But we’ve got a problem. We came up with a fun theme (Zombie Apocalypse!) to make the workshop interesting, but we’ve heard people were reluctant to register for the workshop because they didn’t get it.

Since we heard about the registration problem, we’ve lept into action:

• We’ve rewritten the workshop description so it is clearer what people will learn at the workshop.
• We’ve posted a fun preview of the talk. The preview made me giggle multiple times when I read what Lyza had wrote.
• We’re here asking for your help.

We need your help getting the last minute word out. If you can take a moment to share the event, we would appreciate it. Particularly if you know people in New York who would benefit, we would be grateful if you pass the word onto them directly.

And of course we have discounts to share

WebVisions has provided us with a way to save 40% on conference passes. There are two options:

1. Save 40% off a conference pass, get a FREE pass to Thomas Phinney’s “Web Typography Best Practices” workshop ($250 value) and a 60-day unlimited WebINK account (register at http://wvnyc-webink.eventbrite.com/), OR
2. Save 40% on conference passes to WebVisions NYC and receive a FREE Workshop pass ($250 value) to Kevin Hoyt’s “Web Standards Playground” (register at http://wvnyc-adobe.eventbrite.com/).

I honestly had to read that a few times to make sure I understood the deal correctly. Seriously, 40% off and you get a free workshop? My guess is that Adobe and WebINK are helping sponsor the discounts which is pretty cool way to get into a workshop and save money.

WebVisions is a fantastic event

WebVisions is new to New York, but it has been going on in Portland for several years now. It always has fantastic speakers and the line up in New York is no different. Please help us make the event a success.

Thanks in advance for spreading the word. We greatly appreciate it and promise we’ll be less cutesy and more descriptive in our workshop abstracts from now on.

John and his co-founders at Lucid Meetings set out to make meetings that don’t suck. We’ve complained for years about rudderless meetings with no agenda, no leader and no follow up.

They decided to do something about it.

So Lucid Meetings started out focused on providing a way for people to set agendas, focus meetings, and take action items out of the meeting. Over the last year, it has grown into much more than that including:

• Meeting minutes
• Screen sharing and pdf presentations
• Time tracking to keep people on task
• Voting on motions and recording of decisions
• Integrated conference calling

It is the last one that they’ve made big improvements on today. They’ve just shipped:

• Free toll calling for every room up to 50 participants
• Volume discounts for businesses that want to switch over

Those may not seem like a big deal on the surface, but the changes are huge because the combined solution is better than current web sharing and collaboration software at a price that is significantly cheaper.

Basically, you get something better and save money. Pretty much a no brainer if you’re doing any web conferencing or running remote meetings. Check it out.

What’s even more exciting for me is that all of this has been built by a small team with hard work and passion. They’ve had no outside investment. And they’ve built something that I think will have a big impact.

I’m very excited by what they’ve done thus far and what they’ve got planned on their roadmap. Congratulations to John and the Lucid Meetings team!

If you’re interested in mobile web, you should strongly consider must attend this event. The speaker lineup is fantastic. But it isn’t just the speakers. All of the attendees are people who are focused on mobile web. I learned a lot from everyone I spoke to.

And while the Gaylord hotels where the conference is held are crazy huge biodomes, they have a hidden advantage in that everyone ends up staying together for meals which means that the conference experience continues long after the sessions.

We’re putting our money where our mouth is. We’re a small company and sending everyone is a pricy endeavor. But we think so highly of this conference that we’re doing it. I can’t think of a stronger endorsement that we could make.

Tomorrow is the deadline for early bird registration. Register today because this is one conference you don’t want to miss!

We’re looking for an enthusiastic mobile developer to join our team: someone who falls on the engineering side of the development spectrum, but is also comfortable with front-end technology.

We’re a small agency focused on building mobile and web solutions for our customers. We believe in cross-platform solutions and advocate a mixture of mobile web, native, and hybrid approaches to mobile development depending on the project objectives.

Our ideal candidate is someone who is flexible, open to new technologies, and a quick learner. Mobile is fast-paced and constantly changing. We’re looking for someone who sees opportunities and challenges amongst the many different mobile devices and their inconsistent behavior.

Cloud Four was founded in November 2007 by four mobile and Web enthusiasts. Our mission is to create usable, inspired mobile and web applications using standards-based technologies. Our clients range from Fortune 500 companies to local businesses, and our projects vary in audience and scope accordingly.

This is a full time position on-site in lovely Portland, Ore. We offer benefits including medical, dental, vision, and IRA.

Job Description

• Research, identify and document client technical requirements.
• Determine and identify appropriate technologies to be used.
• Assist with developing technical project schedules, plans, task assignments and time estimates.
• Assist in strategic planning and requirements gathering.
• Program mobile applications and build mobile web sites.
• Be a positive and enthusiastic contributor to our team.
• Actively, consistently communicate with team members about project process and progress.

Our ideal candidate is:

• able to create a concise, clear plan of action from multiple input sources and stakeholders; flexible and responsive to changes in requirements and scope.
• self-directed; takes an ownership role of complex projects.
• strategy-focused and creative; excited to face new challenges and learn new skills.
• deadline-driven and steadfast about meeting commitments to customers.
• invigorated by learning new technologies and solving new problems.
• an excellent communicator, with the ability to comprehend and articulate technical concepts, both verbally and in writing.
• an independent learner who can quickly apply new skills productively.
• enthusiastic about the job; enjoys solving customer needs.
• a straightforward, honest, team player.
• able to effectively prioritize multiple task.
• comfortable working in a small, start-up environment.

Skills and experience we’re seeking:

• 3-5+ years of relevant technical experience or related background
• Extensive experience with cross-platform JavaScript and DOM scripting
• HTML5, XHTML, CSS
• Server- and client-side web site or application programming (more engineering than design)
• device detection for mobile web
• PhoneGap or other hybrid mobile app development
• iPhone and/or Android development
• Strong problem solving and analysis skills
• Strong competency in web technologies and development
• BA/BS or equivalent

To Apply

Email your cover letter and resume to jobs@cloudfour.com. No recruiters please.

From the very first conversation we had with HauteLook, we were impressed with how they were approaching their mobile strategy and how their infrastructure was built in a way that gave them flexibility to support new devices via robust APIs.

One of the things we talk to customers about is what I refer to as the email problem. It isn’t so much a problem as a user scenario.

Someone sees something that you offer that they are interested in sharing with someone else. Maybe they email a link to their spouse. Or they share it on Facebook or Twitter.

What happens when they follow that link? They go to your web site. What is the experience like if the person is on a mobile device? Is that experience representative of your brand?

This is especially important for companies that have social media campaigns. Links are social media currency.

The challenge is to make sure that when a customer reaches your site that

• no matter what device they are using,
• no matter where they are in the world

that you provide them with the best possible experience.

HauteLook got this from the very beginning. They wanted to support as many mobile phone users as possible.

To that end, the m.hautelook.com can be used on everything from feature phones with screens as narrow as 128 pixels to images optimized for the iPhone 4′s retina display.

Every morning, HauteLook members receive emails letting them know what the sales are that day. Those links point to the desktop web site. But when those links are viewed on a mobile device, you get a mobile-optimized version of the same page.

The email blast also triggers a morning rush of traffic. The traffic spike is significant enough that performance was key. John and Lyza spent a lot of time working on both the front and backend to make sure the site was fast under the heaviest of loads.

And mobile web is only one part of HauteLook’s mobile strategy. They worked with our friends at Small Society to create an iPhone app for HauteLook members that offers features like push notifications and reminders.

There’s a lot more to this project than can fit in a single post. Everyone at Cloud Four helped in some way to make the site a success. There are lessons from this project that we can’t wait to share.

But for the moment, we just want to thank HauteLook for the opportunity to work with them on such a great project and to thank those people on twitter who have given positive feedback. Nothing made us happier than seeing comments like this one from a Blackberry user who said:

That’s why mobile is amazing. Provide a great mobile experience and your customer will not only use it, but they’ll love you for it!

(This was supposed to be a short post, but I got excited about all the cool speakers and wrote too much. So skip to the bottom to find out how to get a limited number of 15% discount codes for registration.)

I’ve attended a lot of conferences over the last few years. The conferences I’ve attended either have a broader focus and if I’m lucky, they have a mobile track. Some simply have have a session or two on mobile.

Other conferences that are focused on mobile tend to be of two different types. They are either focused on one platform exclusively (e.g., Apple’s WWDC) or are older conferences focused on telecoms (e.g., CTIA).

I’ve enjoyed the majority of the conferences I’ve attended so I can’t complain much about the format. But what has me excited about Design4Mobile is that it is the only conference I know of that is focus on mobile design and user experience. Four days of in depth conversations on these topics.

The conference is organized by Barbara Ballard and Little Springs Design who have been working on mobile design long before the iPhone. They are experts who I follow closely.

That alone would be enough, but come on, the speaker list is just insane. Here are just a few highlights:

• Josh Clark, Global Moxie and author of Tapworthy: Designing Great iPhone Apps — I saw Josh speak at SXSW long before I met him on Twitter or knew of his book. His session was the best one I saw. Phenomenal.
• Suzanne Ginsburg, Ginsburg Design and author of Designing the iPhone User Experience: A User-Centered Approach to Sketching and Prototyping iPhone Apps — I saw Suzanne speak earlier this year in Seattle before her book was published. She interviewed a lot of designers and developers in the process of developing her book so it’s great to hear the stories of how different people tackle problems.
• Scott Jenson, Mobile UX Designer at Google — Scott was on a panel with Barbara Ballard at SXSW. He has a practical approach to mobile, has a quick wit, and was talking about how phone can be used without taking them out of your pocket which I found fascinating.
• Corey Pressman, Exprima Media — It’s strange to look forward to seeing someone speak who works down the hall from you, but Corey spoke last week at Mobile Portland and I learned two things. 1. I learned just enough about his thoughts on mobile in education and the future of textbook publishing to want to know more. 2. That he is an excellent presenter and very funny.
• Katrin Verclas, MobileActive — I admire Katrin and her work at MobileActive so much. It is this sort of work that inspires me for what mobile technology can mean for society.
• Luke Wroblewski, Entrepreneur in Residence at Benchmark Capital — I saw Luke speak at Web Visions a few years ago before he got bitten by the mobile bug. His talk was full of both data and insights. Can’t wait to hear more of his thoughts on mobile and try to figure out what his is up to next (ssshhh… It’s a secret!)

And there are many more people I can’t wait to see. I’ve meant to write this for quite some time to say simply, if you are interested in mobile—particularly mobile design—this is the conference you should attend.

I have a limited number of 15% off registration codes for the conference. If you are interested in a code, please leave a comment or fill out the contact form and I’ll send it to you.

I hope to see you in Chicago!

One of the conferences I’m looking forward to the most is the Voices that Matter: iPhone Developers conference on April 24-25 in Seattle.

Why am I looking forward to it? A few reasons:

• There are some great speakers like Erica Sadun (who I had the pleasure of meeting at Foo Camp and is an absolutely brilliant iPhone developer), Aaron Hillegass, August Trometer, Suzanne Ginsburg, Erik Buck, Michael Daley, Joe Conway, Jonathan Rentzsch, Kevin Avila, and the list goes on.
• The schedule looks very focused and intensive. It is focused on getting people up to speed on building apps.
• It is only three hours away in Seattle so I get to see my Seattle friends and attend the conference.
• It is the only conference on my schedule that I’m NOT speaking at. I’ll actually get to relax and enjoy this one!

If you’re interested in attending the conference, I recommend signing up soon. The early bird rates end on March 12th and the conference organizers gave us a discount code that they said I could share with Mobile Portland and readers of our blog. The priority code PHBLOGS saves you $100 off the registration.

If you sign up before the early bird rate ends and use the discount code, the conference only costs $395 which is a great price for a two day conference. If you end up attending, please say hello.

–

In the interest of full disclosure, the conference organizers have given me a complimentary pass. As a general rule, when people offer discounts or good deals to Portland’s mobile community, I like to pass it on. I’ve done so in the past for other conferences and webinars that seem relevant.

While the complimentary pass is unrelated to passing on this information to you (I would would have shared it regardless), I thought it was important to disclose.

I’m looking forward to talking about the iPad. We had a great panel last month at Mobile Portland on the iPad that I moderated. I tried my best not to jump in and offer my opinion (sometimes succeeding better than other times). It will be fun to be able to talk iPad without trying to be a neutral moderator.

In addition, I’m going to be on a panel moderated by Carlo Longino of MobHappy at Mobile Monday Austin on Monday evening.

Immediately preceding the panel, Barbara Ballard of Little Springs Design will give a presentation on Mobile User Experience Design. Barbara is one of the leaders in mobile design. Her book and blog are must reads.

The Mobile Monday event is only a couple of blocks from the center of SXSW so you have no excuse not to be there!

Finally, if you’re also going to be in Austin for SXSW, I’d love to meet you. Either connect with me via the SXSW site, Twitter, or contact me directly.

This week is the ASAE Technology Conference & Expo 2010 in Washington D.C. and Cloud Four is going to the conference for the first time.

Despite the snowpocalypse plaguing the city, John arrived safe in D.C. earlier today after a long flight from our home base in Portland, Oregon.

He’ll be in town all week. If you’re at the conference, we please say hello. If you’d like to set up a specific time to meet with John, please contact us or connect with John via Twitter.

While on our blog we mostly talk about mobile, we also do a fair amount of traditional web site development work.

In particular, we’ve helped many standards-setting organizations and associations like JEDEC with their public web sites.

JEDEC came to us with substantial issues that needed to be addressed. The current site had long outgrown its information architecture and had three different navigation systems and site maps.

We performed a full content audit and combined web analytics with information architecture analysis to create a new site structure that focused on helping people find information more quickly.

In particular, web analytics showed that the majority of people coming to the site wanted to download standards. The new design brings the search interface right onto the newly designed home page.

The search interface was reworked to provide people with the ability to narrow their searches. When documents are uploaded to the site, they automatically show up on the related committee pages and other sections of the site where the documents are relevant.

We worked with JEDEC to define technology focus areas that help people new to the organization understand the current hot topics for the organization and get a quick sense about what JEDEC does. These technology focus pages are all dynamic are constantly updating with new information as documents, press releases, and events are added.

We also collaborated with other vendors to integrate event data coming from another system and to provide a single-sign on strategy with a membership management system.

Perhaps most importantly, we had a great time working with JEDEC and its staff. In particular, Emily Desjardins and Arnaud Lebegue became part of our extended team over the last few months. We’re grateful for the opportunity to work with them and to see their vision come to finally come to life.