What is a Website to me?

Although most of my work revolves around website development, I hold a degree in International Marketing. To me, website is a marketing and branding tool for companies and like any other tools, you need to know how to use it effectively. However, website marketing is very broad. There are content marketing, SEO marketing, social media marketing, PCC marketing, etc. With AI, some of these marketing activities can be done automatically, and this is what that interests me when you use website as marketing tool. Besides than being a marketing tool, Website can also be a system by itself for tech companies who run SaaS and such. This gap in between website marketing and website system is where my interest lies.

Background

I’m a Singaporean and my favourite food are pizza and cakes. I like pizza so much that I used to work in a pizza outlet. Despite them being my favourite, I don’t always eat them. In fact, I rarely even do because I am also a nutrition enthusiasts. I believe that having balanced diet is important.

Why ‘Knowhalim’?

‘Knowhalim’ is the chosen name to help people get to know me better. Due to the mispronunciation of Noorhalim as Noohalim, ‘Knowhalim’ was created as an alternative. It serves as a connection between Noorhalim and others. The name also signifies the abundance of ideas that Noorhalim possesses, as represented by the lightbulb in the logo.

How I started Web Development

I started my journey in web development by building a simple blog using Blogger. The layout options fascinated me, so I decided to learn HTML. From there, I naturally progressed to learning CSS and other web languages. At the age of 17, I created my first official website with a domain. During breaks in my Polytechnic classes, I used my time to explore web programming and started learning PHP for server-side scripting. I was amazed by the power of PHP and used it to create my website instead of relying solely on HTML/CSS. Later that year, I discovered content management systems like Joomla, Drupal, and WordPress. Among them, WordPress was the easiest to use, and since it was built using PHP, I saw how all the website languages complemented each other – HTML, PHP, JavaScript, CSS, and MySQL. These languages became the foundation for most web development.

Frontend or Backend?

I consider myself both backend and frontend developer. However, with WordPress there is little room to practice backend programming. If compares to a system manager who manages the server, I am more of frontend developer. So in order to showcase some of my backend skills, I developed WordPress plugins, custom CMS and API.

Summary

I am Singaporean who loves pizza and cakes. Used to work in a pizza outlet but rarely eats them due to being a nutrition enthusiast. I started web development at 17, using HTML, CSS, PHP and server-side scripting. Discovered content management systems like Joomla, Drupal and WordPress. I considers myself both backend and frontend developer. I developed WordPress plugins, custom CMS and API to showcase backend skills.