ASP.NET & SQL Server contractor for hire
One of the most interesting peices of technology to come out of Microsoft
recently is Linq. Linq is a language for querying just about anything (XML data,
SQL Databases, Lists of objects). Regardless of the type of data you are querying,
Linq works the same way, meaning developers only need to learn one API to query
many data sources.
For developers of data-centric sofwtare, Linq is of huge importance as it offers
an entirely new way to interface application software with a database. For n-tier
architectures built using rapid application development (RAD) techniques, you cannot
afford to overlook Linq - it essenitally offers the option to elimate writing a
data access layer (DAL), saving huge amounts of development effort. Linq can return
strongly typed business objects from database queries. This is not just hype,
I've used Linq in a real world context with great success.
I've taken the plunge & upgraded to Visual Studio 2008. The experience was painless
& upgrading 2005 projects has proven to be very easy. I look forward to taking
advantage of new .NET 3.5 features like LINQ to reduce coding effort.
I would like to welcome PDSL Ltd. as a new client. PDSL has
many excellent solutions for the Human Resources market & together
we will be developing software tools to streamline the delivery of these
services over the web.
16-18th October 2007, Waipuna, Mt Wellington
A web development community event not to be missed
is the
WDANZ Auckland Conference. This is
3 action-packed days with great speakers, networking
opportunities, training seminars and much more.
Anyone can register on the WDANZ website above.
Why not take to opportunity to join WDANZ while
you're there and receive a free ticket?
for "ASP.NET Developer" in New Zealand.
This is a great result and has only come about in the last few days, probably since
this site has now come out of the Google sandbox. Ranking
#1 for "ASP.NET Developer" was my goal in setting up this site earlier this year.
I've got to think of a new goal now!
I've achieved this through some basic techniques that any website owner can employ, getting
good, relevant links into the site, and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) on this page, which involves
having a suitable page title, meta description, <h1> heading, opening paragraph,
and original body text.
- Fact: 92% of websites fails these SEO basics
- 62% double traffic in 6 months upon implementing SEO basics
- 47% triple traffic in 6 months upon implementing SEO basics
Source: WDANZ
Big thanks to Michael Brandon at SearchMasters for opening my eyes to SEO.
If you're looking at ways to improve the way people experience your website,
I recommend this book highly. It's a quick and easy read, and I guarantee
it will change the way you think about the way people use the web.
"Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what's left."
Krug's Third Law of Usability
I've been getting a vibe from website owners that their Content Management Systems (CMS)
are frequently failing to deliver on the promise of having a great website for users
& owners alike. I have come to agree wholeheartedly. There's many reasons why large complex software
projects fail, and I intend to write an article on the pro's & cons of CMS very soon.
My belief is that CMS systems are either low-cost + low-flexibility or high-cost + high-flexibility.
Neither of these cases is desireable. In many scenarios, I believe website owners would be better
off with a well architected web-application, tailored to their exact needs.
I've just added an E-Newsletter application to the BuyBigPrints.com site.
This application allows targetted Newsletters -
eg. Photographers get a Newsletter with information & special offers likely to be of interest to them.
This website has had a facelift! I've changed the default colour scheme from
a black-based theme to a white-based theme. Thanks to ASP.NET Themes, this is
very easy to do.
I am looking to align myself with web designers & graphical designers to provide services that complement
traditional web design. For example, I can take care of database interaction for an otherwise static
html site, or I can set up a Content Management System (CMS) behind a web site. Basically I can
take care of the back end work and help free up web designers to focus on what they do best.
As of February 2007 I have become a Profesional Member of the Web Developers
Association of New Zealand (WDANZ). Find out more about WDANZ.
This website is brand new as of early 2007.
This site has been developed by me, in ASP.NET to showcase my skills.
Have a look around & feel free to contact me.