Federation Of Media Development Companies - Flawed

By Author: Gary Stonehouse
Total Articles: 6
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Federation of Media Development Companies - Flawed
A new federation aiming to stamp out cowboy web developers and boost business for retailers appears to have several flaws.
Two Teesside business partners, who head their own website development companies, launched the national Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC) in an event held at Middlesbrough Football Club in response to growing criticism that too many web developers were taking advantage of businesses.
The two men behind the 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 web development firm Com IT in 2005, and he is also a director of Stockton web firm LocalRus, which was launched by his business partner Mr Davies in 2002.
According to NEbusiness, the FMDC has been welcomed by local firms that have suffered at the hands of industry rogues, 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 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 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 us here at Visualsoft, have already established ourselves as leading eCommerce website designers and developers, and it could be argued that we produce a much better quality of work than the companies that are running the FMDC.
The FMDC has also come up with the concept of web developers adding login details of created websites onto its database. This idea would provide significant risk in terms of Intellectual Property Rights, Data Protection and security from hackers, whilst it completely ignores the new industry standard PCI DSS that aims to protect credit card information.
At last night's event, it was suggested to the 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. Many web developers are finding it hard to understand how Mr Rashid and Mr Davies think they can just invent an accreditation organisation and expect this to be taken seriously without engaging or consulting with anyone else.
FMDC are reportedly holding another event similar to last night's in Newcastle in the next couple of weeks, and it will be interesting to see how many members will have signed up to the Federation by then.
VIsualsoft are the North East's leading eCommerce specialists and have a large portfolio of website designs and developments.