By Dan MacKay
I wrote this up after hearing about it many times and occasionally participating in one of the three roles. I'm sure it happens five thousand times a day all over the planet.
Tiny Non Profit Organization: Hi would you build us a webpage?
Web Developer 1: Sure give me some text, and some photos, and $15,000.
TNPO: Wow that's a lot of money but we need a webpage, here you go.
(a month passes)
TNPO: Whoohoo we have a website! we're having a website launch party!!
(everyone celebrates)
(a year passes)
TNPO: Hi WD1, we have a new board of directors and the program for the next year and our funding strategy has changed, would you update the website please?
WD1: [crickets]
TNPO: Uh hello , we really need this
[more crickets]
[finally they get WD1's home number and call them at supper time]
WD1: Uh yeah I got hired full time to do sysadmin, I don't do web pages any more. Bye.
[TNPO asks around and finds Web Developer 2]
TNPO: Hi WD2, Could you update the website please?
WD2: Your website? Sure! Oh. That was created in WebSnark 2.0, no one uses that any more, it's impossible to update. Everyone's using FriskyCM now. I can create you a whole new website in FriskyCM 3.2 for only $15,000.
(repeat every 18 months.)