2008-12-22T18:25:43+00:00 5 full-on days. 8 hands-on workshops. 23 kick ass speakers. 26 must see presentations. Truckloads of design, development, user experience, web standards, content, community, innovation and inspiration. 2009-02-20T00:00:00+00:00 http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/ 17 Wellington, NZ 2009-02-16T00:00:00+00:00 2009-02-17T04:07:39+00:00 4.16 2009-01-02T21:45:39+00:00 17 45 Over a full day you will build detailed websites layouts from the ground up - starting with page layout, navigation and form design; and ending with clean markup and elegant styling using XHTML/CSS. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/workshops.php#russws 2009-01-02T21:45:39+00:00 2009-02-16T09:00:00+00:00 3.92 2009-01-02T21:48:30+00:00 17 46 The web's greatest gift is that it gives everyone a voice. But how you design and manage community features will determine if you get a chorus or a cacophony. Creating and sustaining community online is a delicate balancing act of interactive and visual design, social psychology, and practical moderation techniques. Join the husband and wife team of Derek Powazek (author of Design for Community, creator of Fray, consultant to HP Labs' MagCloud) and Heather Powazek Champ (Flickr Director of Community, creator of The Mirror Project) for a holistic look into the design and management of collaborative online environments of all shapes and sizes. In this day-long workshop, we'll cover the visual design of community tools, how interaction design influences participation, moderation techniques for managing community, the legal requirements for user-created content, and a look forward at the future of participative media. The workshop will include practical tips and tricks for how to create positive participation on your own site, and plenty of stories of success and failure to learn from. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/workshops.php#champws 2009-01-02T21:48:30+00:00 2009-02-16T09:00:00+00:00 2009-01-03T02:13:45+00:00 17 47 The best, most effective presentations capture the audience quickly, hold their interest effortlessly, educate and entertain them in equal measure, and sometimes even inspire them. This day-long tutorial explores simple and effective techniques for achieving those goals in any kind of presentation. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/workshops.php#damianws 2009-01-03T02:13:45+00:00 2009-02-16T09:00:00+00:00 2008-12-22T18:26:44+00:00 17 39 Agile methodologies have been all the rage in development circles in the last couple years, and they've yielded great results since being applied to the rest of the project cycle as well. However, Agile can yield frustration for designers, product managers, and others concerned with how the process and its tight timelines seem to starve a user-centric design and research process. User Experience Strategist Jackson Wilkinson has been working on the front lines, helping shape the processes at his and other agencies to balance the needs of designers and developers alike, whilst keeping project managers (mostly) sane. He'll share tips, tricks, and methods to apply to your process to help you achieve that same balance. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/workshops.php#wilkinson 2009-02-17T04:10:34+00:00 2009-02-17T09:00:00+00:00 4.4 2009-02-16T08:08:05+00:00 17 152 Techniques for finding meaning in big messy datasets have existed for a long time. Unfortunately the books and classes usually don't involve enough code or examples that people find interesting. This workshop will focus on how you can get fun datasets from social networks, blogs, dating sites, review sites and other user-contributed content , explain techniques you might try to analyze them, and finally give you real code to actually implement the techniques. There will also be chocolate. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/workshops.php#tobyws 2009-02-16T08:08:05+00:00 2009-02-17T09:00:00+00:00 2009-02-16T08:10:11+00:00 17 153 In this full day workshop, Cameron Adams will share his love of playful code and explore the latest developments in the field of JavaScript and interface design. Bring your own laptop and at the end of it all you’ll be playing with JavaScript like a master as well! http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/workshops.php#cameronws 2009-02-16T08:10:11+00:00 2009-02-17T09:00:00+00:00 2009-02-11T15:36:57+00:00 17 144 Your reputation -- and the reputation of your agency or company -- depends on bulletproof, functionally elegant web apps that will work now and in the future. Using your application shouldn’t frustrate users; their experience, regardless of who they are, should be effortless. Want a truly usable, accessible web app? Learn from a world-class teacher how to harness Ajax, break out of your usual development routines, and build intelligently, using the technologies you really need. We won’t just be covering the basics or theoretical situations. We’ll be examining original research conducted by Derek’s company and real-life test cases. You’ll see assistive technologies and prototypes of new techniques in action. During this intensive workshop we’ll even put a selection of existing web apps through their paces -- zeroing in on how well they meet the needs of people with a variety of disabilities. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/workshops.php#derekws 2009-02-11T15:36:57+00:00 2009-02-18T09:00:00+00:00 4.6 2009-02-16T08:12:27+00:00 17 154 Are you building a social web application or adding social features to an existing application but aren't sure where to start? Are you unsure of how to define and implement a social design strategy? In this workshop, Joshua Porter will show you how to identify your social design strategy and then translate that directly into screen design. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/workshops.php#porter 2009-02-16T08:12:27+00:00 2009-02-18T09:00:00+00:00 4.5 2009-02-16T08:15:35+00:00 17 155 In this workshop, we're going to explore the problem of people. Your company is full of them. They're in meetings cluttering your agenda with their confusing and colorful personalities. They're wandering your hallways with their endless list of questions. They're sitting in your office and they're not happy; they're angry and it's your job to help. The role of a manager and of leader to is manage these humans. In this half day workshop, we're going to dissect and analyze the worst meeting you've attended. We're going to talk about strategies for managing the hallway. We're going to take a close look at conflict and discuss not how to avoid it, but rather how to surf it. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/workshops.php#loppws 2009-02-16T08:15:35+00:00 2009-02-18T09:00:00+00:00 2009-02-18T23:09:09+00:00 17 177 Russell Brown surveys the offerings of publishers large and small, looks at the trends (is this the year that TV really arrives on the internet?) and asks where the money is. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#brown 2009-02-18T23:09:09+00:00 2009-02-18T22:00:01+00:00 2009-02-10T13:39:03+00:00 17 102 Why doesn't the real world work more like a game? In the best-designed games, our human experience is perfectly optimized: we have important work to do, we're surrounded by potential allies, we get constant useful feedback, and we feel an insatiable curiosity about the world around us. That's no accident -- game developers have spent three decades figuring out how to make us happier, drive more collaboration, and satisfy our hunger for meaning and success. Isn't it about time we started applying these insights to everything we do online? In this talk, game designer Jane McGonigal explains how to adopt game developer methods and mechanics to transform any networked community, service, experience or environment -- in order to re-invent the real world as we know it. At the end of the talk, you'll be launched in a 48-hour online game to help you imagine the possibilities of re-inventing one of the most important environments in our networked future: Space. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#mcgonigal 2009-02-10T13:39:03+00:00 2009-02-19T09:05:00+00:00 4.9 2009-02-10T13:42:51+00:00 17 103 In only forty minutes you will learn to fail and to love it. Join a master of failure on a whirlwind tour of science, computing, and business failures, and discover the secret weapon that is the strategic failure. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#torkington 2009-02-10T13:42:51+00:00 2009-02-19T09:50:00+00:00 2009-02-10T13:45:00+00:00 17 104 The Wisdom of Crowds is an economic principle (Google "James Surowiecki") that proves groups can be wise when acting in concert. So why are the comments on your site so stupid? In this talk, Derek will explore how this principle can be applied to online communities to make us all more wise (or at least less dumb). http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#powazek 2009-02-10T13:45:00+00:00 2009-02-19T11:00:00+00:00 2.18 2009-02-10T13:48:03+00:00 17 105 Exploring some of the technologies and techniques of participation, curation and distributed publishing, and setting out a framework for media organisations needing to create and maintain editorial propositions and products which are truly OF the web, not just ON it. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#pickard 2009-02-10T13:48:03+00:00 2009-02-19T11:45:00+00:00 4.05 2009-02-10T13:51:00+00:00 17 106 The A in AJAX stands for Asynchronous. But asynchronous is not just for the clientside. Any non-trivial webserver can benefit from being able to do two things at once in the service of the user. Find out how to perform reliable background processing, reduce page render latency and scale your application's load over a cluster of servers using message queues. This talk will be illustrated with real examples from dopplr.com, but will be generally applicable to any web developer. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#biddulph 2009-02-10T13:51:00+00:00 2009-02-19T11:45:00+00:00 2009-02-10T13:53:43+00:00 17 107 The Royal Observatory is one of the most important historic scientific sites in the world; home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line. This talk will outline how digital media and the availability of huge quantities of data are creating new opportunities for the public's participation in astronomy. In particular, Fiona will talk about the Royal Observatory's mobile guide to the night sky, Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, and a new programme of citizen science. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#romeo 2009-02-10T13:53:43+00:00 2009-02-19T11:45:00+00:00 2009-02-18T22:16:26+00:00 17 170 The greatest social network that there ever was is the web itself. But how do you take advantage of that? How do you make it easier for people to join your site, bring their friends and profiles with them, to quickly get to the meat of your service? How can you better leverage existing technologies to facilitate the creation of new accounts, lower costs, increase engagement and get back to focusing on your core service? This talk is designed to be an overview of the "Open Stack" for developers and technical managers tasked with building services for the social web, with an emphasis on the use and application of free, open building blocks for enabling social networking features on your site or service. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#recordon 2009-02-18T22:16:26+00:00 2009-02-19T13:25:01+00:00 2009-02-18T22:17:27+00:00 17 171 Programming has long been the domain of logic and order, but with the ubiquity of programming languages in our lives and the growth in tools to help you code, there has come a newfound ability for self-expression and creativity through code. Cameron will be exploring the creative aspects of coding and how it relates to design and art. With a focus on visual and interactive design, Cameron will look at the many ways in which you can stay creative with code of all sorts — JavaScript, Processing (Java), HTML, CSS, ActionScript, even BASIC — and put the fun back into the technologies you work with everyday. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#adams 2009-02-18T22:17:27+00:00 2009-02-19T13:25:01+00:00 4.55 2009-02-18T22:20:05+00:00 17 172 Most modern websites still place a large burden on the server, constantly sending it requests and asking it to do heavy computations. In the brave new world, the client is king and the server is its faithful shadow. In this talk, we'll look at how cutting-edge technology like Gears, HTML5, and Google App Engine can be used to create websites where the caching, storage, and computing is done primarily in the browser/desktop and the server is used merely as a backup store. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#fox 2009-02-18T22:20:05+00:00 2009-02-19T13:25:01+00:00 2009-02-18T22:22:00+00:00 17 173 Adrian takes you behind the scenes of his site EveryBlock.com, an experiment in microlocal news. Along the way, he'll talk about open government data, mashup best practices and the philosophy of journalism via computer programming. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#holovaty 2009-02-18T22:22:00+00:00 2009-02-19T14:05:01+00:00 3.95 2009-02-18T22:23:26+00:00 17 174 Heather Champ played a large role in the success of the photo-sharing website, Flickr. Heather oversees member activity for the community of over 30 million members. It's pretty safe to say that she's seen everything that can be done, good or bad, in an online community. Come hear about Heather's experience and get advice for building your own community websites, large or small. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#champ 2009-02-18T22:23:26+00:00 2009-02-19T14:55:01+00:00 4.5 2009-02-18T22:25:05+00:00 17 175 Sprinkled amongst both Generation X and Generation Y is a curious, new population. The Nerd. The Geek. A group which has spent the last two decades moving amongst the dark technological fringe is now a mainstream demographic. In this presentation, I will explore the traits of the geek. How is that we're able to rampantly consume information? How many people do we really know? Why is it that we must solve puzzles? How is it that we're so good at context switching, but so bad at relating to people? And is all this nerdery going to help or hinder my career? http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#lopp 2009-02-27T19:13:54+00:00 2009-02-19T16:05:01+00:00 4.73 2009-02-18T22:26:37+00:00 17 176 From the value of contribution to the challenges of feeling a virtual audience, Ze will share notes, practical advice and war stories. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#zefrank 2009-02-18T22:26:37+00:00 2009-02-19T16:50:01+00:00 4.71 2009-02-11T15:35:03+00:00 17 143 Though originally described as "Derek will perform a showstopper from Puccini's Madame Butterfly," this was definitely not the topic. This talk is about using technology to enhance the user experience for people with disabilities using the web -- it is about providing more than just something that is passable, but providing something that is truly a pleasure to use. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#featherstone 2009-03-07T03:02:29+00:00 2009-02-20T09:50:00+00:00 2009-02-18T23:13:15+00:00 17 178 Just two decades ago, the Web and public internet were the stuff of science fiction. Creators like William Gibson, who coined the term "cyberspace" in his novel Neuromancer, helped define the terms of social life online, as well as inspiring many of the inventions (like smartphones) that we take for granted. But what is today's science fiction telling us about where our technology will go tomorrow? I'll talk about the stories today's scifi creators are telling about the Web and internet, and how their ideas create a fantastical map of what people are seeking in their online lives. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#newitz 2009-02-18T23:13:15+00:00 2009-02-20T11:00:00+00:00 2009-02-18T23:15:18+00:00 17 179 If you have or are building a web application of any kind, chances are you also have a sign-up flow that users have to slog through in order to use your service. In this talk Joshua Porter will share best practices for designing sign-up screens that you can immediately incorporate into your designs. Josh will cover several ways to improve your sign-up process, from focusing on the psychology of sign-up to how to structure the process, to even ways of getting rid of sign-up altogether. You'll come away thinking about the way people gain access to your application in a brand new light, more confident that you can design a solution that makes it easier, not harder to love your software. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#porter 2009-02-18T23:15:18+00:00 2009-02-20T11:45:00+00:00 2009-02-18T23:17:19+00:00 17 180 Ever since there was a web, people have been talking about the "semantic web", which is always just around the corner. Even though this hasn't exactly gone to plan, people working on the ideas behind semantic data modeling have actually come up with a lot of cool stuff. Modern web development is very concerned with rapid iteration, which has led to the increasing popularity of lightweight frameworks built on dynamic languages such as Rails, Pylons and Django. However, most of us are still stuck using traditional data-modeling methods like relational databases which aren't designed for constant schema changes. Further, because people don't think about "standard" ways to share data, there are thousands of different web APIs, all of which have to be dealt with separately. In this talk Toby will explain what "semantic data" is, how entities and data can be modeled using graphs, and show examples of modeling, integrating, and extending data models for large datasets. You'll lean how the semantic models support rapid and iterative application development, and easy integration of existing databases. Toby will introduce fast scalable back-ends for storing and querying semantic data and show examples of semantic data already available on the web. He'll also briefly discuss how these approaches lead into the standards-based Semantic Web, and how attendees can find short-term value in adopting some of the Semantic Web standards and platforms. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#segaran 2009-02-18T23:17:19+00:00 2009-02-20T11:45:00+00:00 2009-02-18T23:20:42+00:00 17 181 In July 1995 the genocide in Srebrenica has been committed in three days by serbian military led by general Ratko Mladic while the Dutch UN troops looked the other way. As an activist, a Woman in Black, I knew it immediately. Only ten years later however, in 2005, when a tape came out in the trial of Slobodan Milosevic in the International Tribunal for War Crimes in Hague, the whole world became aware of what went on in those few days. The tape was shot by the paramilitary group ( from Serbia proper), called the Scorpions while they were executing the six bosnian civilians, mostly underage, during those days of genocide. Serbia living in denial had to face the reality: the six Scorpions were arrested and the trial was held in Belgrade. I had the "privilege" of attending the trial of war crimes in my own language, in my mother language around the corner of my house. At first I went there as a member of the pacifist feminist Women in Black group, to support the mothers from Srebrenica who came to Belgrade in order to testify in the court. But soon enough I started writing the chronicles which turned to be something like a Shakespearean tragedy. All of us, sitting in a tiny courtroom for a year and a half: the mothers, the indicted Scorpions, the free Scorpions, the families of the accused scorpions and we Women in Black. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#tesanovic 2009-02-18T23:20:42+00:00 2009-02-20T11:45:00+00:00 2009-02-24T11:52:07+00:00 17 258 Bruce will talk about the concepts behind Web 2.0, what its pioneers expected to accomplish, how that played out in the real world, and what may happen on the web in the next two or three years. http://www.webstock.org.nz/09/programme/presentations.php#sterling 2009-02-24T11:52:07+00:00 2009-02-20T16:05:01+00:00 3.25