Life Behind The Curve @ Hey!Stac

The never-ending endeavour to keep up with everything in terms of web development and design. Hopefully it helped a few people in giving some advice in how you can keep up in your own way...

An extended version of the original 5 minute talk given at MKGN #5 created specifically for the fine people who attended Hey!Stac in Leeds on 23rd July 2013.

Transcript

1. Life Behind The Curve
   Or how to keep up-to-date
   with all things web
   Westley Knight - @meteoracle
   Hey!Stac - July 2013
   

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2. A little bit about me
   Building websites for over 12 years
   Married with 3 kids
   Always worked in an agency
   I love doing my job
   This makes me
   feel old
   This just backs up my
   statement of being old
   The security of
   a 9 to 5
   Proves I’m a
   proper geek
   

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3. I used to do it all
   Web Design DNS Servers
   Email Servers
   Hosting Configuration
   Database Design
   Database Integration
   Flash
   ASP VBScript
   Server Upgrades
   Software Support
   Dial Up Accounts
   Domain Registration
   

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4. Now I have more focus
   Front End
   Development
   Information
   Architecture
   User Interface
   Design
   User
   Experience
   Typography
   Responsive
   Web Design
   Content
   Strategy
   

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5. Break it down
   How quickly things change
   The amount we have to learn
   How to keep up in your own way
   

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6. What I wanted to talk about
   Workflows & Processes
   Responsive Deliverables
   Repurposing Your Tools
   

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7. But things move so fast
   http://responsiveconf.com/
   

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8. But things move so fast
   http://daverupert.com/2013/04/responsive-deliverables/
   

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9. But things move so fast
   http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2013/04/22/repurposing-photoshop/
   

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10. How do you keep up to date?
    http://uptodate.frontendrescue.org
    

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11. Who to follow on Twitter
    A list of news sites, blogs & podcasts
    Conferences to attend
    Advice on finding your own sources
    78 people
    to follow
    41 in total
    46 of them!
    This is the
    really useful one
    What this site tells us
    

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12. Wait, there’s more...
    http://www.creativestag.com/design-development-blogs/
    That’s 98 in
    total now!
    

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13. And in practice?
    580+ Articles
    60 Podcast Episodes
    ~50 Hours
    ~45 Hours
    May 2013
    

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14. And in practice?
    660+ Articles
    90 Podcast Episodes
    ~55 Hours
    ~67 Hours
    July 2013
    

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15. And in practice?
    6 Months!
    

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16. Typography
    Boilerplates & Frameworks
    Pre-processors
    What about the tools?
    

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17. Typography
    

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18. Boilerplates & Frameworks
    

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19. Pre-processors
    

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20. That’s a LOT of stuff
    So how do you
    keep up?
    

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21. The short answer
    You Can’t
    

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22. Threatened by the knowledge of others
    Put myself under pressure to learn
    Been judged for not being ‘up-to-date’
    I’ve doubted my own abilities
    The depressing part
    

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23. The good news
    You don’t
    have to feel
    this way
    

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24. Learn only what
    you need
    A different approach
    

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25. Keep it relevant
    A different approach
    

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26. Build an archive
    A different approach
    

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27. Some advice
    on advice
    A different approach
    

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28. Learn only what you need
    Apply new techniques if relevant
    Save articles for future reference
    Don’t be a sheep!
    So that’s how it’s done
    

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29. Don’t worry, be happy
    “The more I read, the more I
    acquire, the more certain I am that
    I know nothing.”
    – Voltaire
    

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30. Thanks
    meteoracle.co.uk
    @meteoracle
    hello@meteoracle.co.uk
    

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