Rapid Development, Rapid Polls and the Weekend Web Developer

Rapid Development and the WWW

In my experience over the last 25 years, “rapid development” has always been somewhat of an oxymoron. But this is all changing dramatically with the web providing a super highway for all kinds of electronic transmission and presentation of communications and data. Developers have been ingenious in designing and implementing new technologies for creating dynamic systems in ever shorter cycles.

Tools for User Engagement

This technology is great, but in a lot of cases, regular users can be left feeling disenfranchised and unconnected. Polls are a great way to provide users an opportunity of engagement and way to make their opinions count. The poll is an excellent tool for web site owner to keep a pulse on the visitors to that site. These polls don't necessarily have to be scientific, they just have to provide an opportunity for interaction.

Putting It All Together

What does all this mean to the casual web developer? Tools and techniques are now readily available for the new or casual developer to quickly design and engage his or her target audience with targeted and specialized content. Using CMS systems, such as Drupal, allows the developer to concentrate their efforts on content and presentation instead of structure. Polls are one way out of many, that web developers can use to provide a safe and non-threatening way for people to participate in that site's community of users.