Categories: conferences | web 2.0 | webofchange
Now that the 30 Days of Sustainability is (are?) over, it's time to step up my work on the upcoming Web of Change conference site. Whoo hoo! I can't wait to get it going.
It's been a fascinating process already. We're building a Drupal site, and so the functionality possibilities are immense. However, the brilliant Phillip Smith and I have together been drilling down to what the users of this site will actually NEED.
It's a delicate balancing act. On one hand, I feel like we should be on the front end of what is possible, as a social change technology conference and as something of a network hub in that movement, and so the temptation exists to go all gung-ho and integrate all kinds of community functionality. Let us build it, because we can! Social software fun for everyone! However, the other reality is that we are a conference site, and our main objective is to get people excited about the most lovely conference on the circuit, and to want to register. Also, realistically, many of our attendees are more about the social change side than the social software side, and aren't actually interested in too much Web 2.0 schtuff. I mean, there's a few of us that'll be trying to get them to drink the Kool-Aid and all, but still.
One question that Phillip and I were contemplating was whether to have the blog on the main page, or have it as a link to a separate page. I think I'm voting for main page, but below the fold. Thoughts?
In any event, today I gathered up a bunch of conference websites for comparison purposes. I thought it would make for some interesting linking and commentating...
Mesh (Toronto) - Not a bad site, but some poor copy writing in parts. I'd like to attend, actually - definitely overdue for a Toronto trip.
NetSquared Conference (San Jose) - Personally i find the conference page somewhat less than clear, though the main Netsquared page is certainly a piece of Drupal loveliness to behold. Anyone want to sponsor me to attend this one? I so need to be there.
NTen Technology Conference - This is so not a beautiful site. But they are so having a Yoga for Geeks session next year.
South by Southwest Interactive - cool, but pretty busy. I intend to be in attendance next year, incidentally. It's fairly torturous watching the Flickr photos of everyone else having a blast roll on in.
Webzine (shouts out to Eddie!) - Functional, urban, hip. Are you having one again this September?
O'Reilly Emerging Technology - Nothing here to make me gasp, or even really wish I had been there. Ours will be nicer. :)
Anyone else have links to other sites, interesting or otherwise? I'm especially interested in conference sites that are actually attractive AND easy to navigate.
All right, I've got some serious sore forearms and it's concerning me so I'm gonna shut her down and head to bed. Ciao...
another conference page link
Sat, 2006-04-01 05:12 — Anonymous (not verified)http://www.livingeconomies.org/events/conference06
Another purpose . . .
Tue, 2006-04-04 17:01 — Christopher (not verified)Another purpose of a conference website might be to keep participants linked. Especially after the conference, but also before as they check out who else is going to be there. Thus links to the blogs or profiles (etc) of other participants and either a web forum or a yahoo groups.
Also there is buzz building among people who have already signed up - getting them invested in the message (or whatever) and ready to relate to that instead of their own individual adgenda. Or maybe the "message" or whatever you want to call whatever unifying theme there is comes not top-down but from advance discussion among participants.
an ongoing debate
Wed, 2006-04-05 01:52 — sarahfelicityEvery year at the conference we talk about how to keep the community feeling alive between events. And every year to date, the reality is the same: these are busy people with very full online lives already, and most of them don't necessarily want another place they have to go online.
That said, we certainly want to foster discussion and community.
Some of the stuff you suggested will be contained on a participant wiki prior to the event. As well, because we are building a Drupal site, it will be possible to add on any cool community features we decide we need later. In the meantime, we just need the info up...
Thanks for commenting!