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WOW News

Web Pioneer Honored During Open Web Camp III

by Bill Cullifer on July 18, 2011

WebProfessionals.org Honors Web Pioneer During Open Web Camp III

Leading Web organizations and Web professionals from around the globe assembled at Open Web Camp III this week at the Stanford University Campus, Palo Alto CA to promote cutting edge skills and to honor Web Pioneer, Bebo White, Ph.D for his contributions to the World Wide Web.

In a special celebration held at the historic Cubberley Auditorium, Molly Holzschlag, lecturer and notable author of many Web books and publications and Bill Cullifer, Executive Director for WebProfessionals.org presented Professor White with an award and presentation of his accomplishments.

bebo white presenting

Bebo White is widely recognized for his efforts to improving the quality of the Web. His career accomplishments include:

• North America’s first technical Webmaster launching the country’s first website
• Departmental Associate (Emeritus), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
• Managing Editor, Journal of Web Engineering
• Member, International World Wide Web Conferences Steering Committee (IW3C2)
• Program Chair, IADIS International Conference WWW/Internet
• Steering Committee, International Society for Web Engineering

Molly Holzschlag said, “One of the reasons we are honoring influential elder members of the Web is to bring voices of wisdom to the current perspectives on Web design and development. Dr. White’s relationship with Stanford, his unparalleled dedication and efforts to improve and evolve the Web – all made him an exceptional candidate for this honor.”

“We’re pleased to be honoring Bebo for his contributions to the World Wide Web and his support for Web professionals everywhere. In addition to his honoring his contributions to the Web, Bebo is genuinely a fun guy to be around” said Bill Cullifer.

Congratulations to Bebo White and thank you for all that you have contributed to the World Wide Web and to the Web profession at large.

About Open Web Camp

Open Web Camp III is a free, one-day event held in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Learn the cutting edge skills needed to create an open, interoperable and accessible web from some of the brightest names working today.
Hosted at the birth-place of Silicon Valley – Stanford University – this year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, July 16th, 2011, from 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM. Admission is free, but attendance is limited to 350, so register early. Lunch will be provided. Supporters included Stanford University, Opera Software, Google, appcelerator, Mozilla Foundation. viadeo

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Web Professional Jobs

by Bill Cullifer on July 15, 2011

Web Professional Jobs Available Now

now hiring web pro fessionalsWith the goal of helping Web Professionals find meaningful employment and to stay abreast of what skills employers want the most we’ve created several sites dedicated to Web Professional jobs. Today’s post is for a a few premium job postings.

Featured Web Pro Jobs

Featured Web Professional Jobs from some of the Most Recognized Organizations

Web Content Administrator
The Philadelphia office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, an international law firm with some 1300 attorneys in 22 offices, is currently seeking a Web Content Administrator to join our Marketing & Communications Department. The Marketing & Communications Department at Morgan Lewis is charged with enhancing the firm’s presence and reputation both internally and externally.
Our team ensures that each message the firm delivers is consistent and coherent. The Web Content Administrator will be a key member of the firm’s communications team. For additional information click here.

Web Support Specialist- KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL
Responsibilities:
Responsible for user support, maintenance and improvement of the Kiwanis-family websites, particularly the Kiwanis One Member Resource portal and the Club Management System (including online reporting) Click here for the the complete details.

Web Design & Development Supervisor at Network Solutions
Network Solutions is a leading provider of online, E-solutions and the pioneer of the domain name registration service. We currently manage more than 8 million domains for more than 4 million customers worldwide. We draw on over 30 years of experience to make it simple and affordable for small businesses to build and grow their Internet presence through a one-stop Web solutions provider. We offer a full range of Web-related services, including: Domains, Web hosting, Web site design, online marketing, e-mail, security and more.
Click here for full details.

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Member Profile – Jessica Ledbetter, Web Developer

by Bill Cullifer on May 23, 2011

Member Profile - Jessica Ledbetter, Web Developer Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Member Profile - Jessica Ledbetter, Web Developer Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Member Profile – Jessica Ledbetter, Web Developer and Recipient of the WOW Member Conference Scholarship, Voices that Matter Conference June 2011

For today’s podcast, I reached out to Jessica Ledbetter, Web Developer for Jefferson Lab, a National Laboratory of the Department of Energy based in Southeastern Virgina. Jessica is also a long time WOW member and the recipient of the Voice That Matter 2011 WOW Member Conference Scholarship graciously offered to the WOW by the team at the Voice that Matter Conference. The Voices that Matter San Francisco event takes place June 27-28, 2011 San Francisco, CA.

In this five minute podcast, Jessica shares her thoughts on the issues she faces as a Web Developer and the benefits of going to the conference. I’ll also be attending the VTM conference to interview Jessica on what she walked away with as well as some of the speakers and attendees.

For additional information about the VTM Conference visit The Voices that Matter San Francisco event today!

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WebProfessionals.org Announces Personalized News Aggregation Site

by Bill Cullifer on May 22, 2011

WebProfessionals.org Announces Personalized News Aggregation Site Expanding Coverage for Busy Web Professionals

The association for Web professionals announced this week the launch of WebProMinute.org, a site that aggregates news and enables users to self select their news stream based on their interests.

The announcement highlights a trend among news publishers looking to personalize news consumption based on topical interests. WebProMinute.org combines aggregated new stories by category. Initial categories include Web Professional news for the generalist. Additional topics include Web Developer news, Web Design news and Web Marketing including Search Marketing news.

The homepage Web Professional Minute as the namesake implies presents the news by category in a short sixty-second summary with full links to the entire story.

In making the announcement, Bill Cullifer said, the “Web Professional Minute aims to achieve the balance between keeping up with the fast pace of the Web. This resource is ideal for the busy Web professional that would like to stay current with the news in the shortest period of time and through the noise”.

Subscribers of the current Web Professional Minute will continue to receive e-mail alerts on WebProfessionals.org blog post and will have the option of subscribing to the news alerts at: http://webprominute.org

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Leadership through Advocacy and Organizing

by Bill Cullifer on April 21, 2011

Leadership through Advocacy and Organizing to Promote the Web Profession and Jobs in New Media and IT

Greetings WOW Members and Web Professionals Everywhere!

Web professionals working together can make change happen. For example, when education policies don’t meet the needs of aspiring and practicing Web professionals we work to change the system. With your support, the Webprofessionals.org has continued with its 14 year history and mission to engage education policy decision makers to encourage them to improve Web professional pathways and to change the policies that hold them back. While building leadership through advocacy and organizing we strengthen our voice to improve the overall Web experience for the communities we serve.

Why is this important?

* To continue with the mission of cultivating innovation and jobs for the Web profession.
* Industry, government and academia, together, can cultivate an environment of innovation and job creation to foster leadership in Information Technology and New Media.
* By educating customers we serve we can ensure the professions overall success.
* Facilitation of communication between business, industry and education professionals advocacy can lead to improvements in compensation and recognition for Web professionals.
* Active involvement by WOW members and individuals like you is needed. Together we make the vision of Web Standards, improvements in education and the quality of services that true Web professionals provide a reality.

2011/2012 Advocacy Plan to Promote Education and Careers

Last month, WebProfessionals.org led the third in a series of IT Innovation Summits in California. Leading Information Technology (IT) organizations, businesses, industry and education professionals came together to collaborate on several initiatives that will help support IT and Web professional education, Web standards and jobs in IT and Mew Media.

The advocacy plan is in response to U.S. government studies predicting a significant shortage of technology and creative professionals in the country within the next three to five years. The organizations 2011/2012 advocacy plan designed to address the talent shortage, the growing skills gap and to answer the questions, “Why Consider a Career in the IT and New Media Profession, why teach Career and Technical Education and Web Standards in the classroom.”

“In order for the U.S. to continue to lead the world in innovation and creativity, we must develop an advanced information technology ecosystem that is able to refresh itself with IT and New Media talent and creative thinkers with the skills that employers need the most” said Bill Cullifer, WOW Executive Director of WebProfessionals.org and chair of the WhyITNow.org and Why Web Standards initiatives.

Andy Vaughan, Director, Strategic Programs, Monster Public Sector Education supporter of the initiatives said, “I clearly understand and appreciate the efforts to promote Web professional education and Web standards and how it will serve the Web professional community in the long term. We’re happy to support your IT and New Media education pathway efforts through the WhyITNow.org initiative in collaboration with the California Department of Education. Its important work and we’re happy to play a role.”

Gary Page, California Department of Education (CDE) said, “I’d like to thank the WebProfessionals.org association and the WhyITNow.org initiative for hosting the IT Innovation Summit Sacramento. The most exciting thing is that the WhyITNow.org initiative has brought in people of from all different aspects of education and industry and we have found that we have consensus on some key issues. For example, one of the problems is that we’re not talking with each other and that we’re living in silos and we need to break away from that somehow. I think that there is a consensus that we need to get together more and work together.”

WebProfessionals.org 2011/2012 Advocacy Plan and initiatives will drive skill development that will support and increase the pipeline for technical and creative workers and those that teach. It also will:

• Convene stakeholders to establish collaboration between business, the Web profession, education and government to develop a clear, concise and consistent communication strategy regarding why innovation, information technology and New Media is good for business, commerce, competitiveness and jobs.

• Develop an effective advocacy plan and implementation strategies that support innovation, New Media and Information Technology adoption and best practices.

• Promote general awareness of Career Technical Education (CTE) and information technology (IT) and New Media through websites, workshops, conferences and award ceremonies.

• Foster relationships and linkages between business and industry, education, career technical student organizations and government agencies to insure a continual pipeline of IT and New Media professionals with skills that aligns to industry demand.

• Promote digital literacy into general education curriculum to equip all graduates with these basic skills.

• Provide online Web professional short courses and educational resources.

• Promote Web design and development contest connecting business and industry with education and students and practicing professionals.

For additional information regarding the WebProfessionals.org 2011/2012 Advocacy plans and initiatives visit:

· Web Professional Directory (http://webprofessional.org)
· Web Professional Jobs (http://webprofessional.jobs)
· Why Web Standards (http://whywebstandards.org )
· New Media Careers (http://newmediacareers.org )
· WhyITNow.org ( http://www.whyitnow.org )
· WhyCTE.org (http://whycte.org )
· Web Design Contest (http://webdesigncontest.org )
· Web Pro Training (http://webprotraining.org )

For additional information about Webprofessionals.org Advocacy efforts and history visit:

WebProfessionals.org (http://webprofessionals.org/about/advocacy

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Adobe MAX Receives 2010 Mobile Innovators Award for Innovation

by Bill Cullifer on October 27, 2010

Adobe MAX Receives 2010 Mobile Innovators Award for Innovation – Event Breaks New Ground for Technology, Creative and Business professionals

WebProfessionals.org, the membership supported association for Web Professionals, and MobileInnovators.org, an online resource for Mobile Application Developers, announced today that Adobe MAX 2010 Los Angeles is the winner of WebProfessionals.org annual Mobile Innovators Award, recognizing the Adobe Corporation and its annual Max Conference, the leading event for technology and creative professionals for its leadership in using cutting-edge information technology and Rich Internet Applications (RIA) tools to drive mobile application development innovation, jobs and for improving the consumer user experience.

Mobile Innovation, Cell phone and wireless laptop internet use have each grown more prevalent over the last year. According to Pew Research Center, nearly half of all adults (47%) go online with a laptop using a Wi-Fi connection or mobile broadband card (up from the 39% who did so as of April 2009) while 40% of adults use the internet, email or instant messaging on a mobile phone (up from the 32% of Americans who did this in 2009). This means that 59% of adults now access the internet wirelessly using a laptop or cell phones

Adobe Max Keynote

“User expectations and experiences are evolving rapidly, and Adobe has long taken the lead in creating the tools and services to design for the future.” said Bill Cullifer, Executive Director WebProfessionals.org. “Adobe’s RIA product, Air 2.5 system for example will allow application developers to be able to design a single piece of code and then utilize it in multiple ways across a wide range of devices that delivers innovation that fuels jobs for Web professional’s and expands the user experience.”

“With the exponential growth of mobile use, companies are facing increasing demands from customers who want to connect anytime, any place and on any device,” said Brett Cortese, president of Universal Mind, an Abode Max show participant and four-time Max Award nominee. “Adobe MAX is the leading event for mobile application designers and developers, so it’s great to see both the show and Adobe recognized as the winner of the Mobile Innovators Award.”

About WebProfessionals.org

WebProfessionals.org is a non-profit professional association dedicated to the support of individuals and organizations who create, manage or market web sites. WOW provides education as well as certification, technical, employment and member advantage services to thousands of aspiring and practicing web professionals and those that teach Web professional topics worldwide. http://webprofessionals.org .

MobileInnovators.org

MobileInnovators.org is an online resource for Mobile Innovators and Mobile Application Developers providing daily news, podcast, interviews and hundreds of training videos for aspiring and practicing Mobile Applications Developers and those that teach. http://mobileinnovators.org

About Adobe MAX

MAX is a unique opportunity to connect with thousands of designers, developers, and business leaders as we shape the future of digital media together.

Discover how to realize the full potential of your content and applications. Find new opportunities presented by rich experiences across screens. Explore new methods for monetizing content. Learn about innovative technologies that enable designers and developers to work together more effectively.

Benefits of Adobe Air

For Developers

•Benefit from a consistent, flexible, and visual development environment for applications on multiple platforms and devices such as TVs, smartphones, smartbooks, tablets, netbooks, and PCs.
•Accelerate development with code reuse and an intuitive visual environment for multiplatform development.
•Create consistent and immersive applications that deliver expressive and interactive user experiences across multiple screens.

Businesses

Adobe AIR offers an exciting new way to engage customers with innovative, branded applications, without requiring changes to existing technology or processes. From conducting business transactions to managing music, Adobe AIR delivers applications that are easier, more powerful, and more fun to use.

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Web Professionals’ Day Celebration with Kool and the Gang

by Bill Cullifer on April 29, 2010

Happy Web Professionals’ Day!

That’s right, April 29 is designated as Web Professionals Day. In celebration, I caught up with Kool and the Gang from the 70′s (I think) to help you celebrate.

Make it a good one people!

Why Celebrate Web Professionals Day?

According to IDC, two-thirds of small to medium sized business have their Web Professional in-house, elevating the importance of a company’s Web professional.

“Web Professionals are diverse and provide a great skill set for any organization,” said Bill Cullifer, Executive Director, World Organization of Webmasters, a not-for-profit professional association serving Web professionals worldwide. “Considering the key role the Internet plays in businesses today, these professionals are proving their worth day in and day out.”

It’s a great time to be a Web Professional according to Scott Fegette, Product Manager at Adobe Systems, the company that supports Web Professionals by revolutionizing how the world engages with ideas and information – anytime, anywhere and through any medium.

WOW launched the WebProfessionalsDay.org website specifically to promote Web Professionals Day.

“We believe the Internet is the heart of the new economy,” said Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. “If you are in business these days, you really do need an online presence. Keeping your site up and running with fresh content is what it’s all about, so if you work with a Web professional, why not give them your appreciation?”

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image of the letters blog

WOW Web Site Redesign Project Announced

by Bill Cullifer on September 2, 2009

Sept, 2009. After months of handwringing, and shout outs to friends, colleagues and WOW members, WOW’s new web site Markover project is well underway.

The goals of the WOW redesign project include refocusing the site on users, making the sites navigation easier and making the sites resources responsive those that practice, aspire and teach within the Web profession.

In making the announcement, Bill Cullifer, WOW’s Executive Director said “that the site was way out of date and touch with best practices of the day. In fact, I can’t believe it took us so long to self examine ourselves” said Cullifer.

WOW hopes to have a greater focus on individual users and to feature resources that are important to practicing professionals, students and those that teach. The new site design will feature industry news by the hour, events, job board, professional directory and education and training resources.

A special shout out to those that cared enough to express your thoughts both negatively as well as positively and of those that supported the WOW through the process including WOW member Melvin Ram, Principle at SitesPress Web Design Company for his efforts.

“We still have plenty to do and a decade of cobwebs left to shake off” said Cullifer but we are committed to getting this right.

We’re currently working on migrating the WOW Blog to the Web professional website. In the meantime, please follow along with the WOW on the Web Professional Minute website.

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