Our “60 Seconds With …” interview today features Peter Briers, who is sharing institutional experiences in rebuilding an institutional in the second morning of the IWMW 2019 event.
1. How do you describe to your friends/parents/next door neighbour what you do for a living?
Friends would probably say ‘makes websites’, parents I’m not so sure. I regularly get calls to resolve iPad/iTunes/PayPal issues, I can only assume they think I’m some kind of IT support operative!
2. Tell us something really cool about your job at the moment
We’re looking at making a podcast series. It is an area I’ve been interested in for a while so it’s cool to be able to learn about podcasting and audio editing in my job.
3. What’s the most exciting thing about web and digital in the HE sector right now?
Over the past year or 2 there has been a real shift in the way University is ‘sold’. The change from the traditional sales message to one of making an emotional connection with prospective students for me as a web developer within marketing is challenging and exciting.
4. What’s your proudest moment in your career so far?
Rebuilding the University of Derby website is the proudest moment of my career to date, delivering the project in budget and on time. We were working to a tight deadline as the project as a whole was 10 months end-to-end from the start of the research phase to go live.
5. If you weren’t doing this career what would your dream job be?
To run a guest house on a remote Greek Island.
6. What will delegates take away from your session at IWMW this year?
Having had some time to reflect on our website redevelopment project hopefully delegates will be able to take away some of the things we’ve learnt to help them in similar projects and/or ways of working.
7. Any fond/embarrassing memories of previous IWMW events (if attended previously)?
England’s World Cup semi-final on the eve of last year’s IWMW made for an emotional start to the conference.
8. What do you like to do in your spare time?
I’m an avid football groundhopper, visiting football grounds up and down the country to watch games. I completed the 92 grounds in the top 4 divisions of England and Wales this year and am now starting on non-league grounds.
9. What’s your guilty pleasure?
Music-wise I’m partial to listen to Busted occasionally.
10. Sum up IWMW in one word
Enlightening
Peter Briers is the Senior Web Developer at the University of Derby. His role within the marketing department is to continuously evolve the University’s front facing website. This can vary from building new functionality to governance to training.
