Chris Coyier on CodePen – Join the Conversation!
There are so many developer tools for various different languages, technologies, and platforms, but CodePen is one of the most pervasive tools in a developer’s toolkit. It only makes sense for us to dig a little deeper into CodePen with Co-Founder Chris Coyier in our upcoming webinar. See how you can make the most of using such a powerful tool and ask Chris your very own questions. Register now!
What is CodePen?
CodePen is self-described as a “playground for the front-end web”. You can use CodePen for all sorts of things. It’s a place where front-end developers can share their problematic code for advice, build or share interesting and fancy code examples, try out new CSS or JavaScript techniques, and more. The ease and ability to share your projects in CodePen is what makes it incredibly useful as a troubleshooting and collaboration tool. We even use CodePen to demonstrate our article code examples! Check out some other popular pens to get an idea of what people are using the platform for.
Chat with CodePen expert, Chris Coyier
Chris Coyier is a co-founder of CodePen, the creator of CSS-Tricks, and is a co-host at ShopTalk Show. Chris has worked with design, front-end development, social media, and has written countless articles and posts on CSS and other web development topics. It’s easy to see why we are so excited to have him with us in our upcoming webinar to chat about CodePen and work through your questions! Firstly, we asked Chris a few questions ourselves.
- Q: How would you describe what you do?
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Chris: I answer emails. I write copy. I write CSS. I think about what it’s like to use CodePen. I try to encourage people to do good work and be positive. I see what’s up on social media. I try and stay on top of the web development world.
- Q: What was the story behind CodePen? (How and why did you start it, your source of inspiration and that lightbulb moment?)
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Chris: For the super interested, we have a podcast called CodePen Radio, and the very first episode is called The Big Idea that goes into that. The short story is that we thought we could make a better version of what’s out there, make it more of a social place, and improve from there.
- Who should be using CodePen, and where can it best be applied in a project?
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Chris: There are lots of reasons to use CodePen. There are some people who use it for projects. A common thing we hear is that people prototype in it, talk about the prototype with their team and clients, and then move it into the project once it’s settled. Some people use it for testing. Maybe they have a bug they are trying to figure out or a cross-browser issue they are trying to isolate. Some people use it more like a portfolio of their work and ideas.
- What has been a thing that CodePen solved that you didn’t expect?
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Chris: One of my favorite things is when people meet each other and do something awesome together after meeting through CodePen. I met a couple (intentionally anonymous) who got engaged after meeting on CodePen. We’ve had groups of freelancers form on CodePen. We’ve had lots of people land jobs after being found on CodePen. That kinda stuff blows my mind.
Join the Conversation
We want to make sure we’re helping you on your path to becoming better web developers. For that reason, we have been holding many live conversations with experts in a variety of web development and design specialties — and giving you a chance to join in!
This week, Chris Coyier will be joining us with tips to maximize your CodePen experience, and is ready to tackle your questions on September 28th at 3:00pm PST. Register now to take part in the live event and ask Chris your CodePen questions.
