We hope you’ve made all your arrangements and are ready to jam. To help with that, we’ve answered a few common questions below:

How do I get there?
The Loudermilk Center is in downtown Atlanta, so it’s pretty easy to find. We will have signs with our Web Ninja mascot posted on the sidewalks outside the building, so just follow the ninja. If you need specifics, check out the directions and maps.

I’m staying at the Sheraton. Will there be a shuttle?
The Sheraton is just two blocks away from the Loudermilk so it’s a super-easy walk. Besides, there is a huge shortage of gas here in Atlanta so people are being very conservative on driving around. The Sheraton promised us they will do their best to accommodate everyone, but cannot guarantee the shuttle will be available exclusively for our use.

I want to drive. What about parking?
There is a parking deck attached to the Loudermilk Center. We even negotiated a discounted rate of $5/day for you (it’s usually $10/day — lucky you). Just pull in and let them know you are here for the Jam Session at the Loudermilk.

When can I pick up my badge?
Badge pickup will be open starting at 8:30 a.m. Friday morning. You can pick up your badge at any time during the event after then.

You said free lunch. Are you serious?
Totally. We’ve arranged a buffet-style lunch on both days so you can refuel without having to search the city. There will also be breakfast goodies starting at 8:30am and snacks available throughout the day. (Thanks MailChimp!)

Can I bring my camera or audio recorder?
Sure. Take all the video, photos, or audio recordings you want. Feel free to post photos and media clips online, too! Just don’t post anything over five minutes of video or audio without getting our permission first.

Will there be WiFi available?
Of course! When you arrive, just boot up and look for the network called "Loudermilk". The password is 4046141033.

How can I get updates on what’s happening during the event?
Are you on Twitter? We are! Just follow us, and you’ll stay current with what’s happening. We’ll follow you too — we’re friendly like that. Not on Twitter? Why not? It’s a fast and easy way to stay connected from your mobile phone. Sign up today.

If you have any other questions please let us know.

See you Friday!

The Webmaster Jam Session Team

You might not know who he is, but Eddie Vasquez is one of the most amazing graphic designers working today. Have a look inside the process of making rich, textured, and colorful designs way beyond what you're used to seeing on the Web.

Learn about composition, typography, texture, color balance, and more details about making visuals that will take your Website from bland to grand.

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Everyone knows that the Web is increasingly becoming the glue that connects virtually everything we do together. Sometimes those connection points get ever more elegant, but sometimes our hopes and dreams for the Web get crushed in the reality of scalability and poor business models.

Join Sean Seibel and Chris Bernard from Microsoft as we take a journey into the future and look at what’s next for the Web as we look at how home entertainment, social media, video, imaging, gaming, robotics, services, and new interfaces are profoundly changing the way we use and build for the Web and the devices that use it.

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An often overlooked part of running a Website is e-mail communication. Learn the do’s and don’ts of designing an e-mail for maximum impact. This isn’t just about spam; it’s about creating a clean, effective layout for your messages and putting it in place.

We’ll discuss layout and display issues with different e-mail clients and Web-based services, the benefits of keeping your markup lightweight, how to design around common pitfalls, and more.

About Ben:
Ben Chestnut started a Web development agency called The Rocket Science Group in April 2000, and was in charge of designing intranets, Websites, and other nerdy stuff for clients like Coca-Cola, The Arthritis Foundation, Coleman, and Worldspan.

In 2001, The Rocket Science Group launched MailChimp, an e-mail marketing service built for creatives. MailChimp has since grown to over 45,000 users from all over the globe (including Mozilla, New Riders Publishing, and Harvard University), who manage over 77 million subscribers and deliver over 5 million e-mail campaigns a day.

Have you ever wondered what the pros would change about your Website? What would they add? What would they take away? Well, this is your chance to have some of the Web’s best talent take look at your Website and get their advice.

There is nothing like the feedback of a seasoned pro to help you take your Website from bland to grand. This two-hour, roundtable, open discussion session will have various speakers and other experts breaking down the good and bad of any Website you ask about.

The Panel of Experts: Some of the Web’s best designers and developers like Ethan Marcotte, Jeff Croft, Dan Rubin, Todd Dominey, and others will share their knowledge and opinions about your Website. This is an amazing opportunity, don’t miss it.

Designing a good interface is arguably one of the most difficult aspects of creating a Web application. Balancing user requests, business requirements, and technology makes it difficult to give quality time to the interface. However, a good interface can increase customer satisfaction, reduce support requests, and give your application a leg up on the competition. Time invested in improving the interaction of an application is some of the most valuable time you can commit to the future of your app.

Garrett Dimon will share all the details, both good and bad, from his experience designing and developing his own Web application. He’ll discuss the evolution of features from concept to execution and show the external forces that shaped the ideas along the way. From lessons learned to non-examples, he’ll talk candidly and in depth about the surprising amount of details that can make or break an interface. In addition to sharing his own hands-on experience, he’ll also discuss examples of unique visual, information, and interaction design that break the mold and are taking the latest Web apps to the next level.

About Garrett:
Garrett is on a mission to make the Web a better place. Armed with usability and efficiency, he’s convinced that if it needs instructions, it doesn’t work. That’s why everything he does — from information architecture to site development — is elegant in its simplicity and a complete joy for the user. When he’s not obsessed with usability, he can be found playing basketball or crusading for better content. If it’s about the Web, he’s all over it.

Call it UX, IA, IxD, Content Strategy, whatever — it’s the process of getting from “we need a new Website” to a blueprint for the site that designers, writers, and coders can use to build it.

Most Web developers start by asking their clients, “What do you want on your Website?” Many even have a nice little survey of questions they ask at the start of each project. And most clients aren’t exactly sure how to answer those questions — or they just write down what they think they need without knowing how to figure out what they really need. Sadly, not nearly enough time is spent thinking about who will be using a new site, what they are trying to accomplish, and how the content and functionality you are providing for them should be structured to make everything easy.

To be fair, some people work through this planning process instinctively and have the ideal site mapped out in their head before they get started building it. But unless you have this gift and you’re working with a team of people who can read your mind, you need a process for mapping out the site you plan on building, or at least putting what’s in your head on paper so others can follow along.

This “how to” session will take a look at a number of planning tools and processes that can be used when planning for a new Website. This is not a rigid, “you MUST follow this approach” kind of session — instead, this session will arm you with a set of tools to pick and choose from when working on your own projects. Among the topics for discussion will be competitive/comparative analysis, functionality brainstorming, audience needs analysis, content strategy and prioritization, data structure planning, wireframes, user flow diagrams, and a practical approach to use case scenarios.

The session is geared toward anyone — consultant and client alike — working on a team to launch or relaunch a Website.

About Jason:
He started his career in digital marketing over 12 years ago, designing and developing Websites for oil companies in Houston, Texas. After working as a freelance multimedia designer/developer for many years, he went on to found Deluge Studios, a Web design firm in Memphis, Tenn. In addition to his role as interactive director, he has also held agency positions in interactive product management and client services. This broad range of experience has given him the opportunity to work with clients spanning a spectrum from venture-funded start-ups to Fortune 100 companies across industries as diverse as nonprofit fundraising, industrial manufacturing, and high tech. Notable clients include Nokia, NEC, Dell, AMD, MessageLabs, Seagate, Caterpillar, The Washington Times, McCoy's Lumber, Science Diet, and World Vision.

Most people understand the basics of chess, but merely knowing how the pieces move won’t secure a victory against a master. Likewise, the building blocks of a well-designed Website are common knowledge, but precious few are able to assemble them into something truly remarkable.

Learn how a disciplined perspective from the chessboard can strengthen your approach to design, from reiterating fundamentals to deconstructing problems and solutions in new ways.

About Rob:
Rob Weychert is a graphic designer, artist, writer, and thinker known for neurotically meticulous attention to detail. Since the late 1990s, Rob has designed print and interactive solutions for such disparate clients as Advertising Age, The New York Stock Exchange, Comcast, and Sub Pop Records, among others.

Rob’s education and background in print design has helped him excel at adapting classic graphic design principles to standards-based Web design. His work has won numerous industry plaudits, including a Web Standards Award in 2005. Rob is also known for bringing a unique sense of humor to his work, as seen in the viral phenomenon Virtual Stan.