New site launched...finally
This post feels good to finally write after the struggle I had deciding how I wanted the site to look and what topic(s) I wanted it to contain. Questions such as: which language to use? which framework or boilerplate would be best for me? Should I make it topic specific? The list went on and on.
After seeing Cassie Evans Tweet that she was launching her new site I had to see what she was using and I'm so glad I did. Reading through her post about website decisions, I'm glad I wasn't the only one over-thinking this whole process. I deployed the Hylia starter kit she mentioned and have been sold ever since! The Hylia starter kit is a blend of the Eleventy static site generator and Netlify CMS, which allows even non-developers to get started on their website journey! Many of the starter templates I tried using in Netlify's list of ready-to-go templates didn't have an option where you could save posts as drafts and come back later without some custom development. I was more interested in getting out content than I was with playing with the back-end code.
The post I saw by Jhey Tompkins in DEV, was probably the final persuasion to just get the site done and get started with content! I've learned so much from influencers in the industry who have helped me along my development journey so if someone reading this learns one thing from my site, then that makes it all worth it to me. The developer & design communities are some of the friendliest and most genuine people I've met.
The topics I'm hoping to post about:
- Web Accessibility: Front-End best practices; Laws; Influencers to follow
- Semantic HTML5: Basics; Layouts; Influencers to follow
- Design Systems/Styling: Pattern Lab; Pre-Processors; Influencers to follow
- Animation: Animation principles; Greensock basics; Influencers to follow
- Web Form Design/User Experience: Form design principles; Field control concerns; Influencers to follow
- Blackbaud Internet Services: What is it; How I use it; Code examples;
- Bookmarks for Days: Books/Resources/Courses/Conferences I recommend
- Troubleshooting: Solutions to topics above that I've come across that may help you too!
- Other topics TBD
Enjoy!