The Webstock conference was founded in 2005 by a small non-profit group of enthusiasts. The inaugural event took place in 2006. Speakers at the four-day conference included Russel Brown (media commentator and the owner of the Public Access blog community), Ben Gooder (former lead developer of Firefox and Google Chrome developer), Joel Spolsky (software engineer and author of the Joel on Software blog), Kathy Sierra (American game developer and programming instructor), and other web tech professionals.
The program of Webstock covers a variety of web-related topics. For example, Webstock 2017 featured talks and presentations on artificial intelligence and autonomous infrastructures, inclusive design, digital government, accessible technology, IndieWeb, edge computing, information architecture, design thinking, leadership, and more.
All talks are filmed, and as soon as the conference is over, all videos are uploaded to Webstock website, where anyone can watch them. The Webstock team publishes these talks in the spirit of good web citizenship, hoping that they will educate and inspire as many people as possible, including those who haven’t been able to attend the conference for one reason or another.
Alongside talks, the program of the conference features detailed, hands-on workshops from some of the best industry practitioners. Webstock workshops provide a unique opportunity to learn from experienced developers and designers. Note that workshops require pre-registration and have a separate admission fee.
Due to Webstock’s popularity and high registration fee, not everyone can attend the conference. With that in mind, the organizers offer 10 full scholarships to the conference which cover registration to the main event. However, scholarships do not cover admittance to workshops or traveling and accommodation costs. To apply for a scholarship, one needs to submit an application and convince the organizers that they are a deserving scholarship recipient.
Photo: mice.net.au
