I got my start on the web in 1995. By 1997, I was knee-deep in community management – rallying supporters, meeting people with shared interests and collaborating on content with people around the world. And we did it with the web *cough*geocities & tripod*cough*

This week is the world wide wonderful web’s 25th birthday, and also in much smaller news, the end of our 2014 #PSEWEB Call for Speakers. In our Call for Speakers, I see a trend that delights modern Melissa’s heart but breaks the heart of 1997 mini-Melissa. Social media is so hot right now. And it’s actually not. Facebook is ten years old, MySpace got a makeover and signing up for Instagram is so three years ago – these sites have been here for a long time. Our Call for Speakers has received incredible sessions that cover both the web and social media, but as it has been every year – social media is dominating with more and more sessions than we are receiving from our beloved webbies.

So here is my question to you, dear webbies. What did you do this year? What are you excited about? Are you rethinking your web strategy or template? How did the implementation of web accessibility requirements in Ontario go? Have you gone responsive and if so, how?? What new technologies  & strategies are you implementing on the WEB? Are you getting into content delivery networks, sprites, SVG images? Did you blow up multiple department websites and combine all the content into something new and awesome? (You know you want to).

My world is heavy on social media these days but I still approach every campaign with “what’s up with the landing page?” Web is our foundation. It’s the best of us in so many ways. If you work in web, please get your butt over to our Call for Speakers and send in a session about your Project of the Year or the new strategy or technology that you are reading up on (I often use conference sessions as a way to force myself to research something that will otherwise get back-burnered by day to day tasks). If you are a social media kid like me these days, please take a minute to a) thank a webbie for all they do, and b) let them know about #PSEWEB and encourage them to showcase their great work by presenting at the conference.

Thank you, webbies! Thank you, socialites! Together we are #teamawesome!