| I received this email the other day and simply had to share it: I appreciate your WebDiva designation. Is it public domain, i.e. may I use it? Thanks,
Debra D Dear Debra D,
While I would love to believe there can only be one WebDiva D--me--it's a nickname much like Illiad is a nickname and therefore I cannot stop you from using it. Please realize that the WebDiva moniker cannot be taken up lightly nor used arbitrarily. There are Rules. 7, in fact. You must, of course, BE a Diva and that means: 1) Done your time--you have slogged away in the HTML trenches for many years before all these wimpy website-in-a-minute kits ever came about. Divas vividly remember the days of 2400 baud modems and still say 'GIF' with a hard "g". 2) Code snob--you continue to tool HTML by hand in a text-based editor and consider all GUI-based guck as infantile play attempts in the sandbox of web design. Divas scoff at frames. 3) Iron rule I--your site, your way. Ownership matters, but it's not who owns the domain name or company. It's who owns the web roost and the fact that everyone in the organization understands it: Diva owns it, no question. 4) Iron rule II--your boss, your way. A DivaBoss appreciates that you have been hired for your supreme brilliance and expertise and therefore LEAVES YOU ALONE to do what you do best: Walk on water with no supervision. 5) Deadlines--you call the shots. A Diva always asks "When do you need it by?" and then smoothly renegotiates the date to something realistic and attainable, factoring in all the niggly details like bathroom breaks, lunch, and a life. 6) Life--a Diva has one and it is full, rewarding, and not necessarily confined to geekdom. A Diva's work IS her play, but it is not her only diversion or pleasure. This approach to life sometimes mystifies her friends, family and coworkers, but a Diva does not have enough hours in the day to worry about that. 7) Mentor--A Diva's DNA is coded to recognize excellent mentors when they are put in her path. She instinctively and intellectually knows when to shut up and learn. Alternately, it behooves her to BE a mentor and an example to young-divas-in-training. She does this with the same joie de vivre and panache that she does everything else. And so, Debra D, if you pass all 7 Rules of Divadom you may use the name. Of course, the initiation rites may not be your cup of tea...
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