May 2009 Archives

Just a little more than two weeks to go until the Penn State Web 2009 Conference.  I can hardly wait!  Most of the details are set, registration is in full swing (have you registered yet?), and all is falling into place.  Not exactly as expected, but all is well.  We always have a few challenges and last minute changes.  It goes with the territory.

Registration closes on May 29...just over a week from today.  If you are thinking of attending and haven't registered yet, please go to http://webconference.psu.edu and ensure your place at this year's outstanding conference.

Don't forget about the workshops on June 9.  They offer a more in-depth glimpse into some topics of great interest to us as Penn State Web professionals.  A wide range of topics are available this year.  Tim Plumer, Jr. of Adobe will be back to show us how to best use Adobe Creative Suite 4 Premium.  Dan Frommelt will give an advanced primer on CSS.  Mark Greenfield will host a world-wide social media summit, and Steve Lewis will be back to help us optimize our negotiation skills as a Web professional.  Our Penn State gurus will provide workshops on OWL and the Semantic Web (Brian Panulla), leveraging the Penn State digital identity to secure your Web application (Jeremy Hill), creating effective Web tutorials with screen capturing software (Nikki Massaro Kauffman and Bonnie Imler), and a free birds-of-a-feather summit (Christian Vinten-Johansen).  At least one workshop is already full, so don't miss your chance to participate!

This promises to be an exciting year at the Web Conference.  If you have attended in the past, be sure to check out the two day agenda at http://webconference.psu.edu and register today.  If you have never been to the conference, please also look at the agenda and discover the value our dedicated Web professionals will bring to you at the conference.

We have the most amazing group of presenters, organizers, and support personnel who put on an awesome event.  Don't miss out on the fun!  Register today at http://webconference.psu.edu.

P.

Ah yes, the weather is getting nicer and I'm taking my annual swim...in details for the Penn State Web Conference.  When I first joined the committee, I was intrigued by the number of details that must be handled to put on such a large event.  Since taking over as conference chair, I'm immersed in them.  Lucky for me (and our attendees), the conference has the most dedicated and accomplished committee that I've ever seen.  These Web professionals really care about the conference and take pride and ownership in how it turns out...and it shows.  I am both humbled and extremely grateful to work with such a gifted (and fun-loving) group!

As a group, we are extraordinarily indebted to our presenters.  When we put out the call for proposals each year, we never know what we are going to get.  This year, we were again gratified by the outstanding quality and the breadth of topics that were proposed for the conference.  If you view the conference agenda (http://webconference.psu.edu/program/), you will get some idea of the amazing things going on in the world of Web development at Penn State, as well as other higher education institutions.  And, you should see what didn't make it into the agenda.  Amazing, amazing stuff!

I'll give you just a small taste of the sessions that will be presented:

Augmented Reality: Merging the Virtual World into Ours
What's New in Web and Mobile Search?
Actionable Web Analytics for Higher Education
Getting Started with AJAX
Streamlining Publications: Unifying Print and Web Production
Wayfinding the Semantic Web
Design for Non-Designers

I could go on (and on), but hopefully you get the idea.  In all, 24 breakout sessions will make up the day on Monday, June 8.  A full day of workshops will take place on June 9 as well.

So, we are spending these last few weeks immersed in the final details for the conference.  Come June 8, it will all be worth the effort!

If I've piqued your interest, registration is now open (http://webconference.psu.edu/)  All Penn State faculty and staff are invited to attend.  Prepare to be impressed!

P.