What is a Web Integrator?
[Originally posted to the Webmonster Mailing List in September/1998]
- Joe Crawford. 

Message-ID: <360F20C4.AE359860@earthlink.net>
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1998 22:39:21 -0700
From: Joe Crawford <artlung@earthlink.net>
To: Web Design <webdesign@list.webmonster.net>
Subject: Re: What is a Web Integrator?

karlpeter wrote:
> 
> I have been seeing the job title "Web Integrator" appearing
> lately. Also "Web Architect" which I guess is a little more
> self-explanatory. Does anyone know what "Web Integrator" means
> or what s/he does?

The definitions are fluid. Your mileage may vary.

I *selected* the title of Web Integrator for myself for my at
job Jamison/Gold.

Why did I make up a title for myself based on having read it in
various places?

Because:
 * HTML Programmer was too narrow - it's too limited and does
   not include the entire scope of my skillset.
 * Production Specialist / Production Staffer - I do a lot of
   production (turning layouts and comps into finished web
   pages) - but I do more than that - I advise the designers and
   Project Managers what's doable and what's not doable.
 * Web Animator - I like this one, but I'm not *enough* of an
   animator to make it "fit like a glove" - but I can do some
   work with Flash and Animated GIF Tools - I think Web
   Integrator might imply some facility with Web graphics and
   animation - which is what I have - some facility.
 * Web Programmer - I have no CS degree, and putting
   "Programmer" in my title is like calling a Volkswagen bug a
   "Sports Car" - it may act and sorta look like it can race,
   but you know it's only faking. I know JavaScript relatively
   well (but not expert level) - and I can debug a perl cgi
   script, or modify an existing script to do something cool -
   but a programmer would have a more bird's eye view of all
   this that I do.

So to me a web integrator entails:
 * Expert facility with building web pages with raw HTML and
   common tools
 * Expert awareness of cross-platform issues with regards to
   building pages
 * Moderate skill with programming tools
 * Competence with client-side scripting
 * Ability to interact competently and coherently with
   designers, product managers, programmers, end users and be
   able to answer HTML and web related issues
 * Competence with the common web graphics tools, an
   understanding of graphics formats, animation tools, html
   formats, etc.

I often get questions like "how can we do a thing with a
scrolling banner?" or ... "can we do xyz in html? with style
sheets" ... or ... can abc browser do foo?" --- 

Hrm.

What does all that add up to? I dunno - but it's what "Web
Integrator" means to me

  : )

  -joe

(oh, and just for fun - here's my J/G sig line instead of my usual sig line)


Joe_Crawford {
//     http://www.jamisongold.com/ 
//     mailto:joec@jamisongold.com 
//     Web Integrator | Jamison/Gold Interactive
//                      Marina del Rey : CA : USA
             }

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