We've got an amazing line-up for you this year. It's two full days across two tracks, so that's two times as much content as last year! We've also got four full day in depth workshops so you can really get stuck in to the topic of your choice.
Track 01:
Conference Day 01 ~ 04 October, 2010
Track 02:
Conference Day 01 ~ 04 October, 2010
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Track 01:
09.00 - 09.40
NOW is the time!
David Hauser - Grasshopper
There has never been a better or more exciting time to be in the web industry. In this session David will fire you up and get you ready to go out and change the world with your apps and ideas.
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Track 01:
09.45 - 10.25
Marketing your Web App
Mike McDerment - FreshBooks
Your app is live, now it's time to let the world know about your service. Mike McDerment successfully launched FreshBooks in 2004 and has grown the company to 40+ people and millions in revenue. He'll share his proven tactics for marketing web apps and offer simple ways of measuring your campaign's success.
Track 02:
09.45 - 10.25
HTML5: The Platform Apps Have Been Waiting For
Michael Mahemoff - Google
"Applications" have given way to "Apps" in recent years, and the distinction is a significant one. When we consider the things that make apps successful, we find an uncanny resemblance to the principles the web has always founded on - for example, fluid layout and sandboxed storage. Thanks to HTML5 and related enhancements, we now have a rich functionality built on these principles, making HTML5 truly capable as an App platform. This talk will identify the key technologies HTML5 brings, and explain how the concept of web apps is being formalised with initiatives like the Chrome Web Store, to be launched by Google later this year.
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Morning Break: 10.30 - 11.15
A chance to meet up with your friends and have a cup of coffee on the house!
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Track 01:
11.15 - 11.55
How to Write Stunning Applications with Less Code
Francisco Tolmasky - 280 north
Development frameworks have been in vogue for a number of years but with the uptake of devices like the iPhone and iPad many developers have been turning their hand to coding applications for platforms other than the web. In this presentation Francisco Tolmasky (the creator of Cappuccino, an open source framework that makes it easy to build desktop-caliber applications that run in a web browser) will show you how to produce an application that can be deployed to multiple platforms with minimal code.
Track 02:
11.15 - 11.55
The Real Time Web
Hilary Mason - bit.ly
This presentation will discuss the impact of real-time content streams on the ways that people share information online. We'll look at the different data analysis techniques and metrics that clarify content distribution in real-time social systems and discuss techniques for integrating them into your products.
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Track 01:
11.55 - 12.35
Leveraging Social
Sebastien de Halleux - Playfish
Track 02:
11.55 - 12.35
Proven Email Marketing Tactics
Mark DiCristina - MailChimp
Who says email marketing is dead? In this session MailChimp will guide you through the best practices of email marketing giving you proven real world advice to make your campaigns more effective, profitable and measurable.
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Track 01:
12.35 - 12.55
Mobile Payments: Paving the Final Frontier
Naveed Anwar - PayPal
Naveed Anwar, senior director of PayPal's Developer Network, will address the ways our society will deal with money and continue to evolve as we move towards a more digital lifestyle. The future of money will be shaped around consumers' increasing interaction with the Internet - specifically via mobile devices. Naveed will discuss how the rapid growth of mobile commerce will lead to a significant number of services available within "the cloud", all of which will be accessible via one's digital wallet. No longer will we need to carry bulky wallets filled with cash and credit cards around with us; our wallet will live in the cloud and we will be able to pay for goods via our primary mobile device (i.e. your mobile phone, iPad, etc.). At the end of the day, it's about giving citizens across the globe more direct control over their finances than they have ever had before.
Track 02:
12.35 - 12.55
The Dream and Reality of HTML5 Video
Bob Mason - Brightcove
On the PC Web, video has gained enormous momentum as a fundamental media type for all content, largely driven by the adoption of Flash video. However, the rapid emergence of HTML5 video and mobile video consumption recently has raised a deeper issue for organizations who are eager to have their content be accessible to end-users across all screens, platforms and devices. Without a proper video solution and strategy in place, this multi-format, fragmented, highly complex world can be a daunting one for businesses who are using video as a key marketing tool. This session will explore the state of HTML5 video on the desktop, on mobile devices and on connected TVs, as well as the solutions available to organizations to ensure their video content is accessible across all devices, browsers and platforms.
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Lunch: 12.55 - 14.25
Break for lunch on us. Networking, some time to catch up with each other, and a bit of a breather before the afternoon sessions start up!
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Track 01:
14.25 - 14.55
Connecting the Social Web with OStatus
Jon Phillips - Status.net
We don't think twice about calling a friend in London from another phone anywhere on the planet. Right now, you cannot make a status update in Twitter and have it automatically be received by another service like Facebook or Linked-In, without some magical API connection that is custom implemented by each service. This presentation discusses the OStatus standard - a protocol stack involving Salmon, Webfinger, ActivityStreams, and PubSubHubbub - that open source social messaging service StatusNet, the decentralized new kids on the block Diaspora, Google Buzz, Facebook and more are using now to build simple federated connectivity on the open web.
Track 02:
14.25 - 14.55
All That Glitters Is Not Gold
Eoghan McCabe & Des Traynor - Contrast
We in the web community are addicted to all things sexy and shiny. We lust for retweets and press coverage, followers and shout-outs. We're forever taking the easy and attractive path to try find the success we want for our web app businesses. But real success requires an approach which is not sexy: a meaningful approach. Contrast have taken the sexy approach and the meaningful approach with different ventures—and they're going to help you see the difference between the two.
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Track 01:
15.00 - 15.40
Building Scalable Architectures
Sandy Jen - Meebo
So your web app has got a little too big for the nice little dedicated server you started out with, what's next? This session will focus on giving you practical advice on scaling your web app to handle more request, run quicker and scale on demand. Web servers, caching, asset management and database solutions will be covered giving you practical take-away points to get started.
Track 02:
15.00 - 15.40
Going Out: Moving Beyond the Check-in
Josh Williams - Gowalla
In all the current talk about location, people tend to forget that the reason the current crop of GPS-enabled phones have spurred such exciting applications in their ability to foster the most human desire - sharing. Josh Williams, founder of Gowalla, one of the most popular mobile and web services, details why he and his team are looking beyond the simple (and soon to be ubiquitous) act of checking in, and more deeply at the contextual relationship between where people are and how they choose to communicate and express themselves. He will also share how Gowalla offers businesses, campaigns and organizations the unique opportunity to reward loyalty, reach new consumers, and to create memorable experiences.
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Afternoon Break & App Clinic: 15.40 - 16.45
Time for another break, and a much needed coffee.
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Track 01:
16.45 - 17.05
Learning to Love Humans: Emotional Interface Design
Aarron Walter - Mailchimp
Humans, though cute and cuddly, are not without their flaws, which makes designing for them a challenge. By understanding how the wet, mushy processor works in these hairy little devils, you can design interfaces and web experiences that will have them hopelessly devoted to your brand.
Track 02:
16.45 - 17.05
How To Get People To Pay For What’s Already Free
Eileen Burbidge & Linus Olsson - Flattr
This session will explore the evolution and future of crowdfunding which defies the theory that people don’t want to pay for content online – especially that which is already free, through examples such as Kickstarter, ChallengePost, Flatttr, Kachingle and PayPal donate.
Additionally, it will discuss what types of content forms people are actually paying for (even when they don’t have to), what is and derives value – and current examples which all content providers, especially traditional media companies, can learn from.
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Track 01:
17.10 - 17.50
HTML5 for Web Developers
Molly Holzschlag - Opera
HTML5 offers many reasons for web app developers to get excited. This session will look beyond the new markup elements and will instead focus on developer specific advancements including: Client Side Storage (Web SQL Database, App Cache, Web Storage), Communication (Web Sockets, Web Workers), Desktop experience (Notifications, Drag and Drop API), Geolocation.
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Goodbye & Announcements: 17.50 - 18.00
Time to wrap things up for the day...
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Party Time! 19.30 - LATE
It's time to let your hair down and party!
Track 01:
Conference Day 02 ~ 05 October, 2010
Track 02:
Conference Day 02 ~ 05 October, 2010
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Track 01:
09.00 - 09.40
Keynote
Jason Calacanis - Mahalo
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Track 01:
09.45 - 10.25
The Future of HTML5, SVG and CSS3
Brad Neuberg
In this session, Brad will walk you through the exciting features that are on the bleeding edge of HTML5, SVG and CSS3. He'll then discuss the future of these three tools and how you might be using them a year from now.
Track 02:
09.45 - 10.25
24 Hints to Build a Super Lean Startup
Dorian Selz - Memonic
You don't need millions of dollars to launch your startup. Get your hands on 24 startup-tested hints to run your startup in a lean and mean way. Dorian, currently at his third startup, shares simple and immediately applicable hints for bootstrapping any startup.
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Morning Break: 10.25 - 11.15
A chance to meet up with your friends and have a cup of coffee on the house!
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Track 01:
11.15 - 11.55
NoSQL - The Death of the Relational Database?
Nick Halstead - TweetMeme
An increasingly large number of large scale web apps have turned their back on the traditional relational database. Companies like Twitter, Digg and Facebook have brought NoSQL databases to the fore. Learn why it's time to rethink your data store and how to go get started with NoSQL in your own apps.
Track 02:
11.15 - 11.55
How To Use Social Media To Drive Your Business
Shaa Wasmund - Smarta
You don’t need to advertise great brands – they advertise themselves. But how are you going to get people shouting about your business? Shaa Wasmund is an entrepreneur, the founder behind Smarta.com and the PR and marketing brains who helped make Dyson a household brand in a world that previously deemed Hoover as synonymous for vacuum. In this session, you will learn how to create brand advocates, turn your customers into fans and foster strong relationships with the press. Shaa will discuss how to connect with the media through unconventional channels, harness the power of social networks, integrate all your press activity and generate measurable results for your business without breaking the bank. Even if you’ve Twitter followers in the thousands and your little black book already boasts a few good names, this talk will take you to the next level in media relations and focus on yielding tangible results.
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Track 01:
11.55 - 12.35
The 37signals way: A look into the design process of 37signals
Ryan Singer - 37 Signals
37signals, the creators of hosted application including Basecamp and Highrise, have made a name for themselves by doing things differently, from their approach to business to the way in which they design their applications. In this presentation Lead UI designer and product manager Ryan Singer will guide us through their design and development process giving us a unique insight into how 37signals create and improve their products.
Track 02:
11:55 - 12.35
The Business Case for Accessibility
Robin Christopherson - AbilityNet
Accessibility doesn't have to be an after thought. It's easy to bake it in from the outset and open up the potential of your app to the widest possible audience. In this presentation renowned accessibility expert Robin Christopherson will illustrate key ways to make your site accessible using real world examples of good and bad web sites.
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Track 01:
12.35 - 12.55
What do mobile network operators know about open source web apps?
Sanj Matharu & Wolfram Kriesing - Vodafone
During this session Sanj Matharu, principle manager for Vodafone Group Developer Marketing and Wolfram Kriesing will run through a quick history of how Vodafone has used open source technology in products that have been shipped and what is coming next, specifically showcasing tools for mobile widget development. How will web developers be able to use their existing skills to create amazing mobile apps?
Track 02:
12.35 - 12.55
Five Metrics You Need to Measure for a Successful Web App
Ryan Carson - Carsonified
In this talk Ryan will share and explain a valuable spreadsheet model that will help you track the five vital metrics in your recurring revenue web app. We'll cover everything from LTV to CACR and how they'll have a tremendous impact on your app and business. After this talk you'll be able to download the spreadsheet and customise it for your own business.
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Lunch: 12.55 - 14.25
Break for lunch on us. Networking, some time to catch up with each other, and a bit of a breather before the afternoon sessions start up!
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Track 01:
14.25 - 15.05
Location, Location, Location
Joe Stump - SimpleGeo
With location enabled mobile devices becoming ubiquitous there's never been a better time to start using location based services. Some of the biggest brands on the web have embraced location including FourSquare, Gowalla and Twitter. This session, led by location expert Joe Stump (CTO SimpleGeo and formerly of Digg) is aimed at showing developers how to get started with geo services and will discuss implementation, potential issues and the future.
Track 02:
14.25 - 15.05
Timing Is Everything: When to Launch, Staff, Sell, or Give Up
Dane Atkinson - Squarespace
Building a business isn't easy. It takes patience, resilience, & calculation. Dane Atkinson has gotten the timing right and wrong through his 20 years of entrepreneurship. As CEO of Squarespace, he'll take you through some of the key whats whens and whys of your product's lifecycle all the way from your first feature complete prototype, to launch, to managing user expectations, & closing a venture round.
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Track 01:
15.10 - 15.50
The Future of JavaScript and jQuery
John Resig - Mozilla
During this session John Resig, the creator of jQuery, will look ahead and focus on the future of JavaScript. What's around the corner, what's in the distance and how will web developers be able to take advantage of the new technology either natively or in future releases of jQuery.
Track 02:
15.10 - 15.50
Fighting and thriving in the Valley - tips for UK businesses going West
Andy McLoughlin - Huddle
Having recently relocated to San Francisco to head up the US headquarters of Huddle, Andy will discuss how a UK business can 'think big' and set up shop in Silicon Valley. Using Huddle's own experiences, Andy will give tips on everything from finding the right location and navigating the US 'system' to hiring the perfect team.
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Afternoon Break & App Clinic: 15.50 - 16.35
Time for another break, and a much needed coffee.
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Track 01:
16.35 - 16.55
Exorcising the JavaScript demon – Progressive enhancement with YUI3 and node.js
Christian Heilmann - Yahoo! Developer Network
Progressive enhancement is a way to make our products safe to use. Instead of hoping that our end users can use the products we produce and blocking out those who can’t our products change according to the support they can get from the user’s environment. One big myth about this is that it means double maintenance and this session will show you that these days are over. Using YUI3 responsibly and using node.js on the server you can build highly interactive interfaces and still leave no user behind.
Track 02:
16.35 - 16.55
The 10 Golden Principles for Successful Web Apps
Guy Malachi - Conduit
We’ve all run into great-looking apps that end up being sore disappointments for both you and your users. And apps that started out awesome but whose content quickly gets stale. Then there’s the web app that everyone says is really useful, but is too unfriendly to deal with. Here are 10 principles that will ensure your web app DOESN’T fail miserably.
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Track 01:
17.00 - 17.40
Web App Scaffolding
Cal Henderson - Tiny Speck
There's no denying that building web applications is non-stop glamor and excitement; nights filled with wild parties, surrounded by adoring fans and all the hot-pockets you can eat. But your application doesn't exist in a vacuum; there are a huge number of other technical bits that go into making a successful application - the scaffolding. In this session, we'll talk about many of the most useful bits of scaffolding we can use to help us build stuff better, faster and more effectively. So that you can spend more time posting to hacker news about the awesome map-reduce framework you just wrote in erlang.
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Goodbye & Announcements: 17.40 - 17.50
That's it for another year! See you in 2011 everyone...
This year we have 4 Workshops to choose from. They're full day workshops, so you can really get stuck in and learn loads about the topic you're most passionate about.
4 Workshops to Choose from:
Workshops Day ~ 06 October, 2010
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01:
09.00 - 17.00
The A-Z of Building a Successful Web App
Mike McDerment
Having a great Web app idea is only the beginning of the fun. Taking that idea from your head and getting all the way to launch is no easy task and unfortunately there aren't any official instructions. In this workshop, Mike will give you tips on the complete process of building a Web app, from A to Z.
What you'll learn:
- Building; your Web app, your company, your team
- Marketing; with and without money
- Product management; so you know what's right to build
- Metrics; to track your progress
- Financing; the 5Ws of fund raising - who, what, when, where, why and how
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02:
09.00 - 17.00
Super Charge your Web App with HTML5 & CSS3
Molly Holzschlag
HTML5 is a huge shift in markup and it offers massive new opportunities for web applications. In this workshop we'll dive deep into this new technology and explain how you can use it to your advantage in your app. We'll also explain the potential pitfalls and any potential accessibility problems. If you're building web apps, you can't afford to ignore HTML 5, and this workshop is the way to get started.
What you'll learn:
- Live demos of HTML 5 markup in web apps
- Walkthrough of all the new features and how they might be used
- Potential accessibility pitfalls which you need to beware of
- What browsers currently support HTML5 and the roadmap for the future
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03:
09.00 - 17.00
How to use jQuery to Improve Your Web App
John Resig
jQuery is quickly becoming the standard in JavaScript frameworks. In this workshop you will learn about the new and upcoming jQuery features and how you can use them most effectively in your web app. The session will also focus on jQuery plugins, the best ones to use and how to go about developing your own.
What you'll learn:
- What's new and upcoming in jQuery?
- The top five jQuery plugins to power up your web app
- Advanced jQuery techniques for web app developers
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04
09.00 - 17.00
Advanced Web App UX and Usability Design
Cennydd Bowles
Seemingly insignificant design decisions can make the difference between a user experiencing joy or frustration when using your application. In this in-depth workshop you will learn strategies to help you design highly usable, intuitive and enjoyable web apps.
What you'll learn:
- How to research and understand both your users and your business goals
- Why it's important to continually improve the UI and UX of your web app
- How to test your designs with real users
- How user feedback and critique inform your next steps
- Strategies to track the impact of UI changes
