Communication Articles

"I'm shifting from RSS to the live-web [Twitter]" - Minnov8 podcast: episode 36

Another person on the podcast even quoted:

"The internet seems to be shifting to the live-web instead of blogging"

This comment fired me up a bit to tell you that Twitter is simply a new form of communication. New methods of communication encourage the others, not destroy them. Finding out about Twitter is like when people found out about the telephone. Telephony is a method of communication that bridges the gap between actually physically having to be in the same location. Overall people are able to meet up by talking on the phone first, expanding their communication. In this same way, Twitter bridges another gap of instantaneous communication between blogging and emailing.

Blogging and (e)Books are Here to Stay

Other types of communication are not going away. Blogging, books and e-books, major publications, etc are all forms of communication that will more than likely actually increase with the advent of micro-blogging.

• Major publications will always exist because we, as humans need an "authority" to trust in each topic. Someone who really knows their stuff in the midst of the sea.
• Personal blogging will continue because we need a place to gather our thoughts into a (semi)thought-out format that is publicly consumable.
• Books will stay because we need deep, thorough and comprehensive content covering various topics.

Twitter's Invention, Micro-Blogging

In late 1800's, "What is the Telephone?" was the question. After the invention of the telephone, more communication actually took place. As the internet continues to grow, we are learning new forms of communication with each other and asking similar questions, "What is blogging?" "What is Twitter?"

Instead of what is twitter, the real question should be,"What is micro-blogging". Twitter was the one to captivate the majority of people using micro-blogging, so this becomes the saying, "Kleenex" instead of saying what it is, facial tissue. Twitter's underlying principle is actually micro-blogging. Micro-blogging is obviously a short version of blogging limited to a set amount of characters (140 because of SMS capabilities).

Hyping the New Telephone

The current hype of Twitter is a result of people finding out about this new form of communication. It encourages them to get involved with a low barrier to entry. This is exactly the same as when the hype of blogging was going on. The only difference between this and the hype of blogging is that blogging was not tied to a single service leader -- there were many (Blogspot, Blogger, Typepaself-hosted, etc). With micro-blogging people have a single source to direct their attention to, hence the major hype on Twitter with the only occasional mention of the real invention, micro-blogging.

We all work within the bounds of expectations to perform up to a certain level or hit a deadline.  But, I think more often than not, web development people have unrealistic expectations. Managers, coworkers, and we too put higher expectations on ourselves than we ought to.  Some of this is healthy, but there are certainly pitfalls when dealing with unrealistic expectations. 

The Main Pitfall, Communication

All to often the culprit of unrealistic expectations is poor communication. This happens all the time - the developer knows the work is not going to get done on time but decides to say nothing about it.  Then when it comes time for the final deliverable there is nothing to show.  It can be tough to set emotions aside, but you better communicate with your manager (or client) that you aren't going to make the deadline as soon as you know.

An honest explanation, communicated as soon as possible is usually all that is needed.  Just make sure you set the expectations level to a reasonable level the next time around.

Not Hitting the Deadline, Now What?

Once you've given your manager or client a good reason why the deadline is not going to be met, then the ball is still not out of your court.  You have to work with your client and manager to come to a solution, and each one is different. Let me walk you through a few scenarios that have happened in my career - some good, some bad.

In a larger agency the manager allocated more resources to the project to help out in making the deadline.  This only works if you let them know as soon as possible that things were not going as planned. Otherwise, if it was your fault in not communicating then you are expected to take responsibility and put in the extra hours to still hit the deadline.  In some cases you may have to put in extra hours even if it is not your fault, but this should be recognized and warrant a promotion or pay increase (at the very least, respect).

In a small company my experience was sour when dealing with expectations.  The boss should respect what you say to them.  If the boss does not budge and still holds you responsible for the deadline, and does not pay well for the extra time you are putting in - then it is time to leave the company (if you can) and find another job.  The deadlines should be made with you involved in setting the expectation-level at a realistic height.

In consulting, when I agree to a deadline with the client I make sure to indicate how strong or weak the agreement.  If there are a lot of unknowns then I give them my best estimate and let them know the contingencies.  I make sure to update them on the progress of the project as well as the dependancies all the way through.  When successfully following this model, there are no surprises.  Communication is key - I can't emphasize that enough.

The Main Resolution, Communication

At the end of the day, it all comes down to communication.  You should make sure to communicate as soon as possible if you cannot make a deadline.  As long as you are working hard and have the correct skill-set, your manager (or client) will remain understanding.  Going forward you must adjust and learn how to set realistic expectations.  Then you will be on your way to hitting those deadlines and making those who work with you very pleased.

After years of working with developers and observing motivations - it seems I've generalized people into a few categories.

Please don't balk if they aren't 100% accurate, since everyone is different it is hard to generalize - but this shows the general trends I see of paths people follow when devleoping for the web.

Type A: Developers for Developers

The core of the coding world.  They have philosophical debates about code with each other.  From this group of people came all the programming languages ( C++, PHP, Java, Ruby, etc ). If they have any people skills at all you will see them leading conferences and in the lime-light.  Otherwise you can find them in password protected MIRC channels and in the deep dark caverns of corporations where no business person has ever step foot.

Type B: Developers for Client-Developers

They build plugins, frameworks and tools for themselves and fellow developers.  The focus is on developing bits of reusable code to accomplish client work more efficiently.  In the marketplace some are self-employeed, yet most of these people occupying full-time positions as team leads (or normal developers who exceed employer expectations). Their philisophical debates are found to be mostly around what are the best tools to use, but also on how to write the best code.  Community activity is high - as most have blogs, comment regularly on blogs and attend conferences.

Type C: Client-Developers

These developers use out-of-the-box software packages and slightly modifies them to get client work done. Their focus is on doing what the boss or client tells them for the day. May listen to podcasts, or participate in community lightly via blog comments or in-frequently posted to blog hosted at Blogger.com.  Will only attend a conference if it is local and 100% paid for.  In the marketplace you will find them working 40 hour weeks.  Prime motivating factor is family and job security.

Type D: Developers for Money

These people are hack'n'mash, "developers".  You will find them grabbing dreamweaver or any WYSWYG tool to, "make a million" via affiliate programs and any idea they can get their hands on to make money.  Visit their sites and see all types of ads - link ads, popup ads, pop-under ads (though some are finding smarter methods). Products are being sold because they understand the human condition and feed desire into a sale (conversion).

What type of devleoper are you? I am definitely type B.

Even as a web developer we need to be aware of how we communicate. You don't have to be politically correct all the time, but at least be aware of how you phrase things.

Consider the following statements:

All ____ are ____.
____ blows away all other ____.

These types of blanket statements are almost always offensive because they put something above everything else.

Instead try the following:

This ____ suits me best.
I'm very impressed with ____ ability to ____.

This way you are putting your words into a positive statement that separates what you are talking about from others without bashing anything. Being respectful and caring enough to phrase your statements like this will help you in your personal life and career. Now, excuse me I'm off to follow my own advice!

Try renaming your instant messaging contact list by full name and trade. It's simple, but very helpful to remember names and roles. For instance, "(CakePHP) Full Name" for my CakePHP friends. This has been especially helpful in a corporate environment. Instead of john390, you see their full name and what they do. Try it out!