Curriculum Vitae - My Skills - Mark Moxon, Web Developer

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Mark Philip Moxon

www.markmoxon.com

I am a highly proficient Web Developer, Producer and Journalist, based in the UK, with over ten years' experience of producing high-quality websites for large companies. I have demonstrable skills in all aspects of website creation, including creation of web content, web development and management of large web projects. I am now seeking opportunities as a contractor to make a successful impact as part of a quality-led web team.

Expertise

Web technologies: HTML, XHTML, CSS, JavaScript (10 years), Flash (1 year)
Accessibility: WCAG 1.0 (5 years), PAS 78
Data handling: XML, XSL (7 years)
Web scripting: Perl (8 years), PHP (5 years), ASP (1 year)
Database management: Microsoft SQL Server (9 years), MySQL (4 years)
Enterprise-level CMS: Percussion Rhythmyx (5 years), BBC DNA (2 years)
Web server administration: Apache, Linux (4 years)
Web analytics: WebTrends, Google Analytics (2 years)
Web content: print journalism (4 years), web journalism (9 years)
Online communities: hosting, moderation (4 years)
Management: editorial teams (print: 4 years, web: 4 years), technical web teams (2 years)

Achievements

As a contractor, I have built a reputation as a very fast and high-quality worker, across a number of well-known clients. My services are very much in demand.
When I joined the technical team at the Victoria and Albert Museum, I inherited a CMS that was very unstable and a mystery to other employees, a website that was inaccessible and only worked on Internet Explorer, and a technical team with no members. I single-handedly brought the CMS to heel, re-engineered the site to be accessible to government requirements, and built up a successful technical team.
In the first 15 months of my last employment (the V&A), I was promoted twice, a result of my ability to produce high-quality work efficiently, across a wide range of web projects.
I was a key driving force behind the success of h2g2, the community website founded by Douglas Adams. The Director of BBC New Media was so impressed with the site that he acquired both it and my team, and the platform we developed (DNA) is now used to power all the BBC's message boards.
I have written and produced three personal websites that the British Library considers to be 'of cultural, historical and political importance', resulting in a request for them to be included in the UK Web Archive. I am also a successful web-based travel writer (try searching for 'travel writing' in Google), which is a direct consequence of the quality of my web production skills.
People are generally sad to see me go, which is nice.

Employment History

Director, Little Red Bear Ltd (September 2006 onwards)

Which? (Aug 2007-May 2008 and Sep 2008 onwards): Joining the project to implement a completely redesigned website in Rhythmyx, I drove development of the new site in Velocity, implementing the site framework and developing a number of key aspects of the most complex Rhythmyx installation in the UK. The redesigned website launched on time and has been very well received.
Surrey County Council (Apr-Jul 2007): I played a key role in developing the council's new intranet CMS, taking a hefty statement of work and implementing the bulk of it in Rhythmyx, in cahoots with the council's own development team. My contribution was vital in ensuring the project's success.
BBC (10 weeks, Jan-Mar 2007): I took the BBC Learning Zone Clips Library from a set of Photoshop files through to a working, database-driven site in a quarter of the time they had allocated, and was able to use the time gained to implement a tool to enable teacher contributions, plus a reporting system that makes life considerably easier for the site's editorial team.
Grand Union (1 week, Nov 2006): I added a number of Ajax effects, mainly using jQuery, to Condom Essential Wear (www.condomessentialwear.co.uk).
V&A (6 weeks, Oct & Dec 2006): I implemented Rhythmyx content types and templates for the V&A Theatre Museum, developed a PHP-powered Wedding Dress site, migrated Rhythmyx to faster servers, and developed an Ajax-powered slideshow for the museum's 150th anniversary.
Royal Mail (3 weeks, Sep 2006): I added a DTD to the Royal Mail site (www.royalmail.com) and fixed all resulting HTML and CSS issues, as the first step towards making the site accessible.

Web Technical Manager, Victoria and Albert Museum, London (March 2005 – September 2006)

As Web Technical Manager, I was the museum's expert in all technical aspects of the Web, and was responsible for the V&A's three main museum websites: the V&A itself (www.vam.ac.uk), Museum of Childhood (www.museumofchildhood.org.uk) and Theatre Museum (www.theatremuseum.org.uk). Across these three sites I oversaw a trebling of visitor traffic in just two years.
I inherited sites for the V&A and Museum of Childhood that only worked on Internet Explorer, and which failed to validate, let alone meet the accessibility requirements set by the government. I used my skills in XML, XSL and XHTML to revamp the CMS used to produce the site, eventually producing a compliant and accessible site, with referral figures increasing by 50% over the course of a year.
I oversaw the addition of Web 2.0 technologies to the V&A website, including curatorial blogs, the highly regarded V&A podcast, and RSS feeds of events and news.

Web Developer, Victoria and Albert Museum, London (July 2004 – March 2005)

As part of a two-man technical team, I was responsible for maintaining and developing the V&A website, using Perl, PHP, MySQL, XML, XSL and XHTML.
I took control of the museum's content management system – Rhythmyx by Percussion Software – which was crashing regularly, and used my CMS skills to go through the entire system with a fine toothcomb, producing a stable and productive CMS environment.
After eight months as Web Developer I was promoted to Web Technical Manager.

Web Project Manager, Victoria and Albert Museum, London (December 2003 – July 2004)

As one of three V&A Web Project Managers, I worked with the museum's curators and educators to create a number of high quality websites for exhibitions and events.
After seven months as Web Project Manager I was promoted to Web Developer.

Freelance Writer (October 2002 – December 2003)

I wrote scripts for two audio tours of London, which were recorded by Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley for release through Handheld History, a company that provides tours over mobile phones.
I spent the rest of the year travelling in West Africa, and walking alone and unaided from Land's End to John o'Groats. On returning I developed two websites – www.landsendjohnogroats.info and www.moxon.net – both of which have become the best examples of their kind (according to Google).

Editor of h2g2 and DNA, BBC, London (June 1999 – September 2002)

One month after its launch, I became Editor of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (h2g2), the website founded by author Douglas Adams. I was solely responsible for developing the editorial direction of the site, and I built up a seven-person content and community team from scratch, driving the project forward from start-up to success.
By the start of 2001 the Director of BBC New Media was so impressed with h2g2 that his department acquired the site and my team, incorporating them into BBCi. Under my editorship h2g2 became the BBC's busiest community website, and it continues to thrive today at www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2.
Following this success, I helped to create a new project called DNA, which took the technical and editorial expertise behind h2g2 and made it available to the rest of the BBC; this proved so popular that DNA is now used to power all the BBC's message boards. As the Editor of DNA I managed the ongoing development of the project, gluing the editorial and technical sides together to create a public-facing publishing environment that both the BBC and licence-fee payers love. I also created the DNA Hub at www.bbc.co.uk/dna/hub/ to hold the team's documentation on the project.

Webmaster, Xara Ltd, Hemel Hempstead (October 1998 – June 1999)

Working on the Xara website (www.xara.com) enabled me to learn a whole range of core new-media skills, complementing the knowledge I gained from nine years in traditional print media. I used these skills to help create and maintain an e-commerce website using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, ASP, Perl and SQL, and I learned how to generate and edit content effectively for an online environment.

Freelance Writer (October 1995 – October 1998)

As a freelancer I was commissioned to write over 150 IT articles, which were published both in the UK and abroad. I also spent a year freelancing as Editor of RISC User, which meant I did everything from commissioning to printing this monthly magazine.

Editor, Acorn User, IDG Media Ltd, Macclesfield (October 1993 – October 1995)

Acorn User is the world's leading Acorn magazine, and this is where I learned what it means to be a good magazine editor. I took pride in ensuring that Acorn User contained articles that were the best in the sector, completely free of typos, enhanced by an attractive and clear layout, written by the most respected journalists in the market, and supported by a publication that always came out on time and within budget. Acorn User remained the market leader during my two-year tenure.

Technical Editor, Acorn User, Redwood Publishing, London (February 1993 – October 1993)

This was my first taste of working on a national magazine, and I lapped it up. I learned how to write and commission technical articles and reviews, I developed professional subbing skills, and I eagerly devoured everything I could about magazine creation, layout, Quark and the world of publishing.

Technical Editor, RISC User, Beebug Ltd, St. Albans (September 1991 – February 1993)

RISC User was the small subscription magazine on which I cut my journalistic teeth. Here I learned to write my first grown-up articles, and how to edit other people's writing without using a hacksaw.

Programmer, Ministry of Defence, RAE Farnborough (Summer 1989 and Summer 1990)

I could tell you what I did, but then I'd have to kill you.

Training

Rhythmyx	Rhythmyx Developer Training I (September 2004)
	Rhythmyx Developer Training II (January 2005)
	Rhythmyx Java Exits (May 2006)
	Rhythmyx Database Publishing (July 2006)
Flash	Macromedia Flash MX Rich Media Design (June 2005)
	Macromedia Flash MX Application Development (December 2005)
Apache	Apache Web Server Administration (June 2006)
Web Analytics	Fast Track to WebTrends (April 2005)
	Fast Track to Google Analytics (April 2006)

Education

1988 – 1991	Lincoln College, Oxford University, United Kingdom
1983 – 1988	Repton School, Repton, Derbyshire, United Kingdom
1977 – 1983	Yarlet Hall, Yarlet, Staffordshire, United Kingdom

Qualifications

Degree	BA Hons in Mathematics & Computation, II(ii), Oxford University
A-Levels	Mathematics A, Further Mathematics A, Physics A, Chemistry A
AO-Levels	Mathematics A, French B
O-Levels	Mathematics A, Physics A, Chemistry A, French A, Latin A, Greek A, English Language A, English Literature A, Divinity A, History B

Supplementary Information

Interests	Travel writing, wilderness walking, guitar playing, scuba diving, foreign cultures
Skills	Typing (about 60 words/minute), clean UK driving licence
References	Available on request

My Skills: Curriculum Vitae