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My work
as an independent web designer, artist, and writer is
the product of my extensive experience with computerized
and online media and my diverse background in art, writing,
research, and advertising.
I began developing websites in 1995,
and I've worked full-time in the interactive industry
since 1998. My experience with computers and the internet
extend back to the 1980s. I took college courses in
two of the hot programming languages of the day, Basic
and Pascal (!); administered test runs of an experimental,
computerized version of the Armed Services Vocational
Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and ran computerized statistical
programs; hung out on UseNet Newsgroups; and used Gopher
for online research before the World Wide Web (as we
know it today) existed.
There were no formal training programs
for web development when I got into the business, so
I learned by working in the trenches as a developer,
doing everything from hand-coding Active Server Pages
in VBScript for BarnesandNoble.com
to designing and
building 15-20 small business and nonprofit web sites
soup to nuts. Additionally, I worked for two online
advertising agencies. At Harvest Advertising, a small
agency, I learned the best "tricks of the trade"
of direct advertising and helped design and develop
a variety of websites and marketing tests. At advertising
giant Ogilvy & Mather, I worked with large, multi-disciplinary
teams on interactive advertising campaings and larger
websites for Fortune 500 companies such as Kraft Foods
(Postopia.com),
TIAA Cref, and American Express. Marketing and advertising
are favorite subjects of mine and I have researched
and studied various approaches and historical trends
extensively over the past six years. Meanwhile, I have
worked as an information
architect and technical
writer all along, researching requirements, writing
white papers and specification documents, and designing
user interactions. My experience includes working as
lead information architect for B2B giant Advanstar.com.
Refer to my resume
[PDF] for details.
My graphic design experience extends
back to my childhood passion for drawing. I went to
college on two art scholarships and, over the years,
my portfolio of artwork
has grown to include works in pencil, India ink, and
acrylics, as well as digital graphics. I now also apply
my talents to web
design and print
design (brochures, invitations, CD artwork, business
cards, etc.) as well as creation of Flash
movies.
Finally, my extensive formal education
as a researcher and
writer is probably what most clearly sets me apart
from others in my line of work. I earned doctorate and
master's degrees in English, published six journal articles
and one book article between 1995 and 1998, presented
twelve conference papers between 1994 and 1998, and
contributed articles to Contemporary Literary Criticism
and Contemporary Authors in 2002 and 2003.
I also taught college research and writing from 1998
to 1998. (For more information, please see my academic
curriculum vita [PDF]).
Working in the interactive industry, my research and
writing skills, combined with real world experience,
allow me to offer my clients 360° solutions that
approach individual projects in light of "the big
picture." |
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- Operating system:
Windows
- Hosting platforms:
UNIX, Windows
- Coding languages:
HTML, JavaScript, VBScript, CSS, ASP, Perl/CGI (limited),
Miva (limited);
- HTML editing software:
HomeSite, Dreamweaver, Notepad, BBEdit (Mac)
- Graphics software: Fireworks,
Freehand, Flash, PhotoShop, Illustrator
- Print layout software:
Illustrator, QuarkExpress
- Writing/publishing: MS
Word, Acrobat, PageMaker, FrameMaker, Robohelp
- Information architecture:
Visio
- Project Management: MS
Project
- Other: PowerPoint,
Excel, Access
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