Web Development Blogs to Follow
So, you're studying web development and get stuck in some of the technical jargon that gets you frustrated and pulling your hair. This may sound typical to anyone new to web development. But it is not only the newbies that get stuck on things related to web development. Even seasoned developers get stuck in that mental rut/mental block stage! When you can't figure it out, you get help from the vast information space we call the internet.
It is a logical idea to go in and search for the answer through the internet. But then, when you type in the keyword, thousands of information come out! It's hard to screen every one of them, and then you also hope you get the correct answer to your problem. The amount of information we can get from the internet using just one or a few words is quite staggering.
It can get overwhelming in a heartbeat. TMI, or as we call it in standard jargon, too much information can be wrong. Fishing out which among the articles that pop up from your search is the best way to decipher if the article is as good as it sounds. It is a taxing job.
TMI
“too much information: used as a response to an inappropriate disclosure of personal information, or as a reaction to an overload of information”
The struggle is real. Learning web development can be a struggle. We must keep updated with current trends and information to enhance our knowledge. Technology is ever-changing, and to be up-to-date and present with the trends and practices, we need to be updated with the latest data and information.
But the immense amount of information that can be gleaned from the internet could get overwhelming. Data can be gathered from e-books, published academic articles, news articles, government articles and data, and even web-related blogs.
What is a blog?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a blog (entry 1 of 2) as "a regular feature appearing as part of an online publication that typically relates to a particular topic and consists of articles and personal commentary by one or more authors."
Thus, to blog means to compose content or material for a blog. You probably have heard someone "blogging" or read one or two blogs. Blogs are a different platform for disseminating information. It can be educational and interactive.
There are many benefits of blogging, and each blog post should be assigned according to a specific goal.
Personal blogs
- An online daily journal that shares experiences with an audience. Here, the blogger shares excerpts or snippets of their everyday life. An example is a college student in a foreign country attending university in a different country and sharing their daily struggles and experiences of living and studying in an unfamiliar place.
Business blogs
- More focused on the business to gain exposure and increase business traffic and customers for the company.
Professional blogs
- Remember that professionals may create blogs to make money online through selling ads and product endorsements for commissions.
Reverse blogs
- Aka guest host blogs where the public supplies the content for interaction
Affiliate blogs
- Where bloggers write reviews of products through affiliate links in hopes of increasing sales for that product and earning a commission as well
Freelance blogs
- Writing content for a business and getting paid for it
Web development as a career can be daunting. Technical words or coding languages are required for this career as they are needed to develop websites. Sometimes, we get confused or stuck by how much "geek speak" we hear nowadays. To understand the nitty-gritty of web development, it is essential to understand a few basics.
BASICS OF WEB DEVELOPMENT:
1. How do websites work?
- Front-end development — Taking the vision, creating or designing the concept, and implementing it through codes. It is what users see, the visual aspects, and other aesthetics.
- Back-end development — The unseen part of the website, where it keeps everything running. It is the server side of the websites and programs, and the developers ensure everything behind the scenes works correctly.
- Full Stack developer — Highly specialized developers who can work both the front-end and back-end.
2. Tools needed
- Computer — capable of running Windows, macOS, or Linux minimum 8GB of RAM, with Full HD monitor
- Basic Text editor — This is to help manage all the codes you will write. Examples: Notepad++ or Atom
- Web browsers — some options include Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Brave, or Opera. To code, you will need a web browser.
- A local web server allows you to test your code on your computer without publishing anything online.
- Graphics editor — to assist in creating and editing the graphical elements
3. Foundations of Front-End Development
- HTML or HyperText Markup Language is a standard language that allows web developers to create and structure sections, paragraphs, and links using elements, tags, and attributes.
- CSS, also known as Cascading Style Sheets, describes how to display HTML elements.
- JavaScript is text-based and allows for creating dynamic and interactive web pages.
- Other tools are package managers, build tools and version control.
4. Understanding how WordPress works is essential since many blogs and websites use the standard publishing software.
5. Foundations of Back End Development
- Servers
- Programming languages — Java, Python, Node.js, PHP, Ruby, etc
6. Architecture and Design
The layout and structure of pages within the site can include a home page, About page, Contact Us page, etc.
As with anything else, learning from the bottom up can be challenging. Technology is ever-changing, and with a lot of technical jargon and whatnot, learning it alone can be quite a stretch, not to mention keeping up with the latest information available.
With so many languages and tools needed to learn, we need all the help and information. However, as stated before, the internet is a vast information space. While we can get every piece of knowledge from the web, not all information is created academically. Thus, we must be prudent in choosing which sites we get our information from.
There are thousands of blogs related to web development, but how do we discern good from harmful content? We usually peruse and visit a blog to find answers to our questions or gain additional information. In other words, if the blog we are looking at contains the necessary tools or data we are looking for, then we save our time.
A good blog usually will have impressive headlines that will "catch you" and make you visit and read the site. Blogs that are easy to navigate and user-friendly also help us weed out the good ones against the bad ones. They are always accurate, error-free, and easy to read.
Following are some popular blogs to watch in 2023. Their content is informative, and the sites are well-managed and updated. These web blogs help share and disseminate knowledge, provide solutions, and are entertaining. The following are the links to the top blogs related to all things Web Development, whether you are a beginner or not:
1. developerdrive.com
An excellent option for beginners that offers the latest news about web development and includes tutorials, tips, and articles.
2. simpleprogrammer.com
They are focused on helping software developers/programmers and other IT professionals improve their careers. They constantly post new articles and humorously engage visitors while providing valuable content.
3. codenewbie.org
A virtual community that gives insight into all things web development for all newbies in the coding world.
4. Scotch.io
For the more experienced ones, this blog is packed with tutorials from JavaScript to PHP and offers some courses to increase coding expertise.
5. Codrops
Focused on providing valuable tutorials and articles regarding the latest trends in the web development industry. Also heavy on their how-to videos that walk you through processes applicable to different kinds of web developers.
6. A-List Apart
It focuses on web design and development, web content, best practices, and modern web standards. It offers a variety of opinion articles, from trends to environmental impact to career advice.
7. CSS Author
A blog for front-end developers with plenty of web developers and web designers' resources. An excellent site to find free libraries, plugins, bootstraps, and tools for developers working with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, and PHP.
8. CSS Tricks
This blog site focuses on CSS, HTML, and JavaScript with tutorials, guides, tricks of the trade, and articles they constantly post.
9. David Walsh
This is a professional blog run by a senior Full Stack engineer, David Walsh. The site includes career advice, sneak peeks into life in the web development industry, articles, and some guidance on technical SEO.
10. Smashing Magazine
An online magazine/blog offers the latest news on web technologies, productivity tips, and the newest opinion articles.
Takeaway on Web Development Blogs
To conclude, learning web development can be fun but quite challenging. The struggle is real. However, web development can be meaningful and fulfilling with the right tools and support. Technology is ever-changing, and to keep up-to-date with the latest and current trends in web development, we must always include research in our tasks.
Research and gaining that extra knowledge and information can be daunting, but it is attainable with the help of the internet and other sources. We must follow excellent and excellent websites and blogs to help disseminate the information we need. We must learn to weed out and decipher good content and knowledge from bad ones. And as always, check your sources before diving deep into the blog or website.
