OK, as my previous post mentioned, I did a presentation for 30 or so students at Edith Cowan University two days ago. They have kindly recorded and podcasted the event for their students, and here’s the result (Right click to save as…);

• Starting your Web Career (mp3, 28 minutes, 6.4mb)
• Starting your Web Career (PDF file, 1.9mb)

I had fun preparing and doing it, and although the audio isn’t 100% perfect, it’s fairly good for just an iPod with microphone. The PDF is an export from Keynote, so imagine some funky transitions in with my average design, and you’ll be set.

I’d be interested in hearing peoples thoughts on both the content and the audio quality, criticism and compliments welcome.

Image: Australian Grasstree and horizon, Mundaring, WA.

Please forgive me, it has been two weeks since my last post.

I do have a fairly valid excuse though, well a few actually. As mentioned in my last post, we had the culmination of nine months of work in the WA Web Awards just over a week ago. I decided in my wisdom that this would be a good time for the physical merger of the two companies into one office, a good time to replace the phone system, hire some new staff and do it all the weekend of the awards.

Then, our already heavy workload was increased by the workload of Cube7 and therefore become crazy insane workload.

Just to fill up those hours when I am not working, moving or planning events, I also have been known to do the occasional presentation. I’m doing my annual presentation for Edith Cowan University tomorrow afternoon, on my fairly regular blog topic, of getting a job in the web industry. So I thought it was a great excuse for some new software.

Well, I got my hands on iWork for the Mac a few weeks ago, just for the snazzy Powerpoint replacement for the Apple called Keynote 3, and baby does this have some cool features. The transitions are cool enough, let alone the presenter display which features the next slide, time elapsed, etc so you know you’re on track, 3D graphs, a stack of cool templates to get you started and more.

Not being the type to follow good presentation tips and be overly prepared, I find myself trying to make the presentation sizzle through overuse of a multitude of slide transitions. Hey, if my content bores the group, the slide transitions will save the day – right?

Mental note: read this, this and this sometime before your next presentation.

Image: Keynote working screen.

Unlike my colleague Simon Wright, I avoid usually talking about how busy I am or have been.

I have to say though, that between being on the organising committee for Western Australia’s largest charity fashion event, STYLEAID, which was held last Friday night, being on the organising committee for the WA Web Awards, which is being held next Friday night, managing a business which is currently expanding and very busy (without the fact we’ve just merged with Cube7 and next weekend will move to our new premises) and being an active father in two children under the age of six makes me a candidate for the title of busy.

It leads me to my next thoughts about how passion drives people to success and that same passion drives people to volunteer their time to worthwhile causes and organisations such as WA Web Awards and STYLEAID.

Without an army of volunteers, neither event would be possible, however those who normally steer the ship, being the committee, are the ones who are likely to be very busy in their lives already.

For instance the WA Web Awards committee, ten folk who have donated many hours over the last six months to put this show together, are a crazy lot. Many of us are already serving on Port 80, and many of us are also business owners. It seems those who volunteer for most of the committees I have ever been on (and there’s a number of them) are already working 55 hours a week before volunteering what little time left to further the industry or help with charity work.

Is it passion, absolute stupidity, or is it just a drive to never sleep? I’m not sure.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have helped the WA Web Awards 2006 be the fantastic night I imagine next Friday night will be. Firstly, there’s the committee, Matt Didcoe, Myles Eftos, Rosanne Sandars, Kay Smoljak, Harry Leith, Simon Wright, Ashul Shah, Steven Hambleton, Piotr (Peter) Dancewicz and Helen Burgess. Then there’s the Judging Chairperson, who is our only link between the committee and judging panel, being Megyn Carpenter and lastly the judges who gave up their valuable time to visit all of the entries. That’d be John Allsopp, Mack Nevill, Matt Voerman, David Trewern and Cameron Adams.

Then there’s the sponsors who came on board, the helpers who will usher people on the night, our MC, Gerry Gannon and our helper with sponsorships, Martin Bain. Not to mention the 120 people who have tickets for the night – thank you.

Organising an event like this takes time and lots of it. Between the 10 of us, we’ve met every month or more recently, every week, we’ve planned, designed, coded and promoted the WAWA’s as well as we have been able to, time permitting.

As with most not for profit organisations, we’re always looking for a hand that can help. The Port 80 AGM is due in a few weeks time (September 6th), and there will be a number of vacancies on the committee that need filling. Between that and the WA Web Awards sub committee, there’s plenty of opportunity for anyone involved in the web industry in WA to get involved.

As the WAWA committee already know, I will be stepping down from the committee after next Friday night, after two years of being involved in the WA Web Awards, and focussing back on being Chairperson of the Port 80 committee. It’s too hard to do both, and the last few months have really been a strain.

Many hands make light work though, and I really encourage you to either speak to a committee member next Friday night, or get involved in Port 80 and nominate yourself for a position on the Port 80 committee – with your help, we can make the web industry an even more exciting place to be.

Image: Photo of retro drinks coasters recently bought in York.