“I am part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough
Gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnished, not to shine in use!
As though to breath were life.”
- Tennyson’s “Ulysses”

Keeping your skills sharp and up-to-date is a requirement for any industry you’re in, but the Internet takes this to new levels of chaos. The technology evolves so rapidly you have little time to breathe and master your art before the next wave hits. So what to do?

Let’s start with what NOT to do - the worst thing you can do is stand still. Never stand still - how dull is it to pause, to rust unburnished..

We like to stay informed on the bleeding edge of the technology curve, but scale back a year for actual development, sometimes two-three years depending on the type of client and their accessibility requirements. You want your web technology to be as widely accessible as possible. Unless your business model is specifically targeting early (technology) adopters, you want to let the “masses” catch up so you are half-sigma away from the average Internet user.

Here are elements to keep in mind:
- Technology platforms (PHP, .NET, Ruby on Rails, Java, etc) - are they fads or trends?
- Plug-ins such as Flash, Quicktime, and so on - what’s the best way to showcase your media? Who’s using it? How fast do upgrades get pushed out? What’s the user adoption rate?
- Bandwidth - low connection speed alternatives to your site content, do you need them?
- Screen resolution - what is the average screen resolution?
- Browser compatibility - what browsers will your users be using? IE, Firefox, Safari, or ?
- Accessibility requirements (font size, screen readers, etc.)

As with anything, plan for success. You’ll need to define your target market not just with demographics, but with a technological profile.

Bruce