Federation Of Media Development Companies - Flawed?

By Author: Gary Stonehouse
Total Articles: 6
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Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC) - A new federation aiming to stamp out cowboy web developers and boost business for retailers would appear to have several flaws.

Two Teesside business partners, who head up their own website development companies, launched the national Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC) in an event held at Middlesbrough Football Club last night in response to alleged growing criticism that too many web developers were taking advantage of businesses.

The two men behind the Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC), Stuart Davies and Saheed Rashid, said that the Federation is aiming to prevent businesses from being lured into unfair contracts that leave them vulnerable to overpricing, poor service and withdrawal of services without notice. Mr Rashid founded the Middlesbrough based Com IT in 2005, and he is also a director with Mr Davies of Stockton firm LocalRus.

According to NEbusiness, local firms that have suffered at the hands of industry rogues have welcomed the Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC), but many in the web industry ...
... have questioned the move.

Rashid spoke last night of how he wanted to position the non-profit organisation as the preferred quality standard for providers, but after inspection, the concept seems to have several flaws.

Although it's free to register with the Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC), developers will be required to add at least FIVE domain names at a cost of £60 EACH per month. At last night's event, the Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC) argued that these conditions would discourage rogue operators from joining the network and give website owners confidence, but it could in fact, have the opposite effect.

The domain requirement could lead to many web developers in the region being labeled as 'cowboys' as they will struggle to meet the five domain name quota. Also, companies such as Visualsoft, that are already established as leading eCommerce specialists, could argue that they produce a much better quality of work than the founders of the Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC). Many web developers including Visualsoft are finding it hard to understand how the founders think they can just invent an accreditation organisation and expect it to be taken seriously without engaging or consulting with others in the same industry.

At last night's event, it was suggested to the Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC) organisers that if they are to preach about online brand management and accrediting an industry that is full of 'cowboys', then they should get their own house in order first.

The Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC) has also come up with the concept of web developers adding login details of created websites onto its database in an attempt to protect the clients. This idea would provide significant risk in terms of intellectual property rights, data protection and security from hackers.

The Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC) are reportedly holding another event similar to last night's in Newcastle in the next couple of weeks, it will be interesting to see how many members will have signed up to the federation by then.
Content Editor for the North East's leading eCommerce specialists Visualsoft