More than just Code

I have been given the opportunity to run a Code of America Brigade for my local community.  In starting to get things set up I began to thing of the meaning behind the whole organization.  Volunteers that join together to help solve social problems.  A way to help our communities across the United States, not just in our little corner of the Nation.

Building websites isn’t just about coding.  It’s about what it solves.  What problem is the application you are creating solving? Do you need to know how to code to be a part of website creation?  Nope not at all.  There is so much more to building a website or an application than code.

It all starts with an idea.  Someone has to see the need and bring it up.  After the idea is realized there is so much more that goes on.  Design, research, marketing, and yes coding.  But can someone who is good at networking be a part of application creation?  Of course.  Someone needs to get the word out to the masses that this new application is being created.  Someone needs to get idea’s on what those masses want to see in the application.

There is so much more to Websites and Applications that I ever realized.  Even creating the website for this new Brigade needs more than just my Web Development skills.  Sure I can build the website on my own, but is anyone going to know it’s there?  Especially in today’s new world where so much if virtual now, how in the world is the rest of my local community going to know about this new organization and what it can do for them?  Turns out I am not good at networking.  Sure I have posted on a few sites about the new site, looking for volunteers, but my local network is so small it’s not going to go very far unless I enlist help.  A hard pill for me to swallow.  I am the type that if I can do it on my own I will.  But again that is how I am in this spot.  I don’t have a good local social network.  For all I know this blog it’s self won’t even start getting readers for months.  Why would it?  It’s not like it is publicized anywhere other than my portfolio, and only those looking for a developer might be looking at that.

So another skill I need to learn to be a good Web Developer is those soft skills, Networking, Researching, things that require no coding skills at all.