[Foss4g2009] Websites

[Paul Ramsey]

IMO, the O'Reilly sites are a gold standard for conference sites..

http://conferences.oreillynet.com/os2007/

The GeoWeb site isn't bad either:

http://geoweb.org/

The key (again, IMO) is keeping the navigation visible and easy to
understand at all times (to the left), and thinking about who your
audience is: paying customers.  Remove friction points (like logins)
wherever possible.

What do I need to know, as a customer, in order to decide to spend
money on this conference?

- What is this conference about?
- What are some examples of the kinds of talks I would see?
- Who is coming? Anyone important? What do they know? Why are they important?
- When is it? Where is it? How much does it cost?

Other stuff should get lower billing.  Some things, like sponsorship
banners, help provide 3rd party validation of "importance" and
"relevance".  The value of having Google's logo on the site as a
sponsor is actually higher for FOSS4G than it is for Google (shhh,
don't tell them).

Best,

Paul