Recently I was given the opportunity of interviewing Dru Darby, a multi-talented programmer & designer in the web development arena. You can visit his newly designed blog at DruDarby.com.
Did you get into computers as a youngster?
Oh, absolutely. Before the Internet came along, I used to sit in my Grandpa’s office and watch my Grandma use a computer. As I sit here thinking, I can’t remember what there even was to do on computers pre-internet years, I guess around 1990-1994…? I learned the in’s and out’s of basic computer usage, and every time a new toy came out, you can bet she got it to try it out! (yes, even zip drives which lasted all of what…. 3 years?!)
How long have you been involved in the blogging and web development scenes? Tell us about your experiences.
Well, I’ve been in the web development scene since around 2001, in high school. I was already long-since into computers and all things technical, so I signed up for the Webmaster class as an elective. I, around with about 15 other students were in the class, and our school had an otherwise fairly hideous website. I made it my mission to bring a beautiful and useful website to our school. Yes – all before I even knew anything about web development. I went home and memorized w3schools.com. (Laughs)
A few weeks in, I knew more about web development than the teacher did, and it was on like Donkey Kong. I opened up Photoshop – it was “pre-creative suite” then, I think – maybe version 7. Anyway, I pull together everything I knew and designed a whole new website – on my own.
At this point, the class was teaching that the easiest and best way to create a website is with MS FrontPage. Yes, I know – no need to say it. I created a few websites with FrontPage from there on out, and gave it up when I got more experience.
What I feel was my greatest moment was when the class as a whole decided that it would be great to have a “guestbook” and a weekly “riddle corner”. In my eyes – both required a database. That’s where my web development took off because I fell in love with creating websites that aren’t just giant billboards, but truly beneficial to both the owner and the user. Of course, plenty websites serve as “billboards” so-to-speak, and that’s fine if that’s all you need… but almost everyone can think of some sort of user interaction to include. Besides, promoting user interaction helps you to learn about your visitors, and if it’s the right kind of interaction, they’ll keep coming back!!
And blogging…?
I’m actually fairly new to the blogosphere. I am no stranger to WordPress, I have been using it for a couple of years as a CMS, but as far as writing actual blogs, go ahead… call be a newbie. I have written for journals and newspapers, but online journalism just hit me in the head about 8-12 months ago. I’ve always loved professional yet informal writing, and I think it’s for me! Providing that I can do the right things to drive my blog forward, everyone should look for great things coming. I really have the passion to pass on knowledge, and being someone who learned EVERYTHING I know on my own, I understand the power of open-source knowledge.
What are your favorite web development books and resources?
I think The Missing Manual series is particularly well written. Of course there are the Dummies books, but I have always found that I learn more from The Missing Manual.
Really, it depends on the knowledge level as to which series I would recommend. I am what some might call a “Jack of all trades but only a master of some”. I like The Missing Manual because generally, I will have a good working knowledge on just about any topic, so I use the books for additional tips & tricks and reference.
As far as quick reference for beginner – intermediate users, w3schools.com kicks butt. Check that one out for sure.
What skills and languages are you most proficient in?
In web development, I am most proficient in CSS, XHTML and SQL. Second in line to those come PHP, ASP.net, and regular ASP (but who really cares about regular ASP anyway, right?).
In the rest of the world, I am proficient in Photoshop (CS4 now), I have absolutely completely mastered the entire MS Office Suite (yes, I know…), and I have lots of experience with MS server environments. I manage a network of about 30 computers on Windows Server 2008.
Monetizing blogs can be difficult. How do you go about this task?
YOU CAN MONETIZE A BLOG!?
Just kidding. I firmly believe that in order to monetize a blog, you must first blog because you love it. There is not usually a way to easily monetize a blog for that purpose only. It is much easier to monetize a blog that you have already built up than to just go after it for money from the beginning. Plus, I’d be willing to bet that if you build up a truly successful blog through sweat and blood, it will feel so much better to add money to the mix after the fact.
In other words: my blog makes no money. Haha! Someday…
Do you have any major goals in your future?
Well definitely my major long-time goal is to run a multimillion dollar business. Not for the money, just the security. I would like to travel to as many places in the world as possible.
Obviously, I want to run a successful popular blog. I love free information, and I want to run a website full of free information on as many topics as I can get together. Just about everything that I know I learned using free information online, and I want to pay it forward!
