WebProfessionals.org Code of Ethics
Whether you are a Webprofessionals.org member or not – we ask you to consider agreeing to our code of ethics. If you are a member, we have a separate form after you login. If you are a non-member, but agree to follow our code of ethics, please agree and add your name in the comment field.
Professional organizations and associations throughout history establish some sort of standard of operation or minimum standards of conduct which are considered acceptable for the profession and the members they represent. A generally agreed upon Code of Ethics can define the overall aim of the profession, and the ideals to which Web professional workers aspire.
As a membership supported organization for practicing and aspiring Web Professionals, we should adhere to a “higher standard.” We should “set the bar” for professionalism for our members. As such, we propose an adherence to a code of ethics and we invite you to participate. To ensure that their efforts will be used for the the common good, Web professionals should commit themselves to making practicing within the of the profession a beneficial and respected one, including promoting an ethical approach to their practice.
At a minimum, we should commit to a standard of conduct which should be generally agreed upon. Although we recognize that our Code of Ethics are voluntary and not enforceable by law, we hope and should at a high level expect everyone to adhere to the highest standards when working in our field.
Please review the following stipulations and if you agree please check the box at the top of the text and we will add you to the list. Thank you in advance for your support.
What does it mean for Employers, Hiring Managers, Consumers and those that Hire WebProfessionals.org members? If a Webprofessionals.org member works for you full time, part time or by contract, you should expect them to:
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- Be open and truthful. Although we cannot guarantee that all of the members of the Webprofessionals.org community subscribe to this code of ethics, as a professional association we aspire to instill in our members and non members alike the highest ethical standards.
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- Respect and Protect your intellectual property. As Web professionals and more specifically WebProfessionals.org members it’s our responsibility to protect the intellectual property rights of others including personal data and all electronic media and files. As Web professionals we have a duty and a fiduciary responsible to protect the integrity by adopting and implementing best practices of our customer’s data and to keep it secure.
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- Be Responsive. As Web professionals we owe it to our clients and stakeholders to respond to inquires in a timely manner. WebProfessionals.org members should candid about their available response time and communicate that to customers in advance.
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- Written Communications: As Web professionals it is our responsibility to effectively communicate to our clients and stakeholders. When making request of the customer or when making promises put them in writing. Despite our best efforts, disputes sometimes happen. Having a well documented and agreed upon relationship will serve both parties. This should include all conversations about who does what and when, work to be performed, timelines, cost and change orders.
As members of WebProfessionals.org organization we Pledge to Perform our Duties in the best interest of our Clients and Customers:
Article 1
WebProfessionals.org Members do their best protect and promote their clients’ interests while treating all parties honestly. We will strive to understand your business and how our efforts can help you better succeed.
Article 2
WebProfessionals.org Members refrain from exaggeration, mis-representation, or concealment of pertinent facts related to negotiating contracts or transactions. We will not try to be “all things to all clients.” WebProfessionals.org members are knowledgeable and competent in the fields of practice in which they engage or they get assistance from a knowledgeable professional, or disclose any lack of expertise to their client.
Article 3
WebProfessionals.org Members cooperate with other Web Professional sub contractors to advance their clients’ best interests. We collaborate as it typically takes a team to build a world class web site and to provide web services.
Article 4
WebProfessionals.org members disclose any fee or financial benefit they may receive from recommending related products or services. WebProfessionals.org members receive compensation from only one party, except where they make full disclosure and receive informed consent from their client.
Article 5
WebProfessionals.org members keep entrusted funds of clients and customers in a separate escrow account until the work has been completed and the client has signed off.
Article 6
WebProfessionals.org Members make sure that negotiations are in writing and that contract details are spelled out in writing, signed and that parties receive copies. This includes explaining in detail the process and fees for requesting changes.
Article 7
WebProfessionals.org members give equal professional service to all clients and customers irrespective of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, handicap, disabilites, familial status, or national origin.
Article 8
WebProfessionals.org members portray an accurate picture of their services in their advertising and in other public representations. WebProfessionals.org members make only truthful, objective comments about other Web professionals and potential competitors working in the field.
Article 9
WebProfessionals.org members respect the exclusive representation or exclusive brokerage relationship agreements that other WebProfessionals.org members have with their clients.
Article 10
Web Professionals charge fair rates for their services. This means we do not undercharge or over-charge our clients. Yes. rates may vary substantially based on years of experience, technical knowledge and a host of factors.
I remember HTML5 & CSS3 being touted as the coding languages that would unite the web with standards . And to a great extent it did, but scripts like jquery provided more flexibility in design. I thought that CSS animations would continue to evolve, but the speed and ease of these additional languages seems to have put that idea on the backburner.
” I turned off JavaScript in my browser (Chrome in this case). Some of the sites I use on a daily basis (for example my school email) were rendered useless (I did receive a message that JavaScript needed to be activated and if I had problems, I could always use Internet Explorer). ”
I use Firefox with NoScript installed for testing purposes. It is amazing how many sites, including popular ones and government sites, do not function at all without JavaScript. Readers should try doing this. Why the heck do some sites need 100+ scripts running to present their content?
“what has happened to graceful degradation?”
I have asked this question for a long time. When I learnt web development we were taught to make our sites degrade gracefully (or function as nothing was wrong) between browsers, lack of Flash being installed and JavaScript not being active. Do they not teach this anymore in school?
With Google’s move towards Mobile First maybe this will be a wake up call to get back to the basics of a functioning website without so much scripting.
Showing my age here, we use to avoid using JavaScript because that is an opportunity for a site to be hacked. Do people think this problem has suddenly disappeared? News flash: it hasn’t. I have people contacting me about a hacked site and usually the culprit is a JavaScript file that has been hacked.