Robin Button first became interested in computers and technology in general in the early 1970′s. Through independent study and work experience, she was able to watch first-hand how technology evolved over the years. This continues to be fascinating to her. She is basically self-taught and enjoys keeping up with website design and development best practices.
Some Background: How This All Happened
Robin Button works with very large dot-matrix printer circa 1970's
Robin Button began working with technology in the 1970′s, as a Data Processing Coordinator for Eli Lilly and Company. She supervised the encoding of data on magnetic tape which was in turn transmitted over data phone lines to a Midwestern location. High-end stuff! Back then, computers were as big as cars. Little did she know the role computers would play in her future.
After a hiatus to raise children, she began working for Public Television Channel 18, where she discovered that her favorite tasks were organizing a major fund-raiser and maintaining a volunteer database. She acquired her first personal computer in 1987; it was a powerhouse that sported floppy disks!
IBM PC circa 1987. No hard drive ... but I can accommodate floppy disks!
The personal computer soon became a household word. She was a kid in a toy store! From 1986 through 2001, Robin was employed as a Department Administrative Assistant for the Department of Criminology at California State University, Fresno. Throughout her career she voluntarily served on many task forces and committees, particularly those having to do with improving communication or technology. Creating documents and solving problems with computers was an art form to Robin; she enjoyed that in her job at Fresno State. Working with students and watching them achieve academic success inspired her to act on her long-delayed dream of returning to college. In 1991, she completed her degree in Art and Design.
The first time she set eyes on a website was in the mid 1990′s via a Mosaic browser on a Macintosh Computer. Websites seemed to talk to her: Information organization, writing, problem-solving, and art were all combined into one on a computer screen. For years, she took advantage of any opportunities at Fresno State to learn website design. Eventually she realized she had to decide whether to stay at Fresno State, which she loved, or choose self-employment as a Freelance Web Designer/Developer. Swallowing hard, in 2000 she struck out on her own.
Throughout the years, the University has called upon Robin to assist with various web projects. Some years ago, the University embarked upon a Clean Up The Web Campaign, a campus-wide initiative to update the University Web Standard as well as provide campus Web training and support. She developed pilot websites for the purpose of testing the web standard toolkit, a key component of the Campaign. Once the campaign was launched, she developed websites for key academic areas on campus utilizing the campus web standard resources, and provided support for those maintaining the websites.
Currently, Robin is providing support to the University when needed to maintain and improve its web services, and assisting with website migration to an OmniUpdate content management system. She’s also enjoying work with other clients on a variety of challenging projects. And then, there’s always time to be spent keeping up with the latest!
