The full exciting program for Edge of the Web 2009 has now been announced, and you can peruse the fine speakers and their topics over on the Program page.

Now, I could be biased (hey, I’m speaking at the event!) but I truly believe there’s a great line-up of talent, those locals, as well as those coming from both interstate and overseas, to our humble city to share their wisdom at Western Australia’s own web design and development conference.

People like Derek Powazek, who I saw speak in New Zealand earlier this year, Twitter API superstar, Alex Payne and well-known blogger, Anil Dash are visiting Australia for Edge of the Web.

In total, there are 22 kick ass speakers who will entertain, educate and invigorate you to push the web further. Add these to the great workshops and the black tie Australian Web Awards gala event, and you’ve got one great week!

The best part is, if you get in right now and register, early bird pricing is in place until September 15 (that’s right; only a week left!) which means you can save some of your money (hey, spend it on drinks at the number of social events which will also happen around the days before and after, and evenings of, the conference).

Don’t just take my word for it. Hit your favourite micro-blogging platform and ask your colleagues, or search for blog posts reviewing last years event. I’m positive you’ll love being at the Edge of the Web 2009!

Be quick organising those tickets though; the fun begins in only eight weeks time…

Everyone loves a freebie, right? Well, here’s a great freebie – a PDF copy of the book I wrote last year, The Principles of Successful Freelancing.

All you need to do is visit this website, and either follow @sitepointdotcom on Twitter, or put your email address in the box to get a download link.

I’d like to also suggest you follow me on Twitter, whilst you’re at it. :)

Judging by people’s reactions, this 10 day only giveaway will once again be HUGE.

The team at SitePoint did the same thing some time ago, with another book. The result of that twitaway was 13,000 new followers in under a week! That’s a great jump in followers for anyone over any period of time, let alone an increase like that in a week. You can read all about that campaign over at TwiTip.

I hope you enjoy the book (so much so that you’ll buy the real paper version too!), and remember, this only lasts for the next ten days.

Yes, it’s back on again! After the success of previous BarCampPerth events, in 2007 and 2008, BarCampPerth3 will be held on July 18, 2009 at eCentral TAFE.

If you’ve read my last post, Why you should attend two conferences a year, you’ll appreciate why these events are a fantastic opportunity to grow both professionally and personally.

Unlike a traditional conference, you don’t fork out any money, and you don’t get a slick conference bag or even know who is going to present before the event. You are also encouraged not to just sit on a chair all day, but get involved yourself.

A BarCamp is grass roots education and networking at its best. You come along, and offer to help in any way you can. That could be helping hand out name tags, it could be serving coffee, running AV equipment, taking photographs or doing a presentation yourself.

Everyone pitches in to do their bit, and the day turns out to be great. You meet new people, you learn about new topics, and you leave with a new respect for your craft, the work of others, and the ideology of a grass roots quasi-conference.

My experience of the last two Perth ones have been great. I’ve met plenty of passionate people, I’ve heard some great presentations, and I’ve even given one myself. I encourage you to attend BarCamp3 and see what all the fuss is about. It’ll be free entry, free (and fantastic!) coffee and possibly even free lunch as well – who could ask for more than that?