Archive for February, 2009

wordle

wordle, originally uploaded by The Nerdery.

A wordle image of tweets that contain the #webchallenge hashtag.

Others blogging & reporting about the Overnight Website Challenge

• Live Blogging Overnight Website Challenge
• Overnight Website Challenge: The Planning Beings
• Minnov8 Gang Podcast: Interviews from the Overnight Website Challenge
• Thanks to innovators and decent people, better days ahead
• Someone’s on board with the whole “Turn Up the Radio” thing
• Overnight Website Challenge + Grails
• KARE 11: Needy meets nerdy as nonprofits get an economic boost

Plans start to come together

A Dozen Nerdy Deeds, Getting Started from The Nerdery on Vimeo.

Who are you wearing? A Fashion Report from Web Challenge 09

A few weeks ago Trip Shakespeare my cubemate and the man who spent a great deal of time organizing today’s event was telling me about all the stuff I could be doing to help him, I ignored him. Instead, I asked if I could set up a red carpet outside the University of Minnesota’s Continuing Education Building and shout “What are you wearing” at the nerds and the nonprofits as they came in.

He said no.

But I should have done it anyway, because so many of the teams here have come decked out in custom-made t-shirts displaying their team names with pride.

Thus, I present you some of the best dressed at the Overnight Website Challenge.

Code Cowboys

IMG_2305, originally uploaded by Mark Hurlburt.

The Code Cowboys kept it clean, classy, and basic by sporting a traditional black t-shirt featuring white text. I believe that’s a Pacman ghost featuring a western-style bandana. Yeeha!

Team Inetium

IMG_2301, originally uploaded by Mark Hurlburt.

Team Inetium knows you can never go wrong with a good, old-fashioned, never-goes-out-of-style white t-shirt with black text. The bold black text seems to harken back to the 80s prompting Tim Gunn* to hum a few bars of Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. Clearly a good thing, right?

Ruby.mn 2.2

IMG_2303, originally uploaded by Mark Hurlburt.

After the subdued colors of the Code Cowboys and Team Inetium seeing a shock of scarlet on the Ruby.mn 2.2 team was a delicious change of pace. The irregular border around the square and the gleaming sparkle on the ruby are the kind of details this fashion reporter likes to see.

Praxis

IMG_2302, originally uploaded by Mark Hurlburt.

Call Crocket & Tubbs because the Praxis team is bringing turquoise back, and not a moment too soon as far as we’re concerned. A refreshing break from the traditional black, white, and red of the other teams we would love to see more of these kinds of bold fashion choices on the snow-covered carpet of the web challenge.

Rein in Sarcoma

Rein-In Sarcoma, originally uploaded by The Nerdery.

We would be remiss in our fashion rundown if we did not include the delightfully whimsical ensemble worn by volunteers from the Karen Wyckoff Rein in Sarcoma Foundation. Featuring a merry-go-round horse in gold and royal blue, this shirt turned a lot of heads on the carpet today.

The Official T-shirt of the Overnight Website Challenge 09

Sleep is for the weak, originally uploaded by The Nerdery.

The nerds at Sierra-Bravo who designed this shirt threw caution to the wind and made a bold statement by including both white and red text on a black t-shirt. The shirt is a big winner with nerds and nonprofits alike. Whoever came up with that “Sleep is for the Weak” slogan is definitely one smart cookie.

*Tim Gunn didn’t actually hum a Wham! song upon seeing Team Inetium’s t-shirt. Tim’s not even here, but we like to think that he would hum a little ditty if he were here.

The story begins

Overnight Website Challenge: The Story Begins from Sierra Bravo on Vimeo.

Time Lapse Set Up from The Nerdery on Vimeo.

How they’re judged

DSC_3778, originally uploaded by acgedde.

We had a comment earlier that asked about how the teams were judged and what happens afterward.

First, we have four celebrity judges:
Christine Durand, Director of Communications for the MN Council of Nonprofits
Dan Grigsby, Founder of multiple startups and tech community organizer
Robert Stephens, Found of The Geek Squad
Chris Wiggins, Creative Director of Fallon

In the morning each judge will spend 10 minutes with each team finding out what challenges they faced over the course of the night, what their plans were, and evaluating the new site. After that each team gives a five-minute presentation about the features and functionality of their new site.

Each site is team is judged on:
Website design aesthetic, look-and-feel, and functionality (50 points)
Client satisfaction (25 points)
Commitment of ongoing support (25 points)
Presentation (10 points)

The team with the highest average score wins.

Of course, we think everyone involved is already a winner. Twelve nonprofits are getting badass new websites and the nerds get to do a really good deed for the day. But yes there are most certainly bragging rights on the line.

Stuff We All Get

IMG_2266, originally uploaded by Mark Hurlburt.

Here’s the sweet swag bags we set up for our volunteers, nerds, and nonprofits. Inside is everything they need for an overnight web challenge — alarm clock, toothbrush, pillow, blanket, a water bottle, and a t-shirt. Later, I’ll show you the stuff, it is pretty awesome.

a Pollywog Stew brainstorm

And they’re off

The Nerdy met their needy just over an hour ago. And if you were here you’d see that each team has broken off into small clusters to discuss their strategy and how they’ll tackle the challenges that lay ahead.

For those playing along at home, here’s how they were paired up.

• Access Press is working with the Code Cowboys
• Athletes Committed to Educating Students (A.C.E.S) is working with Model.Citizens
• Battered Women’s Legal Advocacy Project (BWLAP) is working with the Groovy Goolies
• Caring for Kids Initiative (CfKI) is working with Namaste
• District 202 is working with Praxis
• Friends of Fort Snelling is working with Team Inetium
• Global Citizens Network is working with The Kibarian Express
• Hopkins Minnetonka Family Resource Center is working with TC Open Circuit
• Karen Wyckoff Rein in Sarcoma Foundation is working with Team IB (the returning champions)
• Resource Center of the Americas is working with Ruby.MN 2.2
• Students Today, Leaders Forever (STLF) is working with Pollywog Stew
• YEA Corps is working with the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Extra Awesome (no lack of self-esteem in that group)

Following along at home with the Overnight Website Challenge

Your intrepid Nerdery blogger will be up all day, all night, and the next morning covering the events of the Overnight Website Challenge. Since I know a lot of you wish you could be there but can’t, here are the myriad of ways you can stay up to date on the very latest in sleep-deprived hijinks:

• Subscribe to Inside the Nerdery’s RSS Feed
• Join the Overnight Website Challenge 09 Flickr Group
• Follow Web Challenge on Twitter
• Subscribe to the RSS feed for the #webchallenge Twitter Search
• Watch us on Vimeo

Challenge participants, add your Twitter names and blogs in the comments.