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"The IWMW event provides an opportunity for those involved in the provision of institutional Web services to hear about institutional case studies, national initiatives and emerging technologies and to actively participate in a number of parallel sessions."

IWMW 2009 is the thirteenth workshop.
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Institutional Web Management Workshop 2009

Call For Speakers And Workshop Facilitators

The call for participation has now closed.

The Institutional Web Management Workshop 2009 (IWMW 2009) will be held at the University of Essex, Colchester Campus, from Tuesday 28th - Thursday 30th July 2009.

As participants at previous events will be aware this workshop is aimed at those involved in management of institutional Web services. The workshop aims to address a broad range of topics including strategic, managerial, resourcing and technical issues.

A key feature of the workshop is the importance placed on participative and interactive sessions, including hands-on sessions, group discussions, etc.

We are now pleased to invite proposals for speakers and workshop facilitators. Note that the format is likely to be similar to the format for last year's workshop and will include a small number of plenary presentations, a larger number of workshop and briefing sessions, possibly complemented by with debates and panel sessions.

This year we are considering the idea of running tracks - parallel running strands with a different focus (e.g. technical track, marketing track etc.).

Topics

This year is the thirteenth Institutional Web Management Workshop. It could be argued that both the Web and IWMW have been through a number of changes since their conception and are now in a transitional stage between childhood and maturity. The teenage years can be a bit of a rollercoaster ride; some of the areas for concern include:

  • Mood swings - What about our love hate relationship with CMS? Are there tensions between the web user and the Web site creator?
  • Attempts to assert ones own identity - Have institutions finally addressed the ownership of content? What about merger of services? How do institutions engage with third parties? What effect will cloud computing have on institutions?
  • Interest in current fashions - Are we being led by applications? Are some of the newer Web 2.0/social networking tools just fads? Can they really enhance learning and teaching and institutional Web services?
  • Joining of cliques - Are there cliques within Web services team? Is it a case of marketing and communications over technical aspects (such as design and development) or can teams unite? Is being part of a crowd important?
  • Lack of money - Has the downturn had an effect on institutional Web sites? What can be done on a budget? Is this a time for consolidation or should the downturn provide the impetus for innovation?

The range of topics which may be covered at the workshop is broad, reflecting the wide range of interests and challenges which face those involved in providing institutional Web services and may include, but are not restricted to, the following:

Web 2.0
e.g. Web 2.0 technologies used (blogs, wikis, social...), Web design in a Web 2.0 environment, barriers to use, cultural issues, etc.
Cloud computing
Hosting, data and services, issues, etc.
Web Strategies
e.g. formulation of and delivery of Web strategies, links with other institutional strategies, case studies etc.
Key Web Applications
e.g. content management systems, repositories, portals etc.
Mobile Technologies
e.g. iPhones, iTunes, etc.
Multimedia
e.g. video streaming, etc.
Management And Resource Issues
e.g. approaches to managing and resourcing institutional Web services, staff recruitment and retention issues, staff development, outsourcing etc.
User Issues
e.g. user needs analysis, user requirements, evaluation; training and support etc.
Information Management
e.g. approaches to information management, etc.
e-Learning
e.g. approaches to e-Learning, integration with MIS, etc.
e-Business
e.g. approaches to e-business, e-procurement, etc.
Technical Issues
Web design, standards (W3C), security, authentication, roaming issues, testing, etc.
Staff Development
e.g. career development for Web managers, communities of practice, community, etc.
Legal Issues
e.g. FOI; IPR; copyright; AUP; etc.
Marketing and Communications
e.g. Social Networks, metrics, podcasting, etc.

Format

The workshop will consist of a number of plenary presentations together with a larger number of parallel sessions. The plenary presentations will last for 30-45 minutes. The parallel workshop sessions will probably last for 1 hour 30 minutes and parallel briefing sessions will last from 30 minutes - 1 hour.

Plenary Speakers

Proposals are invited for plenary sessions. This will involve delivering a talk lasting for around 30 minutes to all delegates (likely to be over 150). We invite proposals from both well-known speakers with a national or international reputation together with proposals for those who may be new to the community or have not spoken at or facilitated sessions at previous workshops.

The main requirements for plenary speakers are to talk on a subject that is of relevance to a significant proportion of the audience and to engage the audience's interest. Presentations are likely to be on a subject which has national relevance or an institutional or regional case study which provides insights which will be of general interest.

Talks should not cover detailed technical material or be too parochial.

Workshop Facilitators

Proposals are invited for parallel workshop sessions which will last for 1 hour 30 minutes hours. Workshop sessions should aim to be interactive and allow the opportunity for participants to contribute actively, through involvement in discussions, hands-on exercises, etc.

There are a number of approaches which may be taken to workshop sessions such as:

Discussion Groups
Discussion group sessions, chaired by the Workshop Facilitator.
Birds of a Feather Sessions
Birds of a Feather (BoF) sessions which allow participants to discuss a session of general interest.
Hands-on Sessions
Hands-on sessions in which participants will have access to a networked PC.
Community Sessions
Community Sessions aimed at members of particular communities.

In addition to proposals for workshop sessions, this year we also invite proposals for working group sessions, which are intended to allow groups who have either been working on related areas or who are prepared to commit to continue working jointly after the workshop to use the IWMW 2009 event as an opportunity to involve others in their work.

BarCamps

This year we'd also like to build on the success of last year's BarCamps. Delegates will again be given the opportunity to run their own BarCamp sessions. More information on this will follow.

Other Ideas

We also welcome proposals for alternative approaches. This could include, for example, debates, panel sessions, etc. Please feel free to contact the event chair to discuss any ideas.

Submission Of Proposals

If you would like to discuss ideas for proposals for plenary talks or workshop sessions, feel free to contact Brian Kelly or Marieke Guy.

Submissions should be sent to m.guy@ukoln.ac.uk or b.kelly@ukoln.ac.uk.

Deadline

The deadline for submissions is Friday 6th March 2009.

Benefits

Speakers and workshop facilitators will normally be expected to book a place on the workshop (this will be at a reduced rate). However we will provide speakers and workshop facilitators with a small gift as a token of appreciation.