Event updates, news and more
By Mel Kirk
It’s with much excitement that I am able to confirm that Matt will be speaking at FOWA Miami next month. Matt’s presentation went down a storm in London last October. If you haven’t yet had a chance to listen to the MP3 - you can check it out here.
Matt is known of course as the founder of WordPress and has recently introduced Prologue which is his latest project. Prologue is much like a group Twitter and adds to the vast array of projects undertaken at Automattic.
By Mel Kirk
We’re pleased to announce that we’ve added a further 3 great speakers to the line up for FOWA Miami. Erick Schonfeld from TechCrunch, Kevin Marks from Google and Emily Boyd from Remember the Milk will now be joining us in Miami and we’re looking forward to hearing their presentations.
In case you haven’t checked out the site recently, we’ve added a whole new section dedicated to all things social. As if that wasn’t enough to keep you busy, given the great feedback we had from London, we have decided to use the social network again which enables you to meet up with those that you have a lot in common with, business interests or even your complete arch nemesis. Why not check it out - ooh and if you want to connect and say hi, feel free! 
We’re really proud to be able to another installment of BarCamp Miami, which will be taking place at the Carnival Center on 28th February (BarCamp attendees get 50% off the Conference day). Over the past few weeks weve been blown away bt the friendliness, generosity and thanks we’ve received from the local people - all of whom seem really excited to have such an event in their back yard. This is the first time we’ve hosted FOWA on the East Coast and we can’t wait to see what it brings.
By Mel Kirk
OK, OK, we don’t have room to confirm any more speakers - but just before I go ahead and say that’s the final line-up, I’ve got two more fantastic speakers to add.
If you’ve been anywhere with a computer recently, you’ll know that Facebook has been dominating the world since the launch of the new app platform. As such, it gives me great pleasure to let you know that Dave Morin, Platform Manager for Facebook has agreed to speak for us and will be giving us insider information about how they launched the platform, challenges faced and where they see the future lying. We’re looking forward to it already.
Of course, no line up would be complete without a world-class designer and who better than Daniel Burka, Creative Director at digg and co-founder of Pownce. Daniel is going to be focussing on how user feedback influences design. Given digg’s vibrant and established community in comparison to that of of Pownce, which is still in it’s infancy, we hope that Daniel will be able to give us lots of insightful tips and experience and we’re already counting down the days until his presentation (8 to be precise)…
Well now that the FOWA Expo train is fully boarded and we’re all set to go, the next time we’ll be in touch will be to confirm those essential details - like where to get your pass, buy food and more importantly purchase beer! Until then - toodlepip!
By Brian Oberkirch
So I’m thrilled to get to fill out the batting order (part of it, at least) for the Future of Web Apps, London in October. (The short version: it’s going to rock. You should so show up. You will come crying to me later if you miss it. So don’t.)
Since I’ve made some noise before about how we should put together events, it’s only fair that I talk a bit about the thinking behind the speakers and sessions we’re booking. I also liked the ‘warts & all’ approach Ryan took blogging the creation of Amigo.
So, the future of the Web. Wow, that’s a challenge to program against. So many ways we might go with this thing. Even now, there are groups of kids we don’t know that are building stuff that is going to rock our world. So here’s how I thought about this:
What would I want to hear about?
Who can we get that’s not speaking all the time and kind of giving the same spiel?
Is there a larger story that we’re trying to tell?
I started wish lists. Filled with all-stars, rookies, utility players, all sorts of Webby people. Then a funny thing happens when you try to book a conference. Life intervenes. Maybe some of your speakers have already done a number of Carson events. Maybe they’ve been speaking or are going to speak in the UK or Europe right around the same time. Or they’re already booked. Just as you might have noticed that Web development & design talent is scarce right now, speakers are in much the same demand. So, lots of folks simply aren’t available.
Factor all that in when you go to review a speaking list next time. Much more logistical legwork goes into making your dream list of speakers.
But, for you, good people, we have an amazing line up of some of the most interesting Web thinkers around. I’ll be going through and posting extensive thoughts about each speaker in subsequent posts, but here’s a preview:
I’m excited about the balance and diversity of this group of folks. People from big companies, startups, product designers, biz folks, community advocates, marketers, new speakers, seasoned vets, women, men, Bay Area types, Non Bay Area types. I’ve made the argument that diversity is integral to the future of the Web because empathy, understanding and creativity are going to be necessary ingredients for creating the niche experiences the Web is ideal for. I hope we’re going to help add to the ecosystem via our speakers and via the kind of folks we attract to the event.
I’ll talk more in future posts about the sessions and the kind of story (stories?) I think might emerge from the stage, the hallways, the photos and blog posts.
Continuing with our series of FOWA Expo speaker interviews, we take a look at Daniel Waterhouse of 3i…
1. What did you want to be when you grew up? (ie. did you ever think you’d end up doing what you’re doing now?)
A. I did not imagine I would end up doing a job where I spend most of my time asking people what they want to do when they grow up!
2. What’s a typical day in the working life of Daniel?
A. There isn’t one. Only common thing is my head hurts a lot and my mind cannot keep up with the wild number of different things that happen each day.
3. What’s the best thing about working in the web industry?
A. Having to mess about with websites and pretending it is work - really tough checking out what is happening in the online dating industry
4. And the worst?!
A. The results from checking out what is happening in the online dating industry
5. In terms of technologies, what do you think is really exciting right now that could have a big impact on the future of web apps?
A. Semantic web technologies, silverlight/AIR
6. Whose work do you admire?
A. All of the successful entrepreneurs I meet - unbelievable
7. Messy desk or clean desk?
A. Er, clean
8. Beer or wine?
A. Both please
9. Mac or PC?
A. PC - all credibility destroyed I know
10. Do you have a secret talent?
A. Yes - but I’m not telling until after we get through Q8
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, it’s true! We’re really pleased to let you know that Kevin Rose and Om Malik have been added to the already fully packed schedule. We’re hoping that Kevin will be able to give us an insider’s look at launching a new web app, following the recent launch of Pownce, whilst Om will take a look at what the future of web apps actually is.
We can’t wait!
With so many speakers on the line-up, we wanted to give you all a chance to get to know them a bit better. We’re not talking about their professional biographies, but more along the lines of what makes them tick, what they enjoy about the web industry, what they drink and even how messy their desks are.
We’re planning to give you an insight to one speaker each week, so where better place to start than with…
Q1. What did you want to be when you grew up? (ie. did you ever think you’d end up doing what you’re doing now)
A. Astronaut or writer. No, astronaut AND writer - the first space-poet. What I’m doing now didn’t really exist.
Q2. What’s a typical day in the working life of Michael?
A. 7am start, coffee, walk daughter to school, squeeze onto the tube, coffee at Monmouth in Borough Market (plug: best coffee in London), a reflective hour before the rest of the team straggle in, then a long surge of work/talk/IM/research/coffee/facebook/doodling/email (interrupted - on a good day - by a nap on the sofa) till 6, then home again, dinner, read bedtime story, bit more work till 11, open a bottle of wine with my girlfriend, crash some time after midnight.
I’m functionally a workaholic.
Q3. What’s the best thing about working in the web industry?
A. Terra incognita. There’s always a new frontier, not just in technology but also in ways of working.
Q4. And the worst?!
A. The democratising power of the web has given a voice to mass stupidity.
Q5. In terms of technologies, what do you think is really exciting right now that could have a big impact on the future of web apps?
A. Facebook Platform is an intriguing pointer to how application aggregation might finally work, if not quite there yet. The iPhone is interesting too.
Q6. Whose work do you admire?
A. I admire Steve Jobs, warts and all. I like his ruthless, even shark-like, perfectionism.
Q7. Messy desk or clean desk?
A. This is what it looks like this morning, but it’s not usually quite this messy. It’s a cyclic thing. There’s a framed portrait of JG Ballard hanging above my desk - a present from the Guardian. Visitors usually assume it’s my father, which I find weird.
Q8. Beer or wine?
A. Wine.
Q9. Mac or PC?
A. Mac. Got a PC too, but use it with gritted teeth.
Q10. Do you have a secret talent?
A. Yes. But everyone knows you should never give away your secret identity, unless it’s necessary to save the city or something.
If you’ve visited the site today, you will have seen that we’ve announced a number of the speakers that are confirmed for the event. We’re so pleased that we’ve got people on board to speak from:-
On a personal note, for us here at Carson Systems, these are the apps we’ve been really excited about over the past year and therefore we can’t wait to have them at the event.
Our conference chairs, Brian and Simon will be posting shortly with more information about the content that we’re planning to cover. If you haven’t previously been to a Future of Web Apps event, we’ve posted an interview with our speakers from Last.fm who spoke at the last event to give you a taster.
If you haven’t already booked your ticket to the event, you can do so by clicking here. We really hope that you’re as excited as we are and now that more of the speakers have been confirmed, we’d love to hear what you think.
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