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INTRODUCTIONS

If you are just starting website development, you probably have heard a lot of talk about website design, frontend and backend development. It is quite normal to be confused. They all sound the same.


Essentially, the difference between frontend and backend web development is that the first one serves the client side (what we see on the front i.e. a screen) and the latter is supporting the server side (what’s under the hood of a website).

While these two types of programming are certainly distinct from one another, they’re also like two sides of the same coin. A website’s functionality relies on each side communicating and operating effectively with the other as a single unit.

Frontend developers don’t actually design these front-facing aspects of a website—this is the job of a web designer, or more specifically, a UI designer. Web designers are concerned with design: the look and feel of the website, how it’s laid out, and what buttons and touch points the user experiences. Frontend developers are concerned with functionality; the engineering that transforms these designs into a live, interactive website using the front end languages.

What is Front End Development?

The frontend of a website is what you see and interact with on your browser. Also referred to as “client-side.” It includes everything the user experiences directly: from text and colors to buttons, images, and navigation menus.

The main front-end languages are HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Sheet Style) and JavaScript. HTML creates and organizes web content so it can be displayed by a browser. CSS accompanies HTML and defines the style of a website’s content, such as layout, colors, fonts, etc. JavaScript is a programming language used for more interactive elements like drop down menus, modal windows, and contact forms.

Other front end tools are web frameworks like Bootstrap, Django, and Angular, JavaScript libraries like React, jQuery, and CSS extensions like Sass and LESS.

Together these essentials create everything that’s visually presented when you visit a webpage—whether it’s online shopping, reading the news, checking your email, or conducting a Google search.

What is Back End Development?

The backend (or “server-side”) is the portion of the website you don’t see. It’s responsible for storing and organizing data, and ensuring everything on the client-side actually works. The backend communicates with the frontend, sending and receiving information to be displayed as a web page. Whenever you fill out a contact form, type in a web address, or make a purchase (any user interaction on the client-side), and your browser sends a request to the server-side, which returns information in the form of frontend code that the browser can interpret and display.

Some common backend languages are Ruby, PHP, Java, .Net, and Python. These programming languages often run on frameworks that simplify the web development process.

One Final Word

The distinction between frontend and backend is not always so clear-cut. Some developers are proficient in both the frontend and backend; these are what are known as full-stack developers.
If you still have any grey area in website development and you want clarification, be sure to send a private message. See bio for links.
I also help with mentorship, training and services in web development. See my signature for contact details.

Since Facebook Inc. changed to Meta, there has been a rise in the popularity of Metaverse. Hardly would you see any internet user that hasn’t come across that word.


What is this Metaverse?

The metaverse can be defined as a simulated digital environment that uses augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and blockchain, along with concepts from social media, to create spaces for rich user interaction mimicking the real world.

Think of metaverse as set of virtual spaces where you can create and explore with other people who aren’t in the same physical space as you. You’ll be able to hang out with friends, work, play, learn, shop, create, and more.

Promoters of the metaverse envisioned its users working, playing and staying connected with friends through everything from concerts and conferences to virtual trips around the world.

Is Metaverse Achievable?

Aspects of metaverse already exist. Ultra-fast broadband speeds, VR headsets and persistent always-on online worlds are already up and running. There are online game universes such as Fortnite, Minecraft and Roblox.

Over the next couple of years, metaverse is going to become more and more common place in daily life. Companies, entrepreneurs and everyone in between are going to look at how to take advantage of the next big wave in tech where instead of spending time in a browser or a domain, users will be fully immersed in a virtual world.

The Place of Money and Art in the New World

The metaverse is still in its early innings, but NFTs are a critical step toward realizing its potential. One key concept is decentralization. NFTs make sure your digital ownership is transferable across any online space.

Before crypto, online worlds like Second Life and Roblox were the closest we got to the metaverse. But an item bought in Second Life or in Roblox isn’t transferable outside those realms. Fortnite has sold $1 billion of digital goods, but those goods are worth $0 outside of Fortnite.

Metaverse, as opinionated by Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, will make use of a decentralized system, so will not be controlled by only one company or group. The blockchain is a universal language which makes decentralization possible. In fact, Ethereum—the cryptonetwork underlying the digital art and NFT worlds—was born from this fact.

The Future We Expect

The future of the internet is immersive. Digital spaces will transform how people socialize and work. Actions in real estate, Crypto and NFTs are fueling growth.

Today’s Roblox developers will grow up to populate the metaverse with digital clothing, digital furniture, digital parks, digital skyscrapers. Workers who build today’s Airtable apps will build tomorrow’s virtual offices. Merchants who open Shopify or Cashdrop stores today will design virtual, 3D stores tomorrow. And today’s TikTok stars will build entertainment experiences within virtual worlds.

The Future of Jobs is Virtual

As with all new technology, companies need staffs that understand how it can be applied. They can’t be easily found in real life or the best talents aren’t always near you location-wise so getting them from the metaverse is the best way forward for our niche projects.

Metaverse is now expected to be the internet’s next big thing, opening up opportunities for developers, entrepreneurs, and innovators.
More than the current internet professions, given the whole digital and immersive nature of the Metaverse, we will not be able to make the difference between a human worker and an artificial intelligence carrying out activities in the Metaverse. These jobs could just as well be in Fashion, Health & Well-being, Social Activities, Leisure, or even Law Enforcement.

Can Google dance? Have you heard of Google dancing? What does Google Dance really mean? These are some of the likely questions that are running through your mind right now. Have you also noticed one of these Google Seasonal logos showing different people embedded into the Google logo dancing? May be Google is trying to pass a message.

If Google were to be a human, I’m sure you won’t be surprised. However, Google is a search engine. This term should not be new to Digital Marketers and most especially SEO experts. If you are just an average internet user who loves to learn new things, ensure you read to the end.


What is Google Dance?

Google Dance is the period when Google is rebuilding its rankings. So results fluctuate widely for a 3 to 5 days period. It is a term also used to describe the period that a major index update of the Google Search engine are being implemented.

How Often Does It Happen and Why Am I Just Hearing About Google Dance?

Back then (till around 2003), it occurs every 36 days or 10 times in a year or per year.
At any time during index update on Google servers, they will display sometime widely different results. Thus, they are said to be “dancing” and hence the name “Google Dance.”
Since August 2003, Google Dance has become less dramatic. Technology has evolved. There are easier means to get things done. Google now performs update every week with movements occurring on Mondays. These updates feature mostly minor algorithm and index updates.

How To Know If Google Dance is Taking Place

All Google servers will display widely differing results during Google Dance.
The following process will guide you to determine if Google Dance is taking place;
- Go to www.google.com and do a search
- Look at the blue bar at the top of the page. It would have the results 1 – 10 of about 626,000 pages. Search took 0.43 seconds (may not be exactly).
- Then check the same search on www2.google.com and www3.google.com
- If results are different from the one on www.google.com, then Google Dance is on.


Why is Google Dance Still Important?

For anyone in Search Engine Optimisation industry, Google Dance is a period of note. Highly ranked pages gets temporarily dropped. It could last for a day or more and these can make people (especially SEO experts) panicked.

At the end of Google Dance, a site rank could increase or decrease, depending on changes made. Hence SEO experts have to stay updated to changes made to search engines.