Skinny found that how you make a website “all depends”:
The big out-take of the two day event was that we can all have different ideas of what the web should be, and how the web should behave, and that none of those ideas are right and none of those ideas are wrong. …
And so we all need to learn to make websites that serve the audience — this should be our mantra (and it is at Click Suite ). Who is the audience? What do they want to get from this website? How can they interact with this website that will give them the best experience possible (based on their expectations)?
Some websites need to be text based and easily searchable and scalable and non-hierarchical; other websites can have graphics (or god forbid, Flash) and be immersive and experimental. It all depends on your intention and the audience requirements. It’s quite simple.
Webstock was even better the second time around. It was entertaining, thought provoking, and most important, full of good ideas. …
One unexpected pleasure was the presence of disabled people. Not many of us, but still we were there and our needs, along with dietary requirements were generally accommodated. Most obvious were the NZ Sign interpreters. …
For those of us looking for inspiration there was some seriously good stuff. It was great to see a greater emphasis on people as well as the cool technology. …
I sense a growing maturity in the geek community, with what I always call the “gee whiz technology” culture being tempered with a more balanced and healthier focus on the people factor.
Robyn also pointed out some difficulties caused by our lack of experience working with NZ Sign interpreters. I agree with her that the signers were heroic in their work — they have an extraordinarily difficult job, and in future we can make it a little easier.
Rachel (like so many of us1) needed a post-Webstock rest before she could snap, crackle and pop:
My own response was to not-blog. I was exhausted by all this external cerebral stimulation. I had an urge to hide away and absorb all these new facts and thoughts. To revert to (my) type, which is introvert. Which means no blogging. Which brings an obvious risk of forgetting all the terrific Webstock input.
But the buzz goes on regardless, fortunately. Those synapses have had their little snooze and are now ready to snap crackle and pop again at the slightest provocation. …
Webstock is a playground stocked with great ideas, food, design and especially people. It’s been said before: a conference like no other.
I want to shout out a thanks to this wonderful group, who work, for free, to pull Webstock off.
This is the finest event I’ve been to in quite some time.
Webstock restores my faith that not everyone involved in conference organizing is concerned with profits these days, and in fact people, and the passions of our industry are still going strong.
