Monday, December 17, 2007

Conference dates and venue confirmed!

Hot on the heels of news about the website - we have fantastic news regarding the conference!

I'm absolutely delighted to now confirm the dates and venue for the 2008 Arlis/ANZ conference: "Cultural Connections: MySpace is an ArtSpace"

Dates: Thurs/Fri, 9th and 10th of October 2008 (plus an optional Saturday morning event)
Venue: Queensland State Library

Registrations and a call for papers will open early in the new year.

Minimal details are listed on the current Arlis/ANZ website, including contact details for enquiries, but basically, we are hoping to advertise and manage the conference through the new Arlis/ANZ website - due for full implementation early in the new year.

So stay tuned! The new year promises to be full of exciting developments on both fronts!

Friday, December 14, 2007

Website is go!

Hello all - my apologies for the span of time between the last update and this.

In my last entry I promised a view of various website designs for your perusal - well, things moved more swiftly than we could have anticipated, and in the end the Arlis/ANZ Web Team had to fit in with the assessment schedule and needs of the student teams working on our project. This meant that we were not able to provide snapshots of the competing designs for your perusal and feedback.

Three student teams worked on our project, each offering a solution with various strengths and features. The Arlis/ANZ Web team assessed the solutions in terms of design, functionality and fit for our needs, during a formal presentation at the end of the project. We were closely involved all throughout the development process, so had a solid understanding of which sites were meeting our needs as the project progressed, and we also sought advice from the industry professionals supervising the students.

There was a clear winner! And you can see a functional prototype of the winning design here: http://www.sk8battle.com/arlis/

The students have already won awards for their work on our site, and have been getting more work from it. Everyone is thrilled with the outcome!

Now then, if you look at the site, be aware that some content and functionality is not yet finalised on this prototype. For instance, you'll notice that some of the member profiles are mock-ups, and that some of the functions, such as online payments, are not yet 'turned on'.

The Arlis/ANZ Executive has endorsed the design for implementation, and the Web Team are now moving steadily toward that goal.

We will be working with the students during December and January to complete the site and prepare it for implementation - ready to advertise the 2008 conference!!

Enjoy!