Don't Call Me a Webmaster! Job Titles Gone Askew

Bob Weinstein is a journalist who covers technology, project management, the workplace and career development.

 

Brian Schultz is mystified. For some unexplainable reason, management gave him the inappropriate job title of "Corporate Webmaster" at University Hospital in Cleveland . It's not that "Webmaster" is a demeaning title, but in Schultz's case it's inaccurate, hardly explaining the tangled complexities of his job.

In prior jobs, Schultz was an IT consultant employed by small and mid-size companies. But no one prepared him for the difficulties of his next job. The pressure skyrocketed when he realized the complexities of managing diverse teams along with intricate reporting relationships. It proves that once straightforward jobs have evolved into dynamic PM positions encompassing new responsibilities.

In technology industries, especially, there is a lexicon of job titles that have gone the way of all flesh. They're part of a primordial age where they once had meaning. "Webmaster" has survived the test of time largely because of its importance.

Traditionally, webmasters have the following responsibilities, according to Web dictionary Webopedia: "Making sure the Web server hardware and software is running properly; designing Web sites; creating and updating Web pages; replying to user feedback; creating the CGI scripts and monitoring traffic through the site."

The webmaster's job no longer centers on techie functions. It even extends way beyond corporate …

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