When can you say you're a "Web Developer"?

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So if there's one thing I've noticed recently, it's how the term "web developer/development" is being thrown around willy-nilly by anyone and everyone who comes close to a website.

Recently I was in a conversation with a girl who said she worked as a web developer. Not claiming to be one myself, I've dabbled with the basics so asked her what her favourite language and platform was etc - she looked dumbfounded. Turns out she edits the text in a mail shot and sometimes adds new articles to a Wordpress blog. Seriously?

Another time about as far as this other "web developer" got was uploading a few product images, details and adding a banner here or there to an existing ecommerce site.

Now maybe I'm wrong, but surely a developer is the backend guy who gets stuck in primarily with the script and foundation code, databases, functions etc, and makes all the magic and logic happen? What about front end designers - can they be developers now too?

Anyone else?
 
The front end stuff i.e. html + images etc... I would class as a 'Designer' not a 'Developer'. A web developer would be as you say someone who writes code to pull information from a database to display on the website using PHP/ASP .NET/MVC .NET etc...

TrUz
 
Surely she is a content editor?

Personally i'd say Developer / Designer overlap. Designer is someone who does the graphics and PDF's but can do the HTML / CSS as well. Developer can do HTML / CSS but also the Jquery PHP etc.
 
I agree with aforementioned opinions, but also emphasizing on ability of their languages.

HTML/CSS < Not dev languages IMO or if so considered "Front-end Developer". Designer is the photoshop guy.

PHP/jQuery/MySQL <At a 'moderate' level, I would consider a developer. Doesn't have to be those 3 languages, but 3 as a minimum.

I know a little PHP, low amount of jQuery and a little SQL, but I do not call myself a "Developer". I feel it would be an insult to the title.
 
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Someone started a thread a while back about bad PHP developers and I would say this is an extension to that. The thing I have about Web design/Dev is you are expected to know a lot of languages and it would be nice to have just one (i believe there is a language that does this?) but the main ones are PHP and ASP.NET I guess (haven't got a clue about RoR though). This means that anyone who dabbles in any of that or anything that comes close to it could call themselves a Web Developer especially if they suck at photoshop.

I personally hate people who just fiddle around with wordpress and call themselves a developer as it just feels half assed :D I guess for the same reason everyone in R&D at work hates the high level software guys as they get to fiddle with simple high level stuff and leave the FPGA and firmware and library development to us!
 
IMO,

A Web Designer creates the layout and graphic design of a site/page.
A Web Developer (front end) codes the client side (HTML, CSS, javascript, etc.)
A Web Developer (back end) codes the server side (ASP.NET, PHP, etc.)

I'd say the blanket term "Web Developer" can be used for those working in either or both of the latter two categories, though someone who works primarily in the design phase and just does HTML mockups wouldn't qualify.

Someone who edits mail shots and posts WordPress articles, or has just a very basic level of PHP, enough to add some custom features for WordPress templates for example, certainly doesn't match the above descriptions.
 
A web developer is anyone that contributes to the development of a web based product; whether it's an interface designer, or coder.
 
AJK said:
A Web Designer creates the layout and graphic design of a site/page.
A Web Developer (front end) codes the client side (HTML, CSS, javascript, etc.)
A Web Developer (back end) codes the server side (ASP.NET, PHP, etc.)
Click to expand...

The above are my views also although any decent Web Designer will also be a front end dev.
 
A Web developer is anyone who develops web-based applications. Simples. :)

This includes anything that uses the basic network protocols like HTTP/S and FTP, it doesn't even need to be browser based. WCF or other SOAP service is also "web". :)

The girl in the OP is definitely a content editor.
 
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We love to stroke peoples sense of worth with fancy job titles unrelated to what they actually do. She does data entry, shes not a web developer in any sense of the word.
 
and this is why the profession is so undervalued by so many people. Their nephews cousin's sister can use Wordpress which makes them a developer.
 
Web developer says to me that the individual has been a coder for at least a year and can build sites from the ground up, from conception to pre skin. A nuts and bolts prgrammer with at least a years experience, different than a junior
 
AJK said:
A Web Designer creates the layout and graphic design of a site/page.
A Web Developer (front end) codes the client side (HTML, CSS, javascript, etc.)
A Web Developer (back end) codes the server side (ASP.NET, PHP, etc.)
Click to expand...

I concur.

I do a bit of all three. Design, HTML/CSS and PHP.

Have done a teeny little tiny bit of JS in the past, but try to solve problems without it now. I know people will say, "not many people turn off JS now though!" but in fact, a lot of people are now using mobile browsers that have either shoddy or non-existant JS support.
 
It's easier if you just call the coding people Software Developers. The design people Web Designers and the content people are Content Managers. I suppose they are all involved in the development process and thus 'Web Developers'..

You know how it is these days though - every man and his dog is a Director, Executive etc...
 
Web Designer = front-end only

Web Developer = back-end (i.e. ASP.NET, Ruby, PHP etc type coding), but also the talented guys can do front-end (web design) work as well.

No point calling a web developer a "software developer" either, because they ain't. Web development is one of the easiest forms of software development. Regardless of which framework you choose, they all provide a nice guided path that is "on rails" per se. At least compared to traditional software development.
 
NathanE said:
No point calling a web developer a "software developer" either, because they ain't. Web development is one of the easiest forms of software development. Regardless of which framework you choose, they all provide a nice guided path that is "on rails" per se. At least compared to traditional software development.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't disagree that some "web development" is no more complex than tweaking an email contact form copied out of a textbook, but to categorically say that people who develop web applications aren't classed as software developers seems more than a little over-generalised...
 
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