Date for your diary.

Good news everyone! Not only are you reading this in my voice but Barcamp Canterbury 2012 will be on the weekend of the 28th and 29th April. More details coming soon!

Sponsorship: Mozilla

Mozilla is, proudly, a non-profit organisation dedicated to keeping the power of the web in people’s hands. It is a global community of users, contributors, and developers, working to innovate on your behalf. When you use Firefox you become part of that community, helping them build a brighter future for the web.

This will not be the first time Mozilla sponsors a BarCamp and will likely not be the last. However it is the first time Mozilla is sponsoring BarCamp Canterbury; BarCamps being open, participatory, events provided by participants that strongly reflect the way Mozilla operates. It is my great honour to be able to say that Mozilla will be sponsoring such a great event.
— William Duyck (Mozilla Rep)

What Mozilla does

Mozilla creates great software like the Firefox browser and builds movements, like Drumbeat, that give people tools to take control of their online lives.
As a non-profit organization, Mozilla defines success in terms of building communities and enriching people’s lives instead of benefiting shareholders, and believes in the power and potential of the Internet, wanting to see it thrive for everyone, everywhere.
Building a better Internet is an ambitious goal, but it is possible when people who share Mozilla’s passion get involved. Coders, artists, writers, testers, surfers, students, grandparents — anyone who cares about the web can help make it even better. Find out how you can help.

Sponsorship: SciVisum

We would like to extend a huge THANK-YOU to SciVisum for Sponsoring Barcamp Canterbury again this year! Please take the time to read about the exciting and innovative work that SciVisum is involved with  and also visit their website: http://www.scivisum.co.uk/index.php

Established in 2003, SciVisum has grown to become a significant player in the UK Web and Application Testing market, working nationally with a range of clients from SMEs to Blue Chips, but retaining local roots in the historic heart of Canterbury.

The company has strong links to the Universities and has provided both internships and industrial year placements for Canterbury students, as well as offering opportunities for graduates and PhDs to be involved in world-class software development processes, using the best open-source tools.

As websites become more functionally complex and possible user actions become more varied, fluid and dynamic, it is imperative that testing and monitoring keeps pace with technological evolution. Monitoring software needs to behave like a user, not a program, interacting with a site’s unique combination of code and applications and reporting on the experience.

SciVisum’s portfolio of monitoring and testing services provide clients with a uniquely in-depth analysis of how their code and systems are performing, allowing the Business and Marketing managers to take control of the ongoing Customer Experience. This approach helps clients focus on reducing lost sales online, by continual improvement of evidence based User Experience metrics. With everyone in the business able to see the same, intuitive, reporting making informed decisions when budgeting, planning or dealing with issues becomes easier, faster and more effective.

SciVisum's success is the result of the combination of its in-house developed test engine, which provides flexible and fast scripting for complex multi-page Dynamic User Journey web site testing, together with the experience of our expert web testing team.

http://www.scivisum.co.uk/index.php

Sponsorship: Deeson

Barcamp Canterbury is pleased to announce our latest sponsor for the 2012 event is Deeson ONLINE. 

Some Information about Deeson:

Deeson ONLINE are pleased to sponsor BarCamp 2 Canterbury. As leading Canterbury-based digital designers and developers, they have been developing websites and providing consultancy since 2001, specialising in open source platforms such as Drupal content management system and Magento e-commerce. Clients include charities, celebrities, universities and multi-national companies. They have also helped BBC Worldwide, Future Publishing and major consumer brands in achieving online objectives. Locally, they have recently provided digital solutions for organisations including Shepherd Neame, Kent Cricket and the Salvation Army.

A seamless, online user experience can be provided through web, e-campaigns, social media, news digests and blogs, integrating with offline campaigns as part of the Deeson Group. Their reputation for quality and service is endorsed by ISO9001 and Investors in People accreditations. 

Key ONLINE services include: 

• Web design and build 

• E-commerce 

• Information architecture 

• Drupal training and consultancy 

• Emarketing and mobile campaigns 

• Performance testing and optimisation 

• Content creation

Sponsorship: Development Island

Fantastic news....Development Island has once again sponsored BarCamp Canterbury's. We are very pleased and proud to be associated with this fantastic, local hosting company, so please take the time to go and check out their website: http://www.devisland.net/

Some information about Development Island:

A hosting company with a difference

Based in Kent, we have been providing website hosting services to businesses and the public since 2002.

Our aim is to make it as easy as possible for users to be able to develop and deploy applications on the internet. We cater for Java, Perl, PHP, Python and even C/C++ programs with MySQL or PostgreSQL database support. Check out the features page for a complete list of supported technologies. Prices are charged on a monthly basis, so for as little £1 a month you can have a website waiting for you to develop on. 

BarCamp Canterbury 2012 is Coming...

Arrangements have started and we are aiming to host the event around Easter 2012. If you helped last year, expect an email soon!

Watch this space...

Loads of prizes

This post relates to barcamp 2011, more after the break.