Greeting to all the old and new web developers, its been a while since i have started a topic here.
Actually, to my own research carried out, most developer including other platform programmers fails because they lack the sense of solving problems.
If i am to build an application or website for instance, i will go and build a social platform like facebook or nairaland.
Its just like saying, creating an existing application.

My advice to web developers out there is for us to target our works on african's and precisely Nigerian's, and also stop creating what already exist.
Nigeria as you all know is still developing, and needs web developers to help it develop more in the area of web and web security. so we can create application like for example traffic analysis, road map, etc.
With solving problems, its guaranteed that you will be rich and famous.

Thank you, you can as well add your contribution.

dude, your site looks like crap. Fix it first before giving others advice. The time it took you in posting this you could have used in fixing a problem. What is it with NL and advice eh?. Nigerians suck at anything synonymous with development: web development, software development, human development, child development. All we do is SUCK-SEED.

My own contribution on the topic is, Web designers and developers fail due to lack of an innovative mind! Everybody wants to create a site life facebook, twitter... They are'nt really thinking about something different. Take for instance, Digg is a major hotspot for the latest news, but everytime I post an article/story about/on Africa/Nigeria, I feel like am the only one whose going to actually read what I post. Truth be told, Nairaland is the only hotspot for the latest news in Nigeria, but they don't officially allow users to post this many links/stories...
My conclusion is this, if somebody can come up with a good Digg "photocopy" for African/Nigerian contents, that person would be rewarded greatly for his effort. But if no-one can, it means I'll have to climb up the ladder on my programming tutorial and save the day.
Who agrees?

lordZOUGA: dude, your site looks like crap. Fix it first before giving others advice. The time it took you in posting this you could have used in fixing a problem.

what do you mean his website "looks like crap"? surely that's not a technical description. If you think there's a fault with his work, then you should be able to identify, describe/measure it's shortcomings and give a standard by which you are measuring it so we all can see your point of view & perhaps learn from your wisdom. you have not helped anybody by just saying his website "looks like crap".

@abubaka I tip my hat of for you !! Thats a great insight. It nice to see that there are people with such great insight . Carry go and climb up the ladder. Aim for the stars my friend , even if you fall short, at least you would have left the ground and passed the heavens.

@guru01 Well said !! I routinely get called by my business associates to help them interview candidates for software/web development roles, and I can attest to your point that majority of these lads know nothing about problem solving . Imagine asking undergraduates from top universities and software developers about SDLC or UML and they know nothing about it, even OOP concepts such as Classes and Polymorphism and they still know nothing.


We need to start developing our own content , look at what is happening in the e-commerce landscape, over the last couple of weeks we have witnessed the launch of not just one but two e-commerce platforms; Kasuwa.com and Sabunta.com, by a southafrican company called Rocket. We need more locally developed apps such as jobberman and dealdey.

Nigerian developers need to stop building apps based on foreign models and expect the Nigerian demographic to adopt to it, instead they should build apps that address the needs of the Nigerian market. Only then can they be successful! !

okeyxyz:

what do you mean his website "looks like crap"? surely that's not a technical description. If you think there's a fault with his work, then you should be able to identify, describe/measure it's shortcomings and give a standard by which you are measuring it so we all can see your point of view & perhaps learn from your wisdom. you have not helped anybody by just saying his website "looks like crap".

He claims he designs websites and web apps for a living which means he thinks he is a professional and then his company website looks like that?? He probably has some people he teaches webdesign and he will be teaching them how to output websites like that and those students he taught will go and find their own students and thus continues the crap cycle. Such is the story of web development in Nigeria and why many fail.
If he wants to know the site's shortcomings he will have to pay for that since it's his bussiness and not a school project.
I don't need any standard.. Does the website look nice to you?

doncigalo: @abubaka I tip my hat of for you !! Thats a great insight. It nice to see that there are people with such great insight . Carry go and climb up the ladder. Aim for the stars my friend , even if you fall short, at least you would have left the ground and passed the heavens.

@guru01 Well said !! I routinely get called by my business associates to help them interview candidates for software/web development roles, and I can attest to your point that majority of these lads know nothing about problem solving . Imagine asking undergraduates from top universities and software developers about SDLC or UML and they know nothing about it, even OOP concepts such as Classes and Polymorphism and they still know nothing.


We need to start developing our own content , look at what is happening in the e-commerce landscape, over the last couple of weeks we have witnessed the launch of not just one but two e-commerce platforms; Kasuwa.com and Sabunta.com, by a southafrican company called Rocket. We need more locally developed apps such as jobberman and dealdey.

Nigerian developers need to stop building apps based on foreign models and expect the Nigerian demographic to adopt to it, instead they should build apps that address the needs of the Nigerian market. Only then can they be successful! !

Poor example. The team that launched Sabunta (Rocket Enterprises) are internationally known as the best copy cats in the world. Google the Samwer Brothers. They have made hundreds of millions out of copying other people's ideas. All I can add to this discussion is that you strive to raise your level of competence in the key technologies you claim to have and also aim at big projects that solve big problems. The rest will take care of itself. God bless you all.

There are many ideas out there, what they lack is finance. Bank can't borrow you money for internet related business.

lordZOUGA:
okay. Your opinion of me has been noted

Great

@ kodewrita I dont get what is a poor example That a highly successful internet company has brought an e-commerce model into Nigeria from a country similar to ours. Please be a bit constructive in your arguments mate. Have a look at their payment methods, they are the FIRST Nigerian e-commerce platform to implement the payment method where you pay for goods by cash when they have been delivered to you !

doncigalo: @ kodewrita I dont get what is a poor example That a highly successful internet company has brought an e-commerce model into Nigeria from a country similar to ours. Please be a bit constructive in your arguments mate. Have a look at their payment methods, they are the FIRST Nigerian e-commerce platform to implement the payment method where you pay for goods by cash when they have been delivered to you !

Wrong again.

So many other companies already do that. Always try to back up your info with a little research.

Most of the surviving e-commerce companies in nigeria including Flegz.com ( more than 3 years old run by personal acquaintance Prosper Onogberie) have been relying on Cash On Delivery.
Kasuwa.com developed by the team behind DealDey.com already does pay on Delivery.
Watchlocker.net ( strictly sells watches) does Cash on Delivery.


If something works in the US, maybe its because every similarly structured economy needs such.

Craigslist == Nairalist
Linda Ikeji == Arianna Huffington ( if only she can recruit other people to join her and turn that site into a greater platform).
MonsterJobs == Jobberman.
PayPal == ?
AirBNB == ?
ZipCar == ?
Lynda.com == ?

Good ideas aplenty . am not condoning being a copycat but I am totally in support of implementing ideas that make sense.

If it makes sense and there's a need for it, please dont hesitate.

Ait I stand corrected then, just getting to hear about flegz and watchlocker. By the Kasuwa is not owned by dealdey, you need to check your facts, It is owned by Rocket.

It is well with you bruv.

doncigalo: Ait I stand corrected then, just getting to hear about flegz and watchlocker. By the Kasuwa is not owned by dealdey, you need to check your facts, It is owned by Rocket.

Yep. My error. DealDey owns Konga.com not Kasuwa.com.

Even with the ideas, there's really no motivation for web developers in Nigeria. Nigerians don't have the perseverance required for Web solutions.

lordZOUGA: dude, your site looks like crap. Fix it first before giving others advice. The time it took you in posting this you could have used in fixing a problem. What is it with NL and advice eh?. Nigerians suck at anything synonymous with development: web development, software development, human development, child development. All we do is SUCK-SEED.

You are a big joke! What is crappy about that site...someone is making progress and you are busy hating.HATERS-Having Anger Towards Everyone Reaching Success.binger said so!!!

I think your website is ok but though I'm not usually one to critisize, please op, next time follow your own advice. Please ensure your content is Nigerian as well. Why use non-nigerian pictures and icons when you say the site is Nigerian? Don't we have models and good photographers any more? Please update your site!

guru01: Greeting to all the old and new web developers, its been a while since i have started a topic here.
Actually, to my own research carried out, most developer including other platform programmers fails because they lack the sense of solving problems.
If i am to build an application or website for instance, i will go and build a social platform like facebook or nairaland.
Its just like saying, creating an existing application.

My advice to web developers out there is for us to target our works on african's and precisely Nigerian's, and also stop creating what already exist.
Nigeria as you all know is still developing, and needs web developers to help it develop more in the area of web and web security. so we can create application like for example traffic analysis, road map, etc.
With solving problems, its guaranteed that you will be rich and famous.

Thank you, you can as well add your contribution.

why most developers fail? Nigerians or ?

I really hate websites designed mainly for Nigerians and you see Non-Nigerian images scattered all over the front page. Is that to say we are not photogenic or what? i have see how the entertainment industry in Nigerian has grown and lots of good quality pictures are taken.Is it that most websites developers cant afford good quality cameras or they feel putting non-blacks on a nigerian website will sell more? Some even take pictures with low quality cameras and use high quality colours for background.
I just viewed the poster website and its obvious he took those pictures online from somewhere, tried enlarging the picture more than its usual size.I see most websites like this.The pictures are not blending well with the background colour. its does not speak well if you cant use images that relates with Nigeria on websites.

3 Reasons why Most Web Designers/Developers fail
Poor Knowledge of Design Standards
Design Standards ensure that whatever your put out meets basic Experience needs of your end-users. FORM, FUNCTION and APPROPRIATENESS. Most Nigeria Web Designers/Developers no matter how good they (think) they are have gaps in 1,2 or all 3 areas outline above. It is not a perfect world but you can improve on peoples experience online by at least having a sense of responsibility to Design/Development Standards - they are not there for fashion

Poor Entrepreneurial Skills
This is the Business-side of doing business. Being Creative and good with design/programming & development does not usually mean you are that smart in doing business. Client Relationship Management, Meeting with schedules in due time, Presentations. doing business in a professional manner usually escapes a lot of web designers/developers. It is not a common combo.

Poor Money-management Skills
If you see this field as a business then you must understand that it is a going concern. Most web designers/developers do not, they spend their hard-earned money on gadgets that do not add money to the business. I often meet with some of them at presentations and you cannot help notice that they are Applerised abd Blackberried from head2toe. they have this Blueetooth thing in their ear and a wristwatch that does MP3 and WIFI. you must learn to reinvest in innovation and learning and networking with the right people, because that is what takes you above your peers

That site is almost crappy.

My own contribution on the topic is, Web designers and developers fail due to lack of an innovative mind! Everybody wants to create a site life facebook, twitter... They are'nt really thinking about something different. Take for instance, Digg is a major hotspot for the latest news, but everytime I post an article/story about/on Africa/Nigeria, I feel like am the only one whose going to actually read what I post. Truth be told, Nairaland is the only hotspot for the latest news in Nigeria, but they don't officially allow users to post this many links/stories...
My conclusion is this, if somebody can come up with a good Digg "photocopy" for African/Nigerian contents, that person would be rewarded greatly for his effort. But if no-one can, it means I'll have to climb up the ladder on my programming tutorial and save the day.
Who agrees?

Do you expect me to go and create a page for calabash just because I am from Africa?

10 years after Facebook became popular, GooglePlus was created and its becoming more popular than facebook.

Is facebook meant to be only social apps out there? Myspace was there before facebook. Facebook came and over shadow myspace. Are you saying myspace only has license to build social Apps.

I am working on a Social/Cloud OS. Does it mean since there is microsoft cloud, I should not try and contribute my own quota to cloud computing world?

You have not addressed Nigerian developers problem.

1. Poverty/pain of bootstrapping a new business
2. Government attitude/support towards creativity/Government protection of intellectual properties.
3. Poor economy and currency Issue
4. Curroption/yahoo yahoo guys. Nobody trust a Nigerian on the Internet
5. Many more...

@kodewrita What are your thoughts of an auction site where people can bid and sell items ?

doncigalo: Have a look at their payment methods, they are the FIRST Nigerian e-commerce platform to implement the payment method where you pay for goods by cash when they have been delivered to you !

Please say what you know. Cash-on-delivery C.O.D is like a default standard for e-commerce in Nigeria; in my opinion its the best system for Nigeria when you consider online fraud (were still in Naija). All the e-commerce sites I've developed for clients in the past one year all use C.O.D as their default payment method. C.O.D is the easiest payment model to implement, there's nothing so special about it.

Personally i think this thread should have been closed after @Kodewrita made his contribution...but its typical of Nairaland programmers possessing all mouth and no brain,with an exception of a few....Kodewrita said it all.. can we move on to something more important and constructive

The three chief virtues of a programmer are impatience, laziness and hubris ! Lol na the opposite oh . No go try luck oh.