Paul Boag

A love song about web standards

Author:
Paul Boag
Email the author
Published:
26 April 2006
Categories:
Classic shows
Reading time:
2 minutes

It’s not often that I receive an email that really makes me laugh. However, this morning I received one containing a love song about web design and boagworld that had me in hysterics.

Warning! The post you are viewing is out of date and almost certainly no longer accurate. For more topical posts, check out the “related reading” at the bottom of this page or drop me an email with any questions.

If you listen to the boagworld.com podcast you will know that it is co-hosted by a friend of mine, Marcus Lillington. Although Marcus now works with me at Headscape, in a former life he used to be a member of a fairly major band back in the 90s called Breathe. Breathe had a number of hits all around the world but were probably best known for their track “Hands to Heaven”.

Well this morning I received an email from Andrew Rothman, who is a regular listener to the show. Attached to the email was the best spoofed song I think I have ever heard. He has taken “Hands to Heaven” and reproduced it lovingly, but it is now all about web standards, the perils of being a web designer and boagworld.

Download “Hands to Boag” and hear for yourself.

For those of you who are going to moan that MP3 files arent very accessible *grin*, here are a few of the lyrics:

The supervisor rants. He says “This website’s pants! I want my clicks improved by Friday!”

I hit the URL. It’s like the bowels of hell. God give me strength. It’s just not my day.

So raise your hands to Boag and pray that we can fix this website today.

Tonight I need your CSS, coding in the darkness. From now on no more tables nest; you will meet web standards.

The source code makes me weep. There’s tables fifteen-deep. In Netscape 6 it looks like garbage.

The METAs say this turd was made with MS Word. With every click I find new carnage.

So raise your hands to Boag and pray that we can fix this website today.

Tonight I need your CSS, coding in the darkness. From now on no more tables nest; you will meet web standards.

I guess I’ll have to start from scratch – then I can kiss this piece of trash goodbye…

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Actionable Insights
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Puma

Actionable Insights

Paul has the ability to see what is hiding in plain sight. He validated ideas under consideration and provided new, actionable recommendations. The most valuable insight was illustrating how our issues were symptoms of an inefficient UX project team structure.

Genuinely brilliant
Sarah Zama
Oxford University

Genuinely brilliant

Paul is genuinely brilliant to work with. He’s funny, thoughtful, and really good at meeting you where you are. He matches my energy, communicates clearly, and always seems to know how to say the right thing. Working with him feels easy, constructive, and properly enjoyable.

Demonstrates his prowess
CREATIVE BLOQ
Magazine Interview

Demonstrates his prowess

As we talk, a pronounced pattern in Boag’s patter becomes apparent: he enthuses about a topic, demonstrates his prowess and then knocks himself down with a swipe of self-deprecation.

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Gerry McGovern
Author of Transform

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Paul is one of the smartest, most passionate, most generous people I know in the web / online industry. He is truly committed to helping organizations become simpler and more customer-centric.

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RICHARD HURST
QUEEN MARY’S UNIVERSITY LONDON

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Paul is an inspiration, I only wish I’d worked with him earlier in my career. His ability to understand and break down problems and offer advice, drawing on his many years of experience is unrivalled. He genuinely wants to get the best out of you and your organisation and you can’t ask for more than that.

Invaluable
NONDAS PASCHOS
MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES

Invaluable

Medecins San Frontieres, being a decentralised international association, faces challenges in meeting the needs of a diverse global audience. Paul and the team at Headscape have been invaluable in helping us see the potential of digital for doing this. They have helped us recognize the changes needed to engage with our connected audiences, bringing clarity and innovation to our digital strategy.

Supportive and Challenging
JENNIFER RUSSELL
THE SAMARITANS

Supportive and Challenging

It’s been a pleasure working with Paul. He manages to be both supportive and challenging at the same time and has a very accessible approach. It’s been a really inspiring process and I would love the opportunity to work with him again.

Entertainingly Informative
JOANNA SOUZA
UNICEF

Entertainingly Informative

We can count on Paul to be entertainingly informative. When we bring him to speak at our workshops, people walk out of the session energized and with a better understanding of how a multichannel journey should be assessed and optimized. Thanks Paul!

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RIVKIE LIEBERMAN
MOTIF STUDIO

Best investment

You’re the best investment I’ve made thus far in my business, and that includes a previous coach, paid mentors and many courses! Your expertise is absolutely invaluable. Thank you!

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Brooke Mills
Beginning Boutique

Moves the Needle

It’s not a question of whether I’d work with Paul again, but what we’re doing next. He takes the time to deeply understand your business and goals, then moves the needle across the growth levers that matter most.