Enter the New Architect
By Amit Asaravala
Regular readers will point out that Web Techniques hasn't been solely about Web techniques for several years now. As the number of Internet technologies and products has grown since our first issue in early 1996, the magazine has expanded to cover topics like application servers, P2P networks, wireless content delivery, and so on. The articles in this issue are a good example of that.
So while the Web Techniques brand has been embraced by a loyal group of readers, it doesn't accurately explain our coverage anymore. Outside observers often question whether we are strictly a magazine about HTML coding and site design. Of course we're not. Because of this concern, we began an extensive research campaign to determine whether it was time to make some changes. Over the past year, we conducted quantitative surveys with readers. We brought in subscribers and non-subscribers for focus groups. We held an editorial round table and gathered reader profiles. We asked our writers for feedback, and met with key vendors to learn what they were working on. We also looked at independent research from IDC and Gartner. Those of you who read my monthly WebTechniques.com newsletter know that, in the end, we chose to rename the magazine New Architect.
I won't try to make you believe that New Architect refers to a grand concept that will revolutionize the way you think about your job. Instead, simply put, the New Architect name refers to the group of people we want to reach every month. If you look strictly at titles, a new architect could be an information architect or a network architect, or no architect at all—the titles of lead applications developer and IT manager work just as well.
