Mustardseed Media Inc.

As a designer, I feel your pain. God has gifted people like you and I to make things look pretty...not necessarily make them do really cool stuff. However, in this day and age, web 'designers' (as opposed to developers) can go really far without having their own personal "super geek" at their beck and call.

When I started developing websites for ministries, I was in your same position. I knew how to layout a web design using Photoshop, html and CSS, but I felt I didn't have the skills to make really active, Web 2.0 style websites. So, what was my first step? Well, I can tell you it wasn't to go find someone to write all my PHP and hack on my Drupal CMS site. No...it was to go learn as much as possible for myself.

95% of Mustardseed Media built websites are done by one guy, owner and 'designer', Bob Christenson (aka Mr. Mustardseed). People often assume that I have to contract out more than I actually do to hardcore programmers. But, that's just not the case. The reason is because I was willing to get my feet really wet in the world of PHP programming. Days upon days reading library books and playing with the Drupal software has made me proficient enough to develop just about all the functionality that most of my website projects need.

Let's also not discount the power of the Drupal CMS that we use to build all of our sites. This fantastic software package gives 'designers' like you and I a leg up so that we don't have to start from scratch. This powerful system is extremely user friendly and is an easy way to learn, in a hands on way, the basics of development.

Now, of course, Mustardseed is blessed with a pair of really hardcore geeks as well. That last 5% of functionality that I need on my projects are just out of my reach....custom module development and the like. Lucky for me, the Drupal community is full of incredible developers who are available for custom module work. I was lucky enough to land two of the best and most humble developers in that community who also share Mustardseed's goal of helping churches and ministries spread The Message.

So, that's a long answer to a short question. My advice is:

• Don't rely on "programmers" to accomplish most of your development work. You can do it yourself if you put in the time and commitment to educating yourself.
• When looking for a programmer, look within the software community that you use to develop. It sounds too easy...but it my experience, it really is just that simple to find someone if you know who you're looking for.