Book Launch // Building Websites for Dummies w/ David Karlins
Aug 6, 2012
We love a good book launch at 3rd Ward. Oh yes.
Our very own David Karlins, a web designin'-book writin'-consultin' jack of all trades, is launching his latest book, Building Websites All-in-One for Dummies, at 195 Morgan on August 28th. This bicoastal web buff (Oakland and BK) earned his stripes in Silicon Valley. Says Karlins, "Maybe it was a more lucrative part of my career. But certainly not my favorite part."
We're glad he's here. If you're in the process of building your web site, busy learning new skills for your second career (i'm a musician/actor/web designer), or just want to hear one of 3rd Ward's instructors spin some knowledge--we want you to check this out. Karlin's 10 volumes-in-1 behemoth navigates tried and true practices and new trends in web design. Topics covered include: Site Design, Web Graphics, Interactivity, as well as "new" tools--HTML5, Social Media Integration, and the most recent Adobe Creative Suite.
Awesome stuff.
We got a chance to catch up with David to discuss his new book and the upcoming launch. Here's our interview:
3W: You've been around for a while--tell us about the changes you've seen over the years, in relationship to computer programs, technologies.
DK: Either longevity can mean obsolescence or it can mean perspective, context. For many people my age it means obsolescence in this world. I mean, it took ages for companies to make certain transitions--take the whole Y2K glitch--they were getting old programmers out of the woodwork to figure it out.
3W: Eventually it wasn't so bad.
DK: Exactly.
3W: So you've got these online videos on Youtube. I find tutorials to be 50-50 informative-ridiculous. What do you think about the Adobe tutorials based on your books?
DK: I've got over 200 people making videos that explain what I'm doing. I appreciate people helping each other out. There's a relationship between trying to popularize something for the masses, and being rigorously accurate and scientific. This is the mix I'm going for. Being at 3rd Ward is the best place you can be. The students in the class, the networking happening upstairs (coworking space + woodshop)--it's NY, it's Bushwick, it's really cutting edge.
3W: Aw, thanks.
DK: (Raises an eyebrow)
3W: How's a book about web design going to stay contemporary or relevant?
DK: Speaking of obsolescence--people just don't buy books anymore. I had written about 30 books, and had just about given up, until my daughter, who's in the publishing industry, convinced me to write this book under the Dummies imprint. I handle the timeless thing by letting readers know that this is the state of affairs as we go to press.
3W: Smart. What kind of phone do you have?
DK: Ha. I have both iPhone and Android phones so that I can be abreast of what's happening with both, for my consulting work. This phone thing is a great example of how cultural issues penetrate digital ones. The digital divide is a fasinating story. A place like 3rd Ward, it's almost a given that you might have an iPhone. But the marketing for iPhone users and Android users is drastically different. My work has entailed lots of research, experimentation, interviews and investigation on what's working, and what's not, and the mobile presence for clients continues to be very important.
Reader Comments