Webblast

The venue sorted, the sponsors lined up, the eventbrite listing almost ready to go and the mail-out poised for release. Full details to be published shortly but the tickets will become available on Wednesday Sept 7, midday, or thereabouts.

If you’re not already on the mailing list you might want to make sure you get on the list as the tickets for this upcoming webBlast, the webBlastSYD September 2011 edition is just around the corner. Sponsored by Campaign Monitor, Happener, Microsoft and Stamford Interactive the spring 2011 edition will be a very warming affair, in part from the drinks and nibbles the sponsors help with but also the fantastic atmosphere created by the attendees. J J Halans has some excellent pics from the previous webBlastSYD in June in case you want to spot yourself in the  crowd.

Everyone is talking mobile this year, and while we’ve been noticing the huge wave of mobile activity for quite some time, it seems the field is quite mature now and the depth of understanding growing. The number of people I’m talking to who are involved in mobile projects has grown rapidly this past year, and I’m sure will continue to take up more of our attention as we get to the end of the year. Interestingly, the number of mobile sites and apps attracting ire has reduced, as more people learn to understand how to construct an experience that makes sense for people using the internet on the go.

All our sponsors this month are very interested in your mobile projects, and your opinions on their mobile projects, so be sure to bring your devices and betas to the party to share and get feedback.Oh and of course the back-channel at @webblastSYD, #webBlastSYD is always open to pre-, during- and post-event discussions as well.

See you there!

Just one more thing…

Oh, and speaking of mobile, one more thing, in the inimitable fashion popularised by Mr Jobs.

As some of you may know, I’m rather keen on two wheeled travel. I decided to put my wheels on the line and join up with 99 other people and raise funds for the very worthwhile organisation, The Black Dog Institute, who are in constant need of financial support due tho the current Australian government’s completely lacklustre investment in mental health. Full details on how to donate are on my own fund-raising site

To fundraise, I’ll be donning lycra and polyester and riding from Sydney to Dubbo, over The Black Mountains.That is 420kM, over three days, over a mountain. Day one: up a mountain, day two: further up the frikkin’ mountain, then over the other side, Day three: no more MoFo mountains thank you, but 115k still to go…. The full details of the route can be found on the organiser’s site, zoo2zoo if you’re interested.

The Black Dog Institute is an educational, research, clinical and community-oriented facility offering specialist expertise in mood disorders – a range of disorders that include depression and bipolar disorder (formerly called ‘manic depression’). The Institute is attached to the Prince of Wales Hospital and affiliated with the University of New South Wales.

Therefore I’ll be asking you to consider supporting my efforts and donate generously to the ride, in order to help the 50% of Australians directly affected by depression and mental health issues.