Developers. You can’t live with them, you can’t live without them. What would life be without this particular developer/blogger/author/…? We can’t imagine.

Although Mr. Jonathan Snook doesn’t like to brag (which makes interviewing him a little like playing a game of cat and mouse) you’ve probably already heard about his work. So, how do you go from mild-mannered web developer to one of the most popular and respected web developers on the tubes — the man we call Mr. Snook?

Ivan Brezak Brkan (IBB): When people mention you, they are basically talking about some kind of javascript/CSS/PHP deity. Who are you, really?

Jonathan Snook (JS): I suppose I just consider myself an average computer geek. I get to sit at a desk, type in a few lines of text and see stuff happen. I’m really quite humble about it. I certainly don’t consider myself a rockstar programmer. On the flip side, I know I come to the table with a rare mix of skills that gives me an advantage. Having the varied skill set that I do allows me to understand what the client wants, what the user needs, while also keeping in mind the possible limitations at the same time.

IBB: What made you go freelance and did you ever regret that decision? The good, the bad, the ugly?

JS: I went freelance because I saw the potential to have more control over the process, be able to work on my own projects, and make mad money along the way. Well, two out of three ain’t bad!

I’ve been thrilled with the amount of involvement and the amount of freedom that clients offer me when I work with them. They respect my opinions and have been an absolute pleasure to work with. I really have been lucky to have cool clients from around the world.

I had originally planned to get a couple personal projects launched but I quickly got swamped with client work and nothing got done. This was the most disappointing setback after my first year of freelance. Last year, my second year as a freelancer, I resolved to get some stuff out the door and I did: WithCake, Snitter, and Overheard.it were (and are) fun little projects. Problem was, none of these were what I had originally set out to release. This year, I plan to finally get the projects I wanted done completed. It takes discipline — something that I don’t always have.

As for making mad money, well, that’s been the toughest part. In part because of some early mistakes, despite having lots of work, I just wasn’t billing as much as I should have been. That’s been a hard lesson to learn. Luckily, things have worked out OK and I’m still able to continue freelancing into a 3rd year. That’s something that I didn’t really plan when I started — not because I thought I’d fail but because I didn’t have a long term plan, I just went out and did it.

IBB: How has being a freelancer impacted your family? Is it hard for you to separate your crime figh… I mean great code enforcing career with that of a good family man?

JS: I’ve worked hard to make sure it doesn’t impact the kids. I’m there when they wake up and help them get off to school or daycare. At night, I pick them up, we do dinner, and then put them to bed. My wife, on the other hand, has often gotten the short end of the stick but she’s been incredibly understanding and very supportive of what I’ve been trying to accomplish. It’s a balance and I’m still working on finding the right formula.

IBB: A little birdy told us you were flirting with full-time job opportunities. Whatever made you even consider leaving the “rockstar” freelance lifestyle?

JS: Having a stable pay-check is enticing. Working from home by myself also drives me a little crazy from time to time. Maybe I need that interaction that can only happen from working in an office environment? I’m still trying to understand what it is that I want from a career. Who knows if I’ll ever figure it out but at least I can have fun doing something I enjoy along the way.

Despite my waffling, I’m sticking with the freelance life for now and likely will for at least another year.

IBB: Seems you can be found both in the North and East speaking about the ins and outs of the Web. Do you consider yourself a good speaker and what do you say to those who have the audacity to call you a great speaker? Do you think the speaking gigs have helped your freelance career?

JS: It’s been hard for me to come to any decent conclusions as to whether I’m a good speaker or not. The feedback I’ve gotten has been mostly positive, so in that regards, I’ve been really pleased. The worst feedback I’ve ever gotten has always been about the material and not necessarily about how I’ve presented it.

I do know that I have plenty of room to improve. It’s the same with everything else. I don’t think there’s ever ‘perfection’ but I’ll continue learning as if there was.

Has speaking helped my business? I’m working with people I first met at a conference so I’d have to say ‘Yes’. Nobody has specifically said, “we’re working with you because you spoke at the conference.” I think it comes down to visibility. Some people cold call, some people go door-to-door. I don’t do that. I go hang out where my peers are and get to share what I know. It’s my advertising and worth every penny.

IBB: The Sidebar Creative. We don’t hear much about what happens in the columns of The Sidebar. Why did you guys start it and how is it working with Steve, Bryan and Dan (Mr. Smith, Mr. Veloso and Mr. Rubin for all the groupies)?. It’s obvious you guys have web 2.0 sex appeal. Are we ever going to see you starting a band or at least a podcast?

JS: For some reason, we haven’t mentioned the Sidebar projects all that much. We do have a bunch of stuff that we’ve done and plenty more in the works. 2008 will be the year we’ll create more visibility for ourselves.

A podcast is definitely something we want to do. Like everything else, we just have to find time to fit it all in.

IBB: You’ve written and are continuing to write very nice books on the topics of web design and development. Are you happy with their success and what can we expect in the future from the pen of Mr. Snook?

JS: It’s a great feeling just walking into a book store and seeing my book on the shelf. It’s also been nice to see the books do well. You never want to see something you do get panned and I really felt that I was sticking my neck out with these. Thankfully, they’ve both been well received.

I have no plans to write another entire book (or even the majority of one). It’s a demanding amount of work and when I’m trying to focus on client work, it’s just too much. I’m not against doing a chapter or two on a multi-author book, though.

IBB: What would you say to people who say “bollocks” when they hear someone mention web standards. Is it hard being a web standard conscious freelancer? Do the clients come to you because of it or do you have to sell them on the idea?

JS: Many of my clients come to me because of my visibility in the “web standards” community but some clients don’t know or care. They just want something that works. In those cases, it’s not a selling point. It’s just how I do my business. Most clients really don’t care about how it gets built. I certainly don’t buy my car but ask the retailer about standards. I just ask if it works and if it doesn’t, I go back to them.

There are plenty of web standards zealots but for me, it’s just a tool. It’s a way of getting something done that comes with a number of benefits. If somebody comes up with a better way then I’ll switch to it in a heartbeat.

IBB: Developers often say they make awful business people. Although we don’t agree with that, what would you say to them? Does knowing all that CSS and javascript somehow act as kryptonite to the business side of things? Or does the mindset of a developer (if we can call it that) actually boost sales in the long run?

JS: If people say that, I might be apt to believe them. I’m terrible at business, in the sense that I don’t take care of receipts, invoicing, and taxes as well as I should. I’ve lost money by not being diligent. But being small means that the problem hasn’t been magnified.

This is another one of my major goals for this year: get organized. I’m hoping to take a tip from Tim Ferriss (of the “Four hour work week”) and start contracting out as much of the stuff I don’t like, such as the financial stuff, to focus on what I do like: developing.

IBB: What can we expect from you that we haven’t read on your blog or found out via Twitter? Sorry for the stalking.

JS: The Sidebar Creative crew and I have a few things in the works but I’m holding off on mentioning anything until things get fleshed out further. In fact, most of the stuff in Sidebar hasn’t been heavily promoted (like My Mile Marker). We keep trying to do soft-launches and then see it spread like wildfire. We can’t complain about that!

Personally speaking, it all depends on what inspires me in any given week. I certainly didn’t expect to build Snitter but I’m glad I did.

IBB: Would you rather know PHP and MySQL or CSS and Javascript?

JS: Do I have to make a choice? Right now, I’m becoming more well known for my CSS and JavaScript. I have a book out on each and when people introduce me to others, they mention JavaScript the most. Traditionally, I’ve sold myself as the jack-of-all-trades having developed projects using such a variety of technologies and even design. These days, it’s just easier to focus on a few.

IBB: What would you advise a freelance developer who’s just starting up both in terms of development skills and business know-how?

JS: I highly recommend that a person have some experience working for others before they make the jump to working for themselves. There will be less of an uphill battle because more will have been learned while somebody else is footing the bill. It’s important to understand how to work with clients, handle the pre- and post-development phases of a project, and how much to charge. Most of this stuff is not directly related to the actual development process.

On the dev side, with experience comes knowledge. Having the theoretical foundation will only get you so far. Knowing how things behave in unusual situations only comes from experience and makes you a better developer and allows you to provide greater value in the long run.