I've created a weblog dedicated to IWMW-2002 so that I can jot down thoughts, ideas, and notes about the event. Not surprisingly the URL is http://duncan.smeed.org/iwmw-2002/

via InstaPundit.Com:

PYRA IS A COOL COMPANY OF 2002 according to Fortune. It's well-deserved. Blogger has its issues, but it almost singlehandedly created the contemporary Blogosphere. Not many companies can produce such a major social change with a single product, especially one that's essentially in beta.

Knowledge Logging and E-Mail

Robb has a lot of excellent insights about knowledge management and I try to follow his posts pretty closely, but Robb also has a habit of ignoring or denigrating worthwhile tools that do not fit into Userland's plans

Like me, Brian thinks Conversant is the bee's knees. Brian's sites are a wonder to behold and illustrate just how powerful and flexible Conversant really is. My site OTOH just scratches the surface - a fact that I'm sure Seth would agree with.

Stopping Spambots: A Spambot Trap - by Neil Gunton

"This document describes my experiences with spambots on my websites, and the techniques I have developed to stop them dead."

Happy belated birthday to CamWorld:

"My very first post was June 11, 1997, in what seems a very long time ago. So much has happened over the years, I am proud to say I'm still around, still writing my weblog the way I want to write it. I want to take this opportunity to thank my loyal readers who have continued to tune in every day, even on days (or weeks!) that I have not posted. As I enter my sixth year of blogging, I have a lot to reflect on. I look back at my posts from a few years ago and see who much I have matured and how much my opinions have changed. I would be a different person without CamWorld; I know that for certain."

In a moment of weakness (madness!? ;-)) I was persuaded to become a member of the programme committee for the Institutional Web Management Workshop 2002. Not only that but I'm facilitating two of the parallel workshop sessions:

Weblogs and Blogs: What Are They? What Can They Be Used For?

Facilitator: Duncan Smeed, University of Strathclyde

Abstract:
This hands-on session will provide participants with an opportunity to make use of Weblog (also known as blogs or bloggers) technologies. The potential for use of such technologies within an institutional context will be discussed. The emphasis in the session will be on the use of weblogs as personal content management systems.

Computer Scientists - A Help Or A Hindrance ;-)!

Facilitator: Duncan Smeed, University of Strathclyde

Abstract:
This discussion group session will provide participants an opportunity to discuss the approaches taken by Computer Science departments. Are here lessons which can be learnt? Can computer scientists be of help to institutional Web managers - or are they more likely to be a hinderance? This session will be led by Duncan - a computer scientist himself!

I'm now in the JIT Compilation phase for the content of these sessions. Feel free to help ;-)

Jonathan Peterson's Way.Nu: Death to Blogs sums up what I believe will be the real theme/content of my 'weblog' session at IWMW-2002:

I'm getting more than a little ready to stop talking about blogs, by the way. Or at least do away with the term. I know blogs haven't even begun to hit the mass market; but the hype-engine is in full swing; forcing conversations about blogs to be about the formats, toolsets, how to write to attract attention, etc. The conversation that we should be having would be driven by what is really revolutionary; the rise of inexpensive, real-time, distributed cross-demographic/geographic/politic conversations that are not ephemeral, and thanks to Google's weighting mechanisms, inherently populist. Continuing to discuss "what is a blog" in technical terms makes the whole thing feel like CB radio.

Distributed conversations and the communities that they create/nurture are the killer app of the internet. Let's talk about why that is revolutionary...

Today I received 'thank-you' e-mails from several of my final project students both of whom have done extremely well in their Honours year. It was a pleasure supervising them. It was also very pleasing to receive their messages of thanks - it's nice to be appreciated.

Good luck to Stephen and Dougie - they'll both do well in their future careers I'm sure.