Website Design Tips - Hypergurl

What skills does a webmaster need?

Ok, so you know how to make a website. But, does this make you a webmaster?

For some people the term webmaster refers to a person who can make a website. For others it’s someone who creates original website graphics and doesn’t search for them using Google images. Let’s say your client asks you for a SQL database or an easy method of updating their pages themselves though a user-interface. Would you know how to create such a site?

If you are thinking of making a career from being a webmaster, it’s important to multitask. Eight years ago, a development team would have consisted of a HTML editor, a graphics designer and a database programmer. However, it’s clear from searching job networks that employers today are after webmasters that have a multitude of skills. Let’s take Jobs at Google for an example during this post.

From this we can learn that to be an assistant webmaster at Google the skills required include: HTML, CSS, Perl CGI, MySQL and JavaScript. Google also asks that you have strong scripting and database skills as well as knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Unix operating system. When it comes to creating a website, scripting skills nowadays can refer not only to basic HTML but also includes PHP, ASP, DHTML and XML.

As you can see from this example, it’s important for webmasters to firstly have the skills necessary to multitask and secondly, to keep those skills refreshed and up to date. One way of keeping informed about current design trends within the industry is to read as many Internet / multimedia related magazines and newspapers as possible. Excellent technology websites to start with are:

Computer World http://www.computerworld.com/

Info World http://www.infoworld.com/techindex/web_services.html

IT News Australia http://www.itnews.com.au/

Entrepreneur http://www.entrepreneur.com/technology/index.html

Keeping in touch with the reality of this industry will make you more attractive to future employers and clients.