Today we are highlighting some of our most recent members to have earned our Web Animator certification. Nine students from Pennsbury High School West in Fairless Hills, PA, recently earned the certifications, the first in Pennsylvania to do so. We caught up with a few students, including one in particular who excelled in the course, as well as Cathy C., who teaches the course. Cathy has already seen the impact it has on students in engaging them and helping them to meet the state’s future-ready initiatives. She knows she has opened up some student minds to think about possible creative career pathways.
Uncovering Hidden Talent
Teachers know they make a difference every day. Sometimes the changes they help students achieve are small, and sometimes they are big. One of Cathy’s students, “J,” was pushed to take the class but was not really interested in being there. However, Cathy saw what every educator hopes for–a student discovering his or her passion and realizing the world does need his or her creativity. J. was the quiet student who found out that the way he sees the world, his unique creative sense, is something that should be shared, and that his medium is animation.
Cathy talked about her experience teaching J.: “He just kept saying, ‘I’m not creative. I can’t do this. My mother is making me take it.’ Now he’s one of my top students, and he found out that he really is creative. He comes at problems with such an unusual viewpoint, and the other students can’t wait to see his work because it’s always something completely out of left field. He’s discovering that this thing that he always thought was his biggest limitation is actually an asset, and he loves it. He now has other students going to him for help in working on their animations.”
We caught up with J. to hear in his own words how he had enjoyed working through the Animation course and earning his certification: “At first I didn’t want to take this class. I liked the class AP Comp Sci A because you just had to follow the rules, and the program would work. This class, Advanced Web Programming and App Design (the animation class) didn’t sound like that because I’m not creative, but my mom wouldn’t let me drop the course. When Mrs. Costello put my nest-egg animation on the screen, everybody laughed. At first I thought they were laughing at me to make fun of me, but Mrs. Costello said, ‘No, J., they’re laughing because they think your animation is funny.’ But one of the other students said, ‘Yeah, we LIKE it!’ After that, everybody always wanted to see my animation on the projector first. Everybody laughed because they thought my animations were creative and funny. My classmates even asked me how I did things so I could teach them.
“Mrs. Costello says she doesn’t own the knowledge, and that means we can all have different right answers so mine can be right too! I was really proud of how my music video project came out, and my classmates kept wanting to see it again frame by frame because of how I made the tears fall on the animated kid’s face and the way I matched the animation to the music. That was really hard, but it meant a lot to me to get it right, and I was happy that everybody saw how much work I put into it. In conclusion, I really liked taking this class because I found out I’m creative and funny, and I’m sad this class is ending on Tuesday.”
What J. thought was going to be a class he hated turned into the class where he was a cool kid. He discovered that what makes him different is also a creative gift. Who knows? He may be the next Tim Burton (Director of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Frankenweenie) or Dan Harmon (Creator of Rick and Morty).
Reaction From Other Students
Like J., other students in the class thrived as well. Here are a few of the things they had to say about working the course and becoming certified Web Animators:
When asked about the experience of working through the course and earning the certification, one student said, “I liked the course and certification because they were flexible. I could work through tutorials and assignments in a less structured way.” Another said, “The industry certification is very important to me. I’m planning to pursue computer science as a college major, and the Web Professionals Global certification is a valuable way to distinguish myself from every other high school computer science student.” And another student remarked, “I wasn’t thinking of animation as a career option, not because I wasn’t interested in it, but because it didn’t even occur to me as an option. This has opened my eyes to a new possibility that I definitely want to explore further.”
We asked the students what it was like to show the projects they had built on the path to certification. One student said, “My family was impressed, but it was actually more satisfying to watch it with the rest of the class. My parents thought it was cool, but they didn’t understand the work that went into it like my classmates did.” Another remarked, “It was fun to show off my cultural music video, because I put in a lot of inside jokes and things only people from Pakistan would get. But then it was also fun to show it in class, because I could EXPLAIN all the things that only people from Pakistan would get! I liked being able to use a school assignment to show off the things I’m proud of about my culture.” And another student proudly said, “My father was bragging at Christmas that I’m going to graduate high school already having an industry certification in my field, even before I get to college.”
Finally, we asked the students what they would tell other students interested in earning the Web Animator certification. One student stated, “The projects gave us an opportunity to learn in a relevant, fun context. We learned the most by applying our skills and knowledge to a real problem.” Another said, “This is a class and certification that celebrates individuality. Your animation won’t look like the one done by the person next to you, and that’s the most fun part of the course.” Finally, one student talked about the sense of accomplishment: “There’s no satisfaction in answering easy questions, so I like how complex animation is. When you finish a project, you’ve done something you can be proud of.”
Cathy talked about how word is getting around the school about her class: “The Animation class and certifications have created some buzz around school. We’re about to start course selection for next year, and I’ve already had two kids I’ve never taught before come ask me about it.”
Mark DuBois, Executive Director of Web Professionals Global, said, “Reading about J. and the other students in Cathy’s class makes it all worth it here at Web Professionals Global. We are so proud to support these imaginative and innovative students as they immerse themselves in the world of animation. The certifications and knowledge they have earned will stay with them forever, no matter what their futures hold. We welcome these new members into our professional association and look forward to being part of their bright futures.”
Connect With Us Today
If you are a parent, teacher, student or adult learner who is interested in hearing more about how Web Professionals Global can help, contact us today.
Human behavior is all about psychology, isn’t it? It is the study of our mind and behavior. And why should our use of passwords not fall into this category? The folks at LastPass recently published a report about their findings concerning password behaviors. [Note: link will open in a new browser tab/ window.] They found that 62% are still reusing passwords. Yes, in 2022. Even when people became aware, only 25% started using a password manager/ wallet. Yes, even Web Professionals Global did a recent post encouraging individuals to use a password wallet. To learn more about their findings, please visit the LastPass link above. It is easy reading and has a lot of useful information. Given that many may not be using a password wallet, what can we as professionals suggest?
Option 1 – be consistent
Each site you visit should have a unique password. Period. Of course, if you insist on not using a password wallet, what sort of methodology could you employ? Here is one simple example. Obviously, you may want to try something different but analogous to this approach.
Consider you want to have a unique password at Amazon and Facebook (perhaps you use both frequently). How could you make a unique password for each site and remember it without using a password wallet or writing them down and pasting them under your keyboard (what could be more secure – yes, we are being sardonic).
Consider that the word Amazon has 6 letters and a com top level domain. One could consistently count the letters in a domain and use the first and last letters – for example A6N (in the same way we end up with A11Y for AccessibilitY and I18N for InternationalizatioN. Such a password would be incredibly easy to crack. So, we begin with the top level domain as part of a passphrase. Thus our password for Amazon becomes COM-A6N. Still pretty easy to crack as it is less than 9 characters. We could append our favorite flower to this passphrase followed by a number such as COM-A6N-sunflower42. Now we are getting somewhere. Facebook would become COM-F8K-sunflower42 and so forth. Of course, we could add more consistent words to our phrase. Longer passphrases are more difficult to crack with various tools. Obviously, if someone were to guess our scheme, they would be able to access our accounts easily. By itself, this may not be the best option. However, it still beats reusing the same password over and over, doesn’t it?
Option 2 – Why use your name or email?
While we are working along these lines, one often is asked for a username. Of course, many simply rely on the tried and true first initial last name or some combination of initials and surname. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you are able to specify your own username (and that can be a big if as many sites now ask for your email and simply use that as your username), do so (and be creative).
For example, instead of mdubois or markdubois as a username at a site, I could use favorite fossils as a username. For example, trilobites or trilobites42. There is nothing tying me specifically to that fossil so that should be reasonably safe for a username. No, hackers, don’t bother as I am way ahead of you on this.
Option 3 – Always 2FA
We have mentioned this before, but if you really can’t use a password wallet for some reason, at a minimum, you should always activate 2 factor authentication (2FA). Yes, we addressed this as part of our discussion on web security in 2021 and employee burnout in cybersecurity in 2022. Not only do you need to know your password, you also need to have something (such as a mobile phone with an authentication app). Simply knowing the username and password is not enough. Many sites allow for the use of 2 factor authentication these days. If they don’t you should contact them and ask for it specifically.
Combination?
If you really can’t use a password wallet, consider combining all the above approaches. Set your username to something meaningful to you but not readily obvious to others (in my simple example trilobites42). Set your password to something you can easily figure out by looking at the site and knowing something specific. For example, COM-F8K-sunflower42. And employ 2 factor authentication as well.
But wait, didn’t you tell me to change my passwords periodically in your prior web security article in 2021? Yes, we did. So we could expand upon the passphrase theme and use a password of winter23-COM-A6N-sunflower42 for our Amazon password. then, we could change that to spring23… when the time comes. We would change our passwords every quarter and each would be unique for that site. I know some sites will not let you change a password which is similar to the one you presently use. Just be consistently creative on your sites.
And, you can always reset passwords if all else fails and you forget. Or, you could just use a password wallet? Really, they aren’t that tough to use. Yes, it is important to grow beyond your comfort zone and these tips are meant to serve as a starting point. If you don’t want to use a password wallet, be creative. Use the above ideas as a starting point, not the end result. We know you are creative. Apply your creativity to the creation of your unique passwords on each site.
Editorial sidebar
While we are thinking about passwords and resetting them, what about all those security phrases you are asked to update with your bank and related institutions. Given all the social media “quizzes” which mine information such as your high school mascot (really, why on earth would anyone willingly share that information – oh, yeah – so they can see what they would look like as a dog or whatever – c’mon folks – never fall for those online quizzes – they are just stealing your information). But, wait, I already know what my spirit animal looks like. Oops. How does one deal with this if your personal information is already out there. Make it a point to lie on those security questions. For example, if one of the questions is what was the name of your high school – lie. In part. Perhaps append a noun to everything. Again, you just have to be consistent. For example, I would tell the security answer to the high school question that I went to Washington Grass high school. My father’s middle name was Fred grass (no, it wasn’t even Fred). Now I have a little more security as I must know the actual answer and the word I append to everything. Again, be consistent. Not a perfect solution by any means, but if your information is already out there…
What are your thoughts? As always, we look forward to your comments and insights.
Best always,
Mark DuBois, Executive Director
Web Professionals Global (aka World Organization of Webmasters)
Illinois senator Tammy Duckworth sponsored the “Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act‘ in September. This link will open in a new browser tab and is a synopsis. Although this is proposed legislation and we do not know if it will eventually become law, we (at Web Professionals Global) thought it important to mention this as we near the end of the year.
If enacted
Although the future of this law is presently not known, it is important to note some of the key aspects of this proposed legislation. This would make it unlawful for entities covered by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) “to maintain inaccessible websites and applications that exclude or otherwise discriminate against people with disabilities.” There would be a clear and enforceable accessibility standard with a technical assistance center and an advisory committee. The latter would provide advice on making websites and applications accessible. A study addressing emerging technologies would also be authorized. Quotes are from the above link.
Note the mention of clear and enforceable standards. In many cases, current laws seem vague and significantly lagging behind technology. Clarity will certainly help. Note also the proposed technical assistance center and advisory committee. In our opinion, these two items have been sorely lacking from most legislation. Most businesses simply lack the resources to “figure it out” on their own.
Why now?
Given what we have experienced with the pandemic, we all should understand better what it is to be excluded from a digital environment. Accessibility is experiencing significantly increased interest and awareness these days. We suspect accessibility laws are only going to be strengthened in the near future. As practicing web professionals, we should be helping our clients understand the importance of making websites, apps, and emerging technologies accessible (augmented reality, virtual reality, NFTs and more).
December is already upon us. WOW. Let’s take a moment and focus on security. After all, passwords are like underwear – they should be changed frequently. Sure, I get that. And I can set all my passwords to either:
be the same across all sites (definitely not a good idea), or
ignore this advice and never update my password (also, definitely not a good idea).
OK, what if I want to change my passwords periodically but suffer from any sort of memory issues. How can I:
use a unique password for each site I use,
keep my passwords (actually passphrases) long and complex, and
remember to change them from time to time?
Short answer – use a password wallet.
What is a Password Wallet?
In the same way you probably keep your folding money in an actual wallet and keep it close to you, a password wallet is a secure spot to store your passwords. It is a bit of software. It can be available only to you (perhaps on a USB drive – you recall those, don’t you) or it can be stored in the cloud (someone else’s computer). Regardless, access to the password wallet is controlled by a password (or preferably, a passphrase). Unless you know the password/ passphrase to access the wallet, the contents are not readily accessible. In a similar manner, the folding money in your wallet is not readily available to the world. Generally, contents in a password wallet are encrypted. This means if the data store is ever stolen, it is not of any use unless one knows the access word or phrase.
Yes, many browsers provide the ability to store your passwords these days. Many operating systems also provide this capability. That is always one alternative. Although we are not recommending/ endorsing any specific technology, it is important to know what options are available beyond your browser or operating system. Some examples of password wallets include:
KeePassXC (you can store your access credentials on a thumb drive). This software is open source and OSI certified.
NordPass (if you use Nord as your VPN, this paid version may be appropriate).
There are many other choices, Search engines are helpful, aren’t they?
Selection Criteria
Once you decide to that it might be useful to store your passwords in a secure wallet, here are some things to consider (this is not a complete list).
How secure is my data? Does the wallet securely encrypt the contents? If you forget your password/ passphrase, you will likely not be able to access the contents. Confirm that no one can decrypt the contents (particularly if the password wallet is online).
Is there a limit to the number of passwords/passphrases I can store? Some free versions limit you to 50 or 100 passwords. Of course, you get what you pay for.
How much does it cost? Yes, many of these services cost. That is how they keep their software up to date (defending against the most current known vulnerabilities). Many services offer a discount if you pay annually.
Password/ passphrase generator? The longer the password/ passphrase, typically the better. You should be able to specify the length. Also, you should be able to copy the information for a short period of time. When you use longer passwords, it is helpful to copy, then paste the contents into your browser. But, you don’t want that information remaining in your clipboard too long.
What other services are included? Many paid options offer additional services (such as multi-factor authentication, or being able to selectively share information with family or co-workers). You decide what is necessary for you.
Reminder to periodically change your password? It is a good idea to periodically change your passwords. Typically, we forget to do this. It is helpful if your software provides you with the ability to set a reminder for a given site.
Should I use one?
Ultimately, that decision is up to you. However, these days, one needs many passwords (and they should be unique for each site). Personally, my memory is simply not capable of remembering passwords for thousands of sites. And you want to make certain you periodically change important passwords. Those item alone likely dictate you should consider such an approach.
All this being said, I strongly recommend using 2 factor authentication in addition to a password/ passphrase on any given site. This means you must provide both your username and password along with a unique code to access a site. Most sites offer this option. Many allow you to use a technology like Google Authenticator or to receive a SMS text message with a unique code. These codes are typically only good for a minute or so.
Here at Web Professionals Global, we hope everyone has been experiencing a successful November. It is time again to focus on a few items which caught our attention during the month. We never cease to be impressed at how quickly web technologies change. Let’s briefly focus on these areas for now:
CSS,
Accessibility, and
Security
CSS
Browsers are beginning to support media query range syntax. Sure, it is not supported in all browsers on all devices yet, but knowing this is coming is huge. It should save significant time coding CSS. Instead of having to specify specific media sizes, we may soon be able to employ mathematical symbols such as >, <, <=, and so forth. Perhaps we can avoid min-width and similar bits as this is supported more and more. Readers are encouraged to follow the above link (it will open in a new tab) to learn more. Please let us know what you think about the possibilities of this via comments.
Accessibility
Adrian Roselli posted an article earlier this year on buttons, enter and space. From a user experience perspective, this is a great refresher on what happens when you use native keyboard interactions. Adrian even provides a working example (with counters). His last word in the article is something we advocate all the time – test. What are your thoughts about keyboard interactions?
Let’s not overlook e-commerce accessibility either. We came across this article specifying UI elements using roles. As many of our readers know, specifying the purpose of UI elements is critical when visitors to a site rely on assistive technologies. We thought this article provided a great number of insights and examples. We look forward to your thoughts on this topic as well.
Security
As we approach the end of the year (and many of us have to provide tech support to family and friends as they receive new devices), it might be wise to bookmark the OUCH newsletter site. Disclosure, Mark (your executive director) is one of the monthly reviewers of these articles before they go live. Each month, a security professional provides a timely overview of one aspect on security. Articles are kept short and are suitable for sharing with those not as savvy in various aspects of technology.
That is all for our November desktop view. We know your time is valuable and appreciate you reading this post. If you would like us to include additional articles or focus on additional aspects, please let us know via your comments below. Until next time…
Best always,
Mark DuBois, Executive Director
Web Professionals Global (aka World Organization of Webmasters)
It has been some time since I posted some thoughts on the current state of web technologies. A lot has happened during recent months. Let’s focus on several key areas:
web accessibility,
security,
JavaScript,
and CSS.
More areas may be the focus of subsequent articles. Stay tuned. As always, we at Web Professionals Global are interested in what you think. Let us know in the comments or contact us directly.
Web Accessibility
WCAG 3 has been released as a draft (published in December, 2021). Latest editors draft updated as of July, 2022. The approach is iterative with content ranging from temporary (just a placeholder for future content) to mature (ready for publication). This version is somewhat evolutionary in that it will be easy to understand and provide guidance. A key differentiator is that this version has a broader scope (beyond web content). I encourage you to view the above links and consider helping develop the next version of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Of course, there is also a new ARIA authoring practices guide website. Lots of patterns and resources. Check it out.
Security
This is a bit beyond web security, but definitely something readers should be aware of – ransomware attacks which target home PCs (delivered by fake Windows 10 or anti-virus updates). This is called Magniber (details can also be found at this ZDNet article). Essentially, a visitor is directed to a website (although it looks legitimate, it is controlled by malicious individuals). That site informs the visitor their computer operating system or software is out of date and they need to update it as soon as possible. The visitor is tricked into downloading a malicious JavaScript file which contains the malware payload. Once installed (via as technique called DotNetToJscript) the individual’s hard drive is encrypted. They are directed to a link to negotiate payment to recover their contents. More details can be found in the above article.
As web professionals, we should remind ourselves (and our clients of some fundamental tactics which help mitigate these sorts of attacks.
At a minimum, never act on anything that purports to have an extreme sense of urgency. That is what malicious individuals want. Act before you have a chance to think about the implications. It is also good practice to never click on links in emails or text messages. Instead, open a browser and type the site directly (or use a reliable search engine). Lastly, only install updates from trusted sources (and use the traditional channels where those updates are distributed).
JavaScript
The creator of JSON made an interesting comment about JavaScript a couple months ago. Douglas Crockford stated that “The best thing we can do today to JavaScript is to retire it.” Yes, JavaScript is the world’s most popular programming language (used by over 65% of developers according to a StackOverflow survey). Yes, it is bloated (and is becoming more so over time. However, it powers the majority of web sites. Of course, JavaScript is supported in every browser so making a change to something else would be a monumental undertaking. We are curious what your thoughts are about JavaScript. Is Douglas Crockford correct? Please discuss in the comments below.
CSS
Remember the days of aural style sheets (yes, they were a thing). Of course, no browsers supported them. However, a recent article (October, 2022) has raised some hope for me again. Why we need CSS speech is the article. What are your thoughts about CSS speech? Again, reach out to us in the comments.
Of course, there are many enhancements in the works for CSS. These include items such as:
The ability to nest selectors is presently in the works. This is possible a good way to organize your CSS code. Of course, no browsers yet support this.
Cascade layers (which give authors the ability to group their CSS and affect how the cascade applies). The linked article should give you a much better understanding. This is like nesting selectors, but much more. Is this feature ready for prime time? No, but you might want to start learning about them.
CSS subgrid allows for styling on a page to inherit the parent’s grid styling. MDN has a nice overview with examples. That is the reference linked at the start of this bullet.
Now you know a little more about what is happening with respect to web accessibility, security, JavaScript, and CSS. Please let us know if you find this information helpful and provide more thoughts in the comments below.
Best always,
Mark DuBois, Executive Director
Web Professionals Global (a.k.a. World Organization of Webmasters)
This month, I thought it appropriate to post some of my thoughts concerning web and security. Unless you have been unconscious for a while, you have seen so many news articles about ransomware attacks on various corporations. Since many readers work with clients (both internal and external), here are some of my thoughts regarding security. The sad thing is that most of these attack vectors are nothing new. They have been employed for some time, yet some people still fall victim.
I am focusing on what you can do as an individual. Obviously, this is a very large topic and I am just touching on some of the highlights as I see them. I look forward to your comments and encourage further discussion in our member Slack channels where we can focus on more specific items).
Passwords
Passwords should be long and complex. If in doubt, length wins over complexity. Consider using passphrases.
Passwords should be changed on a regular basis. You decide on what is comfortable for you.
Passwords should never be reused on more than one site. Never. There is no reason why you need to do this.
If you can’t recall passwords, use a password vault. There are a number of alternatives. Just make certain it is secure and your passwords are updated in the vault as you change them.
Passwords should never be shared with others. Never. If there is some unusual situation where another must access your information, change your password, give that party the new one, then change the password again once the need for their access has passed. Frankly, I can not think of any situation where this is warranted, but…
email
Never open links included in email messages. If you receive a link to a website (such as a banking site), open a browser and type the URL. It is so easy to spoof website addresses these days. That is why you should manually enter any site URL where you are required to authenticate.
Unless you are expecting an attachment from someone, never open email attachments. Never. This is where most malware gets started. I recommend using some form of online storage (which is virus checked) if you must share documents these days.
2FA
Whenever possible employ two factor authentication as part of your login. In a nutshell, there are three ways to prove you are who you say you are – something you know (like a password), something you posess (like an authentication app), and something you are (like facial recognition or fingerprints). I recommend using the first two in combination since it is very difficult to change your bio-metrics.
Phone calls
I recommend activating the feature found on modern mobile devices which only allow for incoming calls from those in your list of contacts. Anyone else must leave a voice message. Most scammers rely on a sense of urgency to get you to take an action you would typically not do (for example, say “yes” or share a password. Review the voice message and only call back if you are certain you need to speak with the individual leaving the message. Most scammers will likely not even leave a voice message. I assure you, the sheriff’s department will never call you to let you know they are coming to arrest you. It is best to delete similar junk.
Final thoughts
I know this list is not complete, and should be obvious to readers. However, it never hurts to review the basics periodically. Always apply a healthy dose of skepticism when anyone contacts you and asks you to take action. The more immediate their request, the greater the likelihood it is a scam.
As we begin another month, here are my thoughts regarding what is happening in our industry.
This month, my thoughts center around longevity. Hope you find this information useful. In case you are curious, I built my first web page in 1992 (yes, 29 years ago). It no longer exists, nor does the company where I built it at.
I am already looking forward to your comments.
Ageism
My colleague and friend, Tom Green, recently posted an article on LinkedIn.com about this last acceptable prejudice.After you review the article, let’s start a discussion in our Slack #general channel about this topic. What are your experiences? Does Tom’s article resonate with you? Why or why not?
CSS
Eric Meyer reflects on 25 years of CSS. Has it really been that long? If you have a moment, please post a comment reflecting on your first use of CSS. Consider a discussion in our Slack channel as well. What are your thoughts on the past 25 years of CSS.
WordPress
Speaking of longevity, WordPress turned 18 in May. Isobel Weston has a great overview article at NameCheap. From a simple blogging platform to a technology which powers nearly 41% of the WWW these days. And it only took 18 years to get to this point. Makes me wonder what the next 18 years hold for this technology.
Annual Web Competition with SkillsUSA
Speaking of longevity, this year marks the 19th year for our national web competition held in conjunction with SkillsUSA. Our first year (2004) was a demonstration contest. This year will mark our first large scale virtual competition. We did a smaller competition in 2020 as the pandemic raged. This year, we have over 20 teams competing at secondary and post-secondary levels. Winners will be announced near the end of June at the above site.
I am curious – now that you have read this far, what information would you like to see next month? Please tell us via the comments.
Note from Mark. I plan to periodically provide article summaries and insights. I am hoping this will happen once each month. Hope is the operative word. Here are my thoughts as we begin May, 2021. I welcome your comments about additional topics you would find helpful as well as your thoughts about these articles. I found them most interesting/ thought provoking.
Accessibility
Using Modern CSS to Improve Accessibility. This article by Stephanie Eckles provides a quick overview of what it means to have an accessible website. Stephanie then covers using some of the newer CSS to enhance accessibility. This includes use of outline-offset to position the outline away from the element. The focus-visible pseudo-class will display an outline only when the user agent determines it needs to be visible. There is so much more in this article, I encourage you to set aside time to read it in its entirety and digest how these CSS features can be used to solve real world accessibility issues.
A.I.
GPT-3 is a language supermodel which is quietly ushering in the A.I. revolution. This article by Luke Dormehl explains why this text generating algorithm makes a difference. The main difference with prior algorithms is that limited training is required. In the past, significant input was required for A.I. to “learn.” This no longer seems to be needed. Think. About. That. Here is a key quote from the article (it certainly resonated with me).
“Machine learning has been transformative in all sorts of ways over the past couple of decades. But machine learning requires a large number of training examples to be able to output correct answers. GPT-3, on the other hand, has a “few shot ability” that allows it to be taught to do something with only a small handful of examples.”
Ok, Mark, what does all this A.I. have to do with Web design and development? One example mentioned in the article is a layout generator which”renders a functional layout by generating JavaScript code from a simple text description.” Another example is a GPT-3 based search engine. I think you will find this article most interesting and informative. Our industry is changing and A.I. is going to have a major impact. Plan accordingly.
FLoC
Federated Learning of Cohorts is Google’s replacement for tracking cookies. Our advisory board member, Deborah Edwards-Orono, has a great article about this effort and her concerns. Simply put, FLoc is included by default in the new version of the Chrome browser [see our recent post on the popularity of this browser] and collects your recent browser activity. It takes that activity and labels it then shares the “cohort” with other websites and advertisers. The main concern with this approach is privacy. She also discusses a new WordPress plugin Disable FLoC which is easy to install and has no configuration settings, it just does what it claims to do. If you would like to learn more about the implications of FLoC, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has a solid overview as well.
For those not using WordPress, Marko Saric has an overview article at Plausible which also includes the snippet of code you can add to your .htaccess file to disable FLoC as well.
Future of the WWW
Professor Sir Tim Berners’Lee (inventor ot the WWW) thinks his creation is out of control. In this interview, he explains his plans to save it.The big issue these days is privacy. He proposes Solid (a new system to decentralize the Web). His core idea is PODS (Personal Online Data Stores) which each person has control over. The fundamental change is that anyone wanting to use your information must ask for your permission. After you review the interview, I would be keen to learn your thoughts about this approach. Comments are open.
Hardware
Gizmodo recently discussed the fact that Verizon is recalling 2.5 million of its hotspots because they are literally too hot. There have been 15 reports of the devices overheating (6 instances of fire damage). Review the article to see if you have one of these hotspots (various models sold between April, 2017 and March, 2021).
WordPress
Easy WP Guide has been released for WordPress 5.7 (most current version). No discussion of PHP or the technical details, just a comprehensive guide to help you edit the content of your site. This is a free download. Web Professionals who build sites using this technology may wish to share this document with their clients (if you haven’t already). You can purchase the guide which allows you to brand it as you wish.
For those developers using Elementor as part of their WordPress installations, you may wish to review the recent Wordfence post discussing recent vulnerabilities with Elementor. For those who are not aware, Elementor is installed on over 3.5 million WordPress sites. The Wordfence team found over 100 vulnerable endpoints.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, you found these articles and insights helpful. What else would you like to see in future articles? What did you think about these? I look forward to reading your comments.
Best always,
Mark DuBois, Executive Director
Web Professionals (a.k.a. World Organization of Webmasters)
We believe 2019 saw our most successful web design and development competition ever. We held this in Louisville, KY, during the last week of June. Our competition is one of 103 individual competitions at SkillsUSA Nationals. Competitors must win first place in their respective states for the opportunity to compete nationally. We also choose one winner from these competitions to represent the US at WorldSkills. That competition is held every two years (and the next will happen this August in Kazan, Russia).
Our on site team
We are so appreciative of the massive efforts by so many members of Web Professionals to make this competition a reality. We have our team on site for almost an entire week. They conduct the interviews of competitors (and these mimic real interviews as many of the individuals conducting the interviews hire web professionals as part o their daily jobs. They also review the process each team follows as they provide solutions to the business problems posed in our competition work order. They also make certain the server and network environment is running smoothly and that all tams can access their individual server, cloud storage, and editor. This can be a particular challenge when some teams bring school computers which have been so locked down one can not even access the Windows Control Panel. Our team also develops the competition project/ work order and configures the environment before the competition. We are so thankful for all the help and could not do it without you.
Our onsite team (from left to right) – Grant, Steve, Mark, Jonathan, Jeff, James, and David.
Our judges
We run two separate competitions (Wednesday is for high school students). We had 52 individuals competing this year. Our Thursday competition is for college students. We had 20 individuals competing this year. When the competition ends each day, we transfer all the work by each team to a secure location on one of our web servers. Judges from other states can then review the work of each team. Our judges are practicing web professionals and we have more than one judge review the work of each team. Each judge focuses on a specific area (such as accessibility). All scores are collected and finalized by the following morning. We could not achieve all this without our off site judges. If you are reading this and would like to help (or would like more information), please contact us. We can always use more judges.
If you are interested in overall comments from our judges, we provided a summary for competitors to review on our separate Web Design Contest site.
The competition environment
For those who would like to learn more about the environment we utilize, we prepared a couple of articles on our Web Design Contest site. These are listed below.
An overview of the server environment covers the fundamentals of how the server is configured using containers so that the work of each team is separated and secure.
An overview of the network environment covers the fundamentals of how competitors access the local resources. Given the logistics of where the event is held, it is simply not feasible (nor cost effective) to offer actual Internet access to competitors.
Training
Before the competition begins, we offer training to competitors and their advisors the day before (Tuesday). This is our opportunity to make certain everyone has a solid understanding of current industry best practices as they relate to web design and development. It also gives competitors and their advisors the opportunity to ask questions and develop a better understanding of what the competition is all about. In the photo below, Jonathan is discussing process best practices.
Jonathan provided an overview of process best practices to competitors and their advisors.
WorldSkills Competitor
We also had our WorldSkills Web Design and Development competitor (Matt Vreman) speak to competitors and their advisors before the competition began. He discussed his background (he won gold at one of our prior competitions). Matt reviewed his progress as he prepares to compete in Kazan, Russia in August, 2019. I will be accompanying him as his advisor in that competition (each country is allowed to bring in one expert to help their competitor). There will be roughly 50 countries competing in Russia in web design and development.
Matthew Vreman (WorldSkills competitor in web design and development) answering questions
Contest Impact
This was our 16th year running a national web design and development competition. A lot has changed in our industry over that time. We like to think that our competition has kept pace with changes in our industry. Over these years, we have had the chance to speak with roughly 2,000 competitors and their advisors/ teachers. We believe that we are making a difference in that competitors and their teachers see what current best practices are and many have adjusted their curriculum accordingly. We see these trends continuing based on the feedback received this year (particularly from advisors). We could not do this without the help of our members; they serve in many roles (including judges and on site team). However, members also provide the funding (through their annual membership dues) to help us achieve our goal of insuring that the next generation of web professionals is following current industry best practices. We couldn’t do this without your support. If you are reading this and have not yet become a member, we encourage you to support us in this endeavor.
Best always, Mark DuBois Executive Director and Lead Community Evangelist
