apart the stereotypical view of the web as a toy.

The hardest part is learning to have patience and carefully navigate past the red tape so the web department can really get down to business. The part about success being 99% perspiration? They were not kidding. I am not afraid of getting my hands dirty and doing the grunt work when it’s necessary, because I know that the future rewards I am working towards will be grand. Working in the cattle industry may not be viewed as an exciting opportunity by most, but by the time I’m through with it, it will be.