| Re: [eclipse.org-eclipsecon-program-committee] Re: EclipseCon sitelooks like a freak show |
Thanks Mike for explaining this.
It is hard to argue against being "cool" but I now realize that the current EclipseCon web page turns me off because I am European, not because I lack humor.
Looking at similar conference websites (e.g. ApacheCon, O'Reilly conferences), I don't get the same "freak show" impression. By the way, ApacheCon uses a non-design very similar to EclipseCon, so maybe that's OK.
So in an attempt to avoid being negative, here is what I would do:
- Make the EclipseCon blurb ("EclipseCon is the premier technical and user conference focusing on..") stand out more. Could be as simple as a border, see http://us.apachecon.com/c/acus2008/
- Place a single photo from past EclipseCons below that blurb, to capture visually why you would want to be at EclipseCon. Even better would be a slideshow, slowly cycling between photos like the following (just examples):
audience: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33725200@N00/2343902736/
lounge: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33725200@N00/2340528713/
lunch: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33725200@N00/2340857341/
foosball: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33725200@N00/2345070928/
bar: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33725200@N00/2347330892/
- Put the keynote information below that, but still above the fold for common screen resolutions.
I have tried to mock up what I mean (see the attached screenshot). By de-emphasizing the keynote speaker photos, the "freak show effect" is greatly reduced, at least to my European eye.
Boris
(See attached file: eclipsecon-alternative-website.png)
Peter Kriens wrote on 10/27/2008 05:10:13 AM:
> I had not thought about this, but I agree as a European I definitely
> recognize myself in your description :-)
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Peter Kriens
>
> On 26 okt 2008, at 04:48, Mike Milinkovich wrote:
>
> >
> >> Hmm, so these pictures are what "cool" is?
> >
> > I would like to point out to all that I have noticed a striking
> > cultural
> > difference between North American and European attitudes towards these
> > attempts of "cool". What seems to be accepted in N.Am. as either
> > "cool" or
> > at least "humorous" appears to be, well, ummm, somewhere between
> > childish
> > and just plain stupid to the Europeans. It's a pattern I've seen
> > repeated
> > several times in the past little while.
> >
> > I'm not saying this to impact whatever decision the program
> > committee makes.
> > I'm just trying to raise awareness of what appears to me to be
> > culturally-based differences of opinion.
> >
> > And given that about 40% of EclipseCon attendees have historically
> > been
> > European, a little cultural sensitivity would not be misplaced ;-)
> >
> > I promise to shut up now :-)
> >
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> program-committee
>
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