Joy Of Code - Web Design Training and Consulting
Joy Gems Newsletter

The Past, Present, and Future Of The Joy Gems Newsletter

By Bud Kraus
bud@joyofcode.com
Joy Of Code
Creator And Instructor

v2 i20
Originally Published: December 14, 2006

I don't know about you, but every year at this time I find myself looking back - and ahead - as I take note of where I am and what I'm doing. So, if you'll let me indulge, I will depart from my standard Joy Gems offering and get a bit more personal this time around.

I started Joy Gems two years ago, publishing weekly to an online business network. I quickly learned that getting words together in the right order by a certain date every week was challenging. Six months into that version of JG, I went private, so to speak. I developed my mailing list of students, clients, and other parties of interest, and began sending JG out as text email. Then, about a year ago, I got introduced to Constant Contact, an email marketing system which I now use to send my missives out as a formatted email every other Thursday. In the interest of full disclosure, it allows me to know who has opened the email and what link one may have selected from the JG.

During this year my mailing list has doubled in size. Many more students, clients, and others have subscribed with a gentle nudge from me.

So now you know a little about JG's past, but more to my real point. I want to express my gratitude to all of you who read and value the things I have to say about web page design for beginners and those moving beyond that stage. Regular readers are likely to be on board with how I feel about web page design standards and how these standards ought to serve as the design construct when working in that medium. I'm grateful for that too, as it gives me the sense that I'm helping people understand how to build a better web. That's a big deal to me - it's my calling. Hence, Code Aid, my service which fixes ailing web pages.

Let me also thank my Wizard Of Words, the person who edits every JG issue. The Wizard does it for pleasure and always lets me be me. Thank you Wizard!!

Help Me

While I'm grateful to those who have corresponded with me, one thing I need to know is: "What can I do to make JG better for you?"

That's the future part of this issue.

I was going to do a fancy schmancy survey with forms and all that, but I ran out of time. If you'd like to respond, just hit the REPLY button and answer these questions any way you'd like.

  1. Do you prefer that each issue be dedicated to one topic or would you prefer more of a headline service - a few links with a short description as I did in the last JG?

  2. Should I do more "how to" pieces? You'll have to give me an example. I think most of us are past the "How do I make a list?" kind of thing.

  3. Would you consider writing a short piece for JG? I could feature you as a contributor. It's getting harder to come up with new material every two weeks and besides, who says I know everything? JG readers are in many different aspects of web development and have interesting things to say.

  4. Would you like me to redesign JG? I'm of two minds on this. If you hate the way it looks, let me know, but tell me why.