Should Bloggers Learn to Code?
@chase_reeves Do you think bloggers should learn to code design changes to their own sites? Or is hiring a designer for everything ok?
— Ross Lukeman (@rosslukeman) January 11, 2013
Great question. Here’s my take:
The best thing a blogger can focus on is providing value to their audience. That can mean any number of things, but it most likely has to do with creating content, preferably good content.
That’s what you do. That’s priority number 1. That’s your job.
Getting into the code and geeking out about the tech can distract you from that. It’s very common.
However, it’s also empowering to be personally capable of bringing your design idea to life.
I’m one of those guys who can do both: I can write the stuff and I can fiddle the bits that present the stuff. But here’s the thing: most of the successful people I know and/or look up to don’t do both, they do their job really, really well and are pro enough to let others fiddle the bits. And even though I can do both really well, I believe I can be excellent at only one.
So my advice is this: be really good at your job. Then, make changes to design and code as infrequently as possible and have someone who’s a pro at that stuff do it.
New social media buttons, hip sliders, something something manifestos, buttons and hovers and shadows and corners and responsiveness and yadda yadda yadda. Don’t fiddle with this stuff. Don’t get distracted by the shiny dumb things.
I can put you in the best recording studio in the world and your song will still sound shitty. Make a good song.
