July 22, 2013

Good Online Resources to Learn More About Website Code

No business owner can be an expert at every programming language – nor should they be. The rate of increasing language uses and coding techniques overwhelms even the most experienced programmers.

But a small business owner should have a basic understanding of website functionality. Knowing just a little about how sites can be structured lets small business owners better frame their questions when talking to developers.  It also helps organize the effort needed to make corrections and really get things done. The end result is avoiding cost overruns.

A few sites show what the basics are and how those basics work.  All do so with a low cost or free resources, and each have a varied degree of expertise.  Below are a few with some background on how they work.

Udemy – this site provides presentations and course material from instructors on a number of topics.  Many topics teach programming and software usage such as Excel, but there are also some great topics on website dos and don’t.  Some courses are free, others have fees of varying prices, with Udemy offer occasional coupons.  Regardless of course prices, you’ll find the site worthwhile.

AppSumo – This video-focused site provides online courses, and like Udemy, many are app-related programing and development.  But a few also show how to use software.  Many courses are offered with an occasional discount and snarky humor.  It’s a great site for growing an understanding of how extensive an internet presence maintenance can be.

Webdesigner Depot – This blog shares the latest tricks and ideas from web designers across the world and of varying experience.  It a great site in learning a few techniques that can update a site and not just delay

Lynda – There are basic courses available for everything ranging from using Microsoft office to basic programming at $25 per month.  These courses contain light material treatment that fits well for beginners and new internet users.

The material in Lynda contrasts with the scope often shown at O’Reilly, which is an excellent resource on programming languages and lessons. O’Reilly, however, aims its courses for more ardent developers.  There are certification training programs and webinars, as well as manuals and books that run the gamut of application and database development.

Peachpit – is part of Pearson Publication through its Safari publications.   Peachpit provides subscriptions to its video library in addition to specific blogs posts and books sold.  It’s pretty similar to O’Reilly, but its audience leans more for creatives, so its more design emphasis that developer audience O’reilly attracts.

YouTube – Type website development or any topic you are researching, and you’ll find a plethora of online video snippets.  I discovered a YouTube channel from Adobe that is great for web development.  Most designers and developers offer a series of videos, but many have differing quality in terms of speaking style or are using outdated tools, so weigh carefully against curated sites such as Udemy and Webdesigner Depot.

W3C SchoolsThis site has been the Wikipedia of web design, a standard go-to site for learning the difference between Javascript and Java. Users get to view the results of a code element change to HTML, CSS, PHP, SQL, and plenty of other programming syntax.

Tutorials Point – Similar in layout to W3C Schools, Tutorials Point provides great coverage on PHP, Javascript, Java, MySQL, and other programming languages.

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