May WSG Meeting: José Manuel Alonso and Richard Ishida

After attracting over 100 people at last month’s WSG meeting, we’re looking to break new records with our next event, which is jointly hosted by the WSG and the crew from Web Directions.

Our huge double-header for May will feature Richard Ishida (who spoke a couple of years ago at a Melbourne WSG meeting and attracted a huge crowd back then) and José Manuel Alonso, who is the eGovernment Lead for the W3C.

We’re moving to a new location to accommodate the expected influx of eager attendees (Web Directions UX is on during the day, so we’re hoping a large number of conference attendees will come along). Our new venue is The Order Of Melbourne, a large bar in Swanston Street in the CBD that will be able to fit us all comfortably.

RSVP at the WSG site to guarantee yourself a spot. It’s going to be huge!

posted: 03.05. 2008, 16:46 Comment (0)

April WSG Meeting: Gerry Gaffney and John Allsopp

Next month’s Web Standards Group meeting is looking set to break all attendance records. With just under a week to go before the event, 82 people have already registered to attend — more than when international superstars like Jeremy Keith or Molly Holzschlag spoke.

Our terrific venue, Loop bar have upgraded us from the cozy back room to the main bar, in order to accommodate so many people.

Part of the reason this event is that Gerry Gaffney and John Allsopp are both recognised experts in their field and compelling speakers. But another factor that may be attracting so many people is the excellent door prizes we are giving away. Here’s a rundown of what you could win on the night:

• A ticket to the upcoming Web Directions UX conference, worth $595
• A copy of SitePoint’s The Usability Kit, worth $197
• A copy of the new SitePoint book, The Principles of Project Management
• A copy of John Allsopp’s book, Microformats: Empowering Your Markup For Web 2.0

So if you work on the Web and aren’t doing anything next Wednesday, get to Loop bar, grab yourself a beer, enjoy the talks, network with your peers, and just maybe win a very cool prize.

Please RSVP for catering purposes.

posted: 18.04. 2008, 20:27 Comment (0)

Desktop 236: Professional Associations for the Web

This is a little belated, but anyway. The article I wrote for the latest issue of Desktop Magazine is about the state of professional associations for web workers in Australia.

In the past twelve months there have emerged not one, but two organisations claiming to represent Australia’s web industry: WIPA (pronounced “whipper”) and AWIA. Both organisations charge an annual fee and offer similar benefits, but it depends largely upon where in the country you are located as to which organisation you might find most beneficial.

I felt like I was in a unique position to write this article, having watched both organisations grow, and knowing key people behind both organisations, both professionally and as friends. It’s sparked a bit of discussion over the exact chain of events, but I hope that the essence of the article encourages people to go out and join and get involved themselves.

Read the full article online.

posted: 29.02. 2008, 17:31 Comment (0)