Skip to page content Home Hosting Development Tools & Services Help Desk    
 

Development: Working with Third-party Web Developers

BSD provides a referral list to help locate third-party web developers (non-BSD staff) and a guide for site owners to set up the accounts and security access that a third-party will need to work on your site.

How to hire third-party web developers

Locating developers

Most organizational groups within the BSD do not have on-staff web developers. Since BSDIS does not do website development many groups arrange for a third-party to develop and/or maintain their website. For example, a third-party could be a professional website development company, a freelancing student, etc.

BSDIS does not itself provide endorsements or recommendations for any development firm or person; however, we do maintain a list of developers who have done satisfactory work for a BSD organization in the past. This list is compiled from reports of BSD site owners. If you are interested in using this list to help locate a developer, or if you have worked with a developer that you would recommend to others, please contact BSDIS with your recommendation.

Developer qualifications

Introduction

Below is a suggested job description and list of minimal technical qualifications. Use this description only as a starting point and adjust to your needs. For example, if you would like to have animation on your site you should also seek skills in Flash animation development. Be sure to ask to see examples of previous work on sites similar to your own. Also, please keep ongoing site maintenance in mind from the beginning, and discuss this with any prospective developer. The more complex your site design is the more likely that you will need ongoing development assistance.

Overview

The web developer will create and maintain site content contained in semantic XHTML documents. The developer will use CSS to control page layout and formatting. The developer may be required to develop or edit graphics in standard web formats. The developer may be required to edit or create basic Javascript functionality. All content should conform to recommended usability guidelines. The developer should provide work samples and references that demonstrate use of relevant skills to meet client needs.

Technical Qualifications

  • Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML)
  • Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
  • Graphic design (minimum: basic image editing and optimization for web using GIF, JPEG, and PNG formats; more skills needed for sites requiring extensive graphics, logos, or photo editing)
  • Javascript
  • Understanding of and ability to follow web standards and incorporate recommended usability and accessibility guidelines, in particular BSD's Style Guide and W3C's WCAG 1.0.

How to allow access for external developers

A developer working on-campus needs to have a BSD ID (i.e. username and password) with the proper security privileges set on the web server. A developer working off-campus additionally needs a CNET ID and VPN software, both provided by the University, in order to connect to the campus network. The following guide assumes that the developer starts out with no accounts or privileges on any University system and describes how to set up all needed accounts and privileges.

  • Request a a BSD ID and a temporary CNET ID from the BSD Help Desk. Note that CNET IDs are created and controlled by the University IT group (NSIT), but BSDIS works with NSIT on your behalf to have the account created.
  • When both IDs are created and ready to use request that the BSD ID be given editing access to your site from the BSD Help Desk.
  • Developers working from off-campus will need to use the same process as University staff/faculty: use the University VPN client to connect to the campus network and then map a share on the BSD web server. Note that the VPN uses the CNET ID and the web server uses the BSD ID. For details on how to do this please see the Website Editor's Guide