Greetings WOW members and Web professionals everywhere. Bill Cullifer here with the World Organization of Webmasters (WOW) and the WOW Technology Minute.
I’m podcasting live from San Francisco, CA today at Adobe MAX 2008. WOW’s participating at MAX 2008 as a Media Sponsor and Community Lounge partner. WOW’s here to announce the second annual Web Pro Community Challenge. The Web Pro Challenge is a Web design competition designed to provide the Web community with an opportunity to showcase their skills and talents, win prizes and benefit the community by designing and developing a site for a notable non-profit organization. This year?’s non-profit organization links medical students with medical clinics in developing countries worldwide. The contest is open to practicing professionals and students at all levels FREE of charge.
We would like to invite you to participate as a competing team, judge or team leader. For additional detail visit the site located on the Web Pro Challenge website.
For your viewing and listening pleasure, I?’ve also included an inspirational introduction to today?’s Adobe Max San Francisco with Shantanu Narayen President and Chief Executive Officer at Adobe on today’s WOW Technology Minute website.
Transcript of Keynote
Shantanu Narayen: The reality is that handheld devices can offer location-based services in ways in which the PC never was able to. And the bar, within the enterprise, is going to change because consumers are demanding the comsumerization of the enterprise based on experiences that they have with commercial sites. We?’re moving therefore from a single screen world to a multi-screen experience that is going to live both inside and outside the traditional browser. Our capacity to deliver these great engaging experiences hinges on using these multi-screens in meaningful and a lasting way to create an engaging experience with the person at the other side of the screen. Are they transacting business? Are they purchasing? Are they joining a community or are they just watching content? The more you know about your customers the better an experience you can deliver.
Adobe?’s vision has been the same. Our vision is to enable you to deliver the most targeted, engaging applications – content and video – across operating systems, multiple screens, desktop and the Web. And hopefully all of you here today are utilizing the Flash platform to develop these innovative solutions that we believe will have a tremendous impact on this changing landscape. The Flash platform is really a complete system to create and deliver these expressive applications – content and video – that can run across all these different operating systems and devices. Our developer tools, including the Creative Suite 4, including Flex Builder, and the intraction design tool that we introduced last year to you as Project Thermal, offer the foundation for agile design and development workflows, making it faster and easier for you to get your work done.
Project Turbo is now a reality and it?’s called Flash Catalyst. [applause] Thank you. A preview build is going to be available today to every one of you MAX attendees. [applause] Catalyst really is all about providing better tooling, better workflow and a faster time to market and truly addressing the designer/developer gap. You can learn a lot more about Flash Catalyst in sessions at MAX. You will also be receiving a preview version of Gumbo, the next version of the Flex Builder application. That integrates with Flash Catalyst to make sure that we can provide a streamline, two-way workflow. [applause]
To improve the development and deployment of these applications we are continuing to drive innovation and consistency in the Flash Player. Flash Player 10 was issued just over a month ago and there are already a number of major corporations who are taking advantage of the expressive new capabilities of Flash Player 10 and upgrading their content. South Park has already done this and Yahoo, Nickelodeon, Disney Online and AOL will also be upgrading their content to Flash Player 10. It is truly the strength of the ecosystem that?’s incredible and we are continuing to not only extend the capabilities of Flash Player 10, but to work with partners, as well as to engage with every one of you, to make sure through your feedback we can continue to drive standards in the Flash Pl
Web Pro Community Challenge Press Release
WOW Announces Web Pro Community Challenge at Adobe MAX 2008
San Francisco — November 17, 2008 —: The World Organization of Webmasters (WOW) announced today at Adobe MAX 2008 that it is heading up a Web Pro Community Challenge to benefit:
Child Family Health International (CFHI) is a leading non-governmental organization (NGO) placing health science students on global health education programs in Latin America, Africa, and India in ways that are socially responsible and financially just.
“The Web Pro Community Challenge is designed to test the artistic, creative, technical and business knowledge and skills of aspiring and practicing Web professionals while utilizing some of the best tools available, all in a peer environment and for a great charitable cause,” said Bill Cullifer, WOW?’s Executive Director and Challenge organizer. “Adobe MAX is the annual event for Web professionals, and WOW?’s thrilled to be a contributor,” said Cullifer.
“Adobe is excited to work with WOW to provide a way for the passionate community of web professionals to showcase their skills while helping non-profit organizations,” said Ted Patrick, group manager for developer relations at Adobe. “It?’s a wonderful combination of technology hand-in-hand with philanthropy.”
The Web Pro Community Challenge is an opportunity for the international Web professional community to showcase their skills while giving something back to the global community by designing and developing a website for designated non-profit organizations. Participants will use a wide range of technologies, including Adobe Flash Platform software, such as Adobe® Flex™, Adobe Flash® and Adobe® AIR™ to build enhanced Web capabilities for both of these deserving organizations. The Web Pro Community Challenge is launching at the Adobe MAX conference but anyone around the world is eligible to participate.
“We?’re ecstatic to be recipients of this year?’s Web Pro Community Challenge. We hope that with an improved website, we will be able to place more students in underserved communities around the world,” said Steve Schmidbauer, Executive Director of CFHI. “On behalf of the health science students and the communities we work with in developing countries, I?’d like to thank the WOW organization and Adobe for making this site redesign possible.”
The Web Pro Community Challenge launches at Adobe MAX 2008 in San Francisco and then calls on practicing Web professionals from around the globe who have interest in contributing their services for charity to participate. The WOW organization will podcast the process with interviews of the Web professional experts, the participants, and the selected non-profit charity selected so others can use these resources in a classroom setting as a teaching tool.
For more information about or to participate in the Web Pro Community Challenge visit: webprochallenge.org
About CFHI
CFHI?’s vision is to advance quality healthcare for all by setting the standard in global health education for health science students through programs that are socially responsible and financially just. These programs not only emphasize professionalism through social justice but also benefit the grassroots communities—where our students live and learn—by supporting these developing communities equitably and sustainably in recognition of the expertise and hospitality they provide. For more info visit: www.cfhi.org