As you may or may not know, I have decided to write my own blogging database system. Since my job is actually 40 hours a week, I have time to really focus on hobbies. My hobbies include:

• Singing
• Writing Music
• Writing in general
• Technology Enthusiast
• Software/Web Development

So… now that I have time, I am going to really start focusing on my hobbies!

Next Tuesday, I am going to audition for a musical group in Nashville named “Nashville in Harmony”. It is a choral group made up of men and women. It is an LGBT and LGBT Friendly group, so maybe I will be able to meet some more people in the LGBT community. I am also beginning to write music again. I did this for a while in college, and think that I can be really good at it, just need to work on it more. Unfortunately for that hobby, it is on the bottom of my list.

My number 1 hobby has been, and will likely be for some time, writing and developing software. And since I like writing, it makes sense for me to build a blogging system first. So I am. With that decision, though, came MUCH realization that I know VERY LITTLE. Okay… I know more than I thought, honestly, but there is SO much more out there to know that sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed. I just have to make sure that I take a minute each time I begin to stress and remind myself of two things: 1) This is a hobby, so don’t let it get to you and 2) It’s okay if it takes longer than you wanted. It’s a hobby! At least, though, I can chronicle what I have learned thus far in my research and development experience:

Stuff I already know:

• Site Visual Design
  • CSS and HTML
  • Proper Layout Design
  • Java Script
  • JQuery
  • AJAX
  • Telerik
• Site Functional Design
  • ASP.net Administration
  • Site Configuration
  • Membership and Roles (Access Restriction)
  • Database Connection
  • Interfaces
  • Objects
  • File System and Folder-level access
• Site Code-behind
  • C#
  • VB.net
  • Database Connection
  • Database
  • Schema Design
  • Implementation
  • Connection to ASP.net and the Web
  • Using custom DB for Membership and Roles in ASP.net
• Third Party API
  • Facebook (Still learning)

Stuff that I really still should learn prior to, and I guess realistically during, the development of the blogging site:

• Site Visual Design
  • Flash
  • Silverlight
  • Browser Customization and Optimization
• Site Functional Design
  • Database driven Site Mapping
  • Site-map based access rules
• Database
  • Proper T-SQL/Stored Procedure Creation
  • Optimal Indexing
• Third Party API
  • Twitter
  • Myspace
  • Anything else to which I can connect
• Many things that I do not yet realize that I do not know.

So with that… Tonight, I believe that I will begin documenting the structure of the site. That structure should include:

• Database Schema and Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)
• Object Definitions
• Stored Procedure Definition
• Data Flow Diagram
• Draft UI (User Interface) Design
• Development Controls to use
• File System Mapping
• Access Role and Rules

I think that I am going to start with the Database design. Maybe I’ll even get the database built tonight.

Sorry, this entry turned out to be more technical than I thought, but it was very helpful to write it out. Now I have a list from which I can work.

-=brett=-