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by m.guy

Blog Posts about IWMW10 #2

9:09 am in general by m.guy

A few more posts for you (following on from the recent post on Blog Posts About IWMW10 #1):

General

Plenaries

BarCamps

Parallel Session

Technologies

Remote Participation

If anyone else has any more we’ve missed just add them in the comments. Thanks.

by m.guy

Blog Posts about IWMW10 #1

4:20 pm in general by m.guy

Now people have a few days to reflect on what they heard, saw and experienced at IWMW lots of blog posts have appeared. Here’s what we have so far:

General

Plenaries

Parallel Sessions

Technologies

Remote Participation

If you write a post and would like it listed let me know and we’ll get a second list up next week.

by m.guy

IWMW 2010 Evaluation

11:01 am in general by m.guy

Thanks to everyone who attended this year’s IWMW.

An online evaluation form is now available for all attendees (including remote attendees). This form offers a more comprehensive set of questions than those available in the paper evaluation form.

Please fill it in!

Thanks

Marieke

by b.kelly

The Role of IWMW

9:00 am in general by b.kelly

What is the IWMW event about?  Marieke Guy and Brian Kelly have given some thought to the event and reflected on how it has developed over the years.  In brief we feel that the IWMW event:

  • Aims to be the premier event for members of institutional Web teams in UK higher education.
  • Seeks to provide a forum for discussion, debate and sharing of best practices for supporting institutions in the provision of institutional Web services.
  • Will ensure that institutions are well-positioned to exploit innovative developments which can enhance their services.
  • Will provide a forum for JISC-funded developments to be shared across the community and for feedback to be obtained.
  • Will provide a cost-effective national service for the Web management community in the UK higher education sector.

We will seek to achieve these objectives by:

  • Providing an opportunity for innovative ideas and best practices to be shared across the sector.
  • Maximising the outreach of the content and discussions at event through use of  ‘amplification’ technologies.
  • Ensuring that we provide opportunities for user input and discussions at the event.
  • Continuing to implement developments to support the event including remote attendee support, event amplification, use of social networking tools, access to appropriate data related to the event, etc.
  • Ensuring feedback is systematically obtained.

Does that sound reasonable? We welcome your feedback and comments.

by m.guy

Sponsoring, Supporting and Sharing

1:30 pm in general, sponsors by m.guy

IWMW have been lucky enough to be able to offer a number of sponsored places for those who haven’t been able to secure institutional support for this year’s event. As we are all aware these are difficult economic times and the Higher Education sector is having to make significant cuts. The staff development fund is unfortunately one of the easier targets.

Ranjit Sidhu, founder of Statistics into Decisions (or SiD) who have sponsored the places explains the reasons behind this different approach to financial support:

I first attended IWMW back in 2005 and then 2006, what I learn’t in those two events, from the talks and people, gave me an insight that was unique and could not be replicated by courses or books. I am hugely indebted to the IWMW for my own personal professional development and that is why I feel privileged that Statistics into Decisions is able to sponsor people to attend IWMW 2010“.

Those who have been awarded the sponsered places will be ‘helping out’ with some of back room work that goes on at IWMW such as blogging, videoing and interviewing delegates and writing up reviews of sessions. You will posibly see them out-and-about doing their stuff so we’d like to give them an opportunity to introduce themselves, say why they applied and what they hope to get out of the event.

Amy Chamier, Web Editor, Marketing & Development Unit, University of London

A small, specialist HE institution like mine can’t afford a large web team – there are only two of us. And so we rely heavily on the annual IWNW to keep in touch with the latest thinking and technology, and to learn from the experiences of more sophisticated members of the HE community. My particular contributions will be asking stupid questions (not too many I hope, but enough to give other delegates confidence to ask questions) and introducing people to other people (I like to talk to everyone and then make introductions where delegates have interests in common). I hope to run a Barcamp this year called “Distributed publishing? You can’t be serious”.

Keith Doyle, Extreme Usability

I’m looking forward to returning to the Institutional Web Management Workshop. Last time I attended was in York 2007, when I was Web Content Architect at the University of Salford. This time, I am about to set up a business called ‘Extreme Usability’. I am turning up to facilitate a workshop on Developing Your Personal Contingency Plan for people who are thinking of changing jobs or setting up their own business, having done both since working at Salford. Thanks to the sponsored place, I can attend the whole workshop, be an extra pair of hands for the organisers, and talk user experience with unsuspecting delegates!

Lynda Bewley, Web Content Editor, Birkbeck, University of London

My attendance will:

  • Ensure that the current projects that I am working on benefit from an understanding of the latest challenges and trends in university web development
  • Allow me to learn from the experiences of web teams who have worked on similar projects, and bring knowledge and cost-saving ideas back to Birkbeck
  • Allow Birkbeck to manage as many elements as possible of these projects in-house, therefore saving on external consultancy costs
  • Ensure that the communications team are up-to-date with technical trends and challenges in the sector
  • Help my team to be able highlight/justify the importance of continuing to invest in our web presence during challenging times (the theme of the conference)

I hope to contribute:

  • The perspective of a content editor
  • Experience of leading re-launch projects at HE institutions
  • Experience of developing a social media strategy and managing social media presences on an ongoing basis
  • An awareness of the challenges of devolved editorial management

Owen Stephens, consultant and OU

I am very pleased and excited to running a workshop at IWMW2010 (FlashMash – Parallel Session A7). My current position as both a consultant, and a part-time employee of the largest University in the UK (the Open University) gives me an unusual perspective on the challenges facing those working in the HE sector, and I believe I have valuable insights I can share with other delegates through contribution to formal sessions and more informal networking throughout the conference.

I’m also keen to actively participate in the ‘amplified event’. My blogging for IWMW2010 would form both part of the amplified event and the record of the event which will continue to be a useful resource in the future.

In a previous role (2005-2007) I was responsible for web based services for a small university (Royal Holloway, University of London), including the institutional web site, the student portal, the VLE and a range of library systems. I am eager to hear from current practitioners what has changed since then, and also to see how the continued growth of the web has affected the way specialised services (such as the library and VLE) fit into the overall institutional web presence.

My experience at IWMW2010 is something I will share with colleagues at the Open University, both via my blog, and through local dissemination events.

Billy Fallows, Web Editor, College of Arts and Law, Birmingham

I attended last year’s IWMW in Colchester but was not able to attend this year’s event. I’d love to put my experience to use producing a series of video interviews with participants for your blog at this year’s event!

by guest

Greening Events at the Institutional Web Management Workshop

11:14 am in general, remote, technologies by guest

The JISC Greening Events  Project

Greening Events is a small exploratory project funded under the JISC Greening ICT programme . It is investigating how to minimise the negative sustainability impacts of academically related events (such as conferences and seminars, training, administrative and project meetings, etc.) whilst gaining the maximum benefit from them. The two main objectives of the project are:

  1. To develop a prototype ‘systemic’ impact analysis methodology. By systemic we mean not only the direct impacts of an event but the knock on and incidental impacts (both positive and negative). Factors would include more concrete impacts such as energy, carbon, water and waste footprints and finances but also and the less tangible but no less important social, personal and organisational costs and benefits of people attending the events, thus enabling a more rounded exploration of the balance between costs and benefits.
  2. To explore the use of a variety of technologies to help minimise the sustainability impact of events. To do this the project builds on two earlier JISC-funded software development projects and will lead to prototype software that will allow the event organisers to effectively plan their events and attendees to get connected and/or get information (including via mobile devices) towards “greener events”. Damien Steer, who is speaking at the event, will include a reference to how we are using Mobile Campus Assistant in the Greening Events project in his presentation.

The project is using real academic events as case studies and will be interviewing three virtual delegates from this year’s IWMW event as well as, if access if possible, study the Web logs of the video and Twitter feeds to see how virtual delegates are making use of these tools.

Finding Out More

If you would like more information about the project or would like to get involved in one of the interviews please contact the project analyst Paul Shabajee (paul.shabajee@bristol.ac.uk) or the project manager Debra Hiom (d.hiom@bristol.ac.uk).

by b.kelly

Locations of Speakers and Facilitators at IWMW Since 1997

9:15 am in general by b.kelly

The Web sites for all IWMW events since it was started back in 1997 are still available. Over the past couple of years we have migrated information about the events to a series of RSS files, including RSS files of the speakers and workshop facilitators at the events. Yahoo Pipes has been used to merge together these files. These files contain geo-location information of the host institution of contributors at the event: as can be seen from the images below speakers and workshop facilitators from around the country have shared their experiences over the past 13 years.

Speakers at IWMW events from 1997-2010Workshop facilitators at IWMW events from 1997-2010

It seems that there have been about 152 plenary speakers and 278 facilitators – although note that these are estimates and are not based on unique individuals (i.e. if a speaker gives a talk and runs workshop session they will be included twice and will also be included for every contribution made over the years). Also note that the locations typically gives the location of the host institution of the speaker (and we have not included location information for speakers from the commercial sector).

If you would like to explore this geo-location information for yourself you can use Yuan  to view information about the location of the workshop facilitators or, to demonstrate how an alternative mapping service can be easily used, use Acme.com to view the location of the speakers.

Also note that you can also make use of the Yahoo Pipes used to merge the speakers and facilitators RSS files. A page is also available which provides links to all of the RSS feeds we have provided.

by b.kelly

IWMW 2010: An Event for Newcomers and Oldtimers

9:38 am in general by b.kelly

What To Expect?

This is the fourteenth in the IWMW series of events, which was launched in July 1997 – just two months after the Labour party was elected into power.  That now seems a very long time ago! People who have attended IWMW events over the years will be familiar with the format of this year’s event, but what can newcomers expect when they arrive at the University of Sheffield on 12 July?

Opportunities for those New to the Sector and to the Event

We might expect to see significant numbers of newcomers at this year’s event in light of the stories I have been hearing regarding the early retirements and redeployment of staff in some institutions.  Those who are newly appointed  in institutional Web teams and those who are new to the higher education sector should find that the variety of talks and sessions at the event will provide a useful way of both updating the set of skills needed by those involved in providing institutional Wb services and understanding how these skills can be used within the higher education context.

Newcomers should also find that the event can provide an opportunity to establish contacts with one’s peers within the community.  Establishing an effective community of practice can be particularly valuable within the public sector, particularly in the context of the Web management community’s culture of openness and sharing. The workshop sessions will normally provide an opportunity for everyone to participate in the discussions. In addition if you feel that you would like to contribute to the event (perhaps, for example, there are areas of work you are particularly proud of which you would like to share with others) you will be able to  put your name down to host a barcamp session.

The social events will provide an opportunity for informal networking. On the first evening the workshop dinner will be held in the central dining room in the Edge at the University.

The following evening we are pleased to announce that there will be a drinks reception at the Kelham Island Museum. This museum houses the objects, pictures and archive material representing Sheffield’s industrial story. The drinks reception at the museum will begin at 19:00 and there will be plenty of time to explore the museum. Afterwards you will be free to visit local restaurants and bars before making your own way back to the University.

Still Relevant for the Seasoned IWMW Participant!

Those of you who have attended several of the IWMW events will be familiar with the format of the event. The programme for this year’s event, however, introduces some new areas. As indicated in the theme for this year’s event, “The Web In Turbulent Times“, we will explore the new challenges for institutional Web teams, who, after over a decade of growth, will now have to provide existing services (and still be expected to exploit new opportunities) in the context of reduced budgets and, possibly, reduced levels of funding. We will therefore be providing a number of plenary talks and workshop sessions related to the “Economic challenges“.

As in previous years we will also be providing updates on new developments which are of relevance to those providing institutional Web services.  Areas to be addressed which will be of interest to many are Mobile Technologies, HTML5, the Social Web and Linked Data and RDFa, not forgetting, of course, the best practices for managing institutional Web services.

If you have attended previous events but haven’t given one of the plenary talks or facilitated a session you may wish to take the opportunity of giving an informal talk in one of the barcamp sessions.

An Opportunity to Participate

Over the past 5 years or so we have used the IWMW event as an opportunity to evaluate a variety of new Web technologies. Such experiments provide an opportunity to identify potential benefits in the context of a trusted environment – and also allow participants the opportunity to evaluate such technologies which may also be of interest for use locally.

This year we are building on the success of the IWMW 2009 blog. This year’s blog incorporates the BuddyPress plugin and so provides a social networking environment which can be used by participants. You may wish to use this in advance of the workshop, perhaps for discussing travel arrangements or other aspects related to a trip away to a conference. Workshop facilitators and speakers may also wish to use the environment to support their talks and sessions.

We hope all participants at this year’s event will make the most of the opportunities provided at this year’s event.

by b.kelly

Subscribe to this Blog

10:21 am in general by b.kelly

Rather than having to visit this blog to see if new posts have been published you can subscribe to the blog so that new posts are delivered to you automatically.

Two approaches for doing this are to subscribe to the blog’s RSS feed or to have the content delivered to you by email.

The blog’s RSS feed is available – you can often subscribe to the feed in your Web browser (note that you will need an account on an service such as Google Reader to use this.

If you do not use RSS you may wish to receive the content by email. You can subscribe to IWMW 2010 blog using this link or by using the form embedded below. Note that the email delivery service is provided by FeedBurner

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by m.guy

Welcome to the IWMW 2010 Blog

12:35 pm in general by m.guy

Hello Everyone,

This blog is a forum for discussion about, and related to, the  Institutional Web Management Workshop 2010.

The Institutional Web Management Workshop  (or IWMW) is a 3 day event for those involved in the creation of institutional (Higher Education and Further Eduction) Web sites. This year’s event is taking place at the at the University of Sheffield from Monday 12th to Wednesday 14th July 2010. If you want to know more about the details have a look at the IWMW Web site.  While the Web site is the formal publishing mechanism for the event this blog will hopefully be the informal publishing/discussion outlet. It is available for all delegates, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, facilitators, remote attendees and just generally interested parties to use.

Although we want people to be involved it still makes sense for the blog to have some structure so we will be publishing posts related to lots of different aspects of IWMW including:

  • Plenary talks
  • Parallel sessions and BarCamps
  • Social activities including local pubs and meet ups
  • Transport to IWMW
  • Community ideas
  • Discussion topics

We will also be posting interviews with delegates, video and audio content and lots more.

If you have any ideas for what you’d like to see on the blog feel free to comment.