Marsha Perry is the most patient, diligent, hard-working, and even-tempered website designer in the world (okay, Working Girl is biased because Marsha is her own personal website designer).  We chat.

WG – So here we are in the 21^st century.  The Internet is a part of nearly everyone’s lives.  So why is it, in these enlightened times, people still create websites that have white type on a black background?

Marsha – I have no idea!  It’s like with animation.  When you first start making websites and you figure out how easy it is to do animations, so you just have to do them.  It’s sort of a novice thing.  I think it makes people happy and we just need to let them be.

WG – What have you found is the most common thing people don’t know about the Internet?

Marsha – I run into a lot of people who don’t know what a webhost is, or that you need one.  Most people know what a domain name is and they think that’s all they need, so when they find out they also need hosting they can be a little surprised.

WG – You always say to me that working with computer code is like herding chickens.  What do you have against chickens?

Marsha – You know what I mean!  Code can get out of control and run all over the place.  It’s difficult to develop code that is going to look good on everyone’s website no matter what browser they use.

WG – So you need to be patient.

Marsha – Well, if you’re of the mindset that everything will work out in the end, that everything is a good learning experience, and that everybody is doing the best they can, you don’t need as much patience.

WG – That sort of is the definition of patience!  What other qualities does a website developer need?

Marsha – It helps to be a good listener, to enjoy helping people, working one on one with them.  And I have a good mind for math—that helps me write code.

WG – Oh, you need to know math?

Marsha – Not math per se, but the skill set you need for math is the same as for writing code.  When you’re working with arrays and it has to loop, you need to understand the formula, the code, so you can envision how to change it.  It’s logic.

WG – So you do the code part, not the design part?

Marsha – I am not a designer, not an artist.  I try to focus on my strengths.  I love to work with people, to help them with their businesses, brainstorm ideas.  I do also work with a very good designer.

WG – Of your clients, how many have wanted to design their own sites?

Marsha – Just one.

WG – That’s me!

Marsha – That’s right!

WG – Assuming others are not as troublesome as I am, what are some issues you’ve had with clients?

Marsha – Sometimes there are problems in communication because we never work face to face.  It’s all email or on the phone.

WG – You seem to be very sensitive to when a client is freaking out.  I speak from personal experience here.

Marsha – Yeah.

WG – That’s all you have to say??

Marsha – Yeah!  I don’t want to stereotype but I think that as a woman I have better communication skills than your average geek.  Also I haven’t always been a techie person.  My degree is in business management and I was an accountant/bookkeeper for years.

WG – Do you have a job survival tip?

Marsha – As a small businessperson, I think you have to give up the idea that you can do everything yourself.  For example, even though I was a bookkeeper in the past I have a CPA who does my taxes.  It sounds practical now but I was slow coming to this decision.  It was about pride.  Some part of you says you should be able to do it all!