Full Code Press - The fog has cleared
Here’s my long overdue rant about participating in Full Code Press, a competition recently held in Sydney in which teams build a website in 24 hours. You have all no doubt been wondering how it all went.
Well, we did it. The organisers admitted at the outset that they were uncertain as to whether it was possible, but two teams managed to build two fully-functioning websites and enjoy the adulation of a grateful Victoria not-for-profit client-organisation that now has a presence on the WWW.
You are no doubt wondering ‘how’. This is where it gets interesting, as each team adopted very different methods for tackling the challenge.
Our brief:
Work with strangers in a team under the gaze of bloggers (video, audio, text) who documented every twitch, building a site for an unknown client to a ridiculous deadline in windowless rooms that were the temperature of a fridge.
Methodology:
New Zealanders - met, talk and strategise and (dare I say it) practise. Earnestly set about building a CMS from the ground up. Risk sanity of developer who later confesses to mid-point meltdown. Win by 2.7 points. Developer does celebratory jig.
Australia - swan up to hotel (late after being in an accident in a taxi), meet team mates, set up hardware, have a pretty good idea we might use an open source CMS, get a bit loud and psyched, befriend clients, open the bar at midnight, deliver website with good cheer and ease 30 minutes early.Go to pub for breakfast during judging. Lose by 2.7 points.
Judge for yourself:
NZ: Grampians Disability Advocacy
Australia: The Ripple Effect
The fine print
I have to say that the best bit (other than feeling good about helping the gals at The Ripple Effect) was working with an awesome team of people. Russ Weakley tells that we won the cheerful team prize and he was right - it was uncanny how well we all worked together. Here’s the roll of honour:
- Rex Chung
- Ruth Ellison
- Jeffery Lowder
- David MacDonald
- Marla Mitelman
- Sarah Peeke
- Next entry: Talking about writing well
- Previous entry: Under the hood