Mozilla, the group of developers who brought us the best web browser in the world (Firefox), has launched a new website called the Mozilla Creative Collective. Actually, it’s more than just a website, it’s a movement. To better explain what it is, I have borrowed this statement from the MCC’s about us page: “We believe in the power of well-made and widely distributed art, and want to make it possible for artists to cover the web with designs inspired by Mozilla and the principles we stand for.” For even more detailed information, check out the post below that was originally posted on the official Mozilla blog.

The Mozilla Creative Collective is Here! Join us.

by Tara Shahian

I’m excited to announce the initial beta release of the Mozilla Creative Collective, the official new home and hub of activity for our visual design community. The goal of the Creative Collective is to use art as a means for spreading Firefox and sharing the Mozilla story in new ways.

Building communities is a big part of what Mozilla is all about, and key to our success as an organization. We have dedicated communities that contribute to nearly every aspect of Mozilla – from software development, to extensions, to localization, to marketing, and more – but an area that’s traditionally lacked an organized community is visual design. And because art is such a powerful form of communication, we’re harnessing that with the Creative Collective.

Mozilla actually has a long history with community design. Successful past projects such as the Firefox 3 t-shirt, Mozilla Mexico logo design contest and Personas are just a sampling of our community’s creative energy – and demonstrate the growing level of interest among people who are eager to contribute.

On the Creative Collective site, artists can create personal profiles, share their work in a public gallery, connect and collaborate with others from around the world, and much more. There’s also a variety of social features, such as a system of achievement badges, to make the experience more fun for everyone.

An important feature that’s not yet available (but will be added soon) is the Design Challenge, which will prompt members to submit design solutions based around a particular theme. Although the feature hasn’t been formally introduced to the site, we’re already reaching out to artists to help support Mozilla Service Week with creative designs that inspire action. If you’re looking for an initial way to get involved, be sure to check that out.

As noted earlier, the site is still in beta so we’re eager to hear your feedback. If you have suggestions on how to improve the site, please don’t hesitate to share them with us. We’ll be making tweaks and adding new features over time, and are counting on the community to help guide the project’s future direction. So, make sure to check back often, or follow our tweets, for updates. Looking forward to seeing you on the Creative Collective!

* Huge thanks to the amazing team that made this all possible: John Slater, Jeff Zeller, Mike Morgan, Ryan Snyder, Craig Cook, Ryan Doherty, Greg Storey, Ethan Marcotte, Stephen Caver, Helenita Johnson, Stephanie Schonauer, Studio Number One, Stephen Donner, Krupa Raj, Raymond Etornam, Shyam Mani, Catherine Brady and Paul Kim. And everyone else who contributed their feedback during the design process. *

What is WordCamp?
From the WordCamp Birmingham about page:
“Take some passionate WordPress users and folks interested in blogging from throughout Alabama and the Southeastern United States. Add an incredible weekend of activities already happening here in The Magic City and of course, barbecue!

Throw in a keynote by Automattic founder Matt Mullenweg and you get WordCamp Birmingham 2009!

Join WordPress users from all over as we come together as enthusiasts, bloggers, developers, podcasters and designers to learn more about where our favorite open source software currently is and where it’s possibly going.”

As a WordPress newbie, I plan on attending WordCamp Birmingham and cannot wait to see what all they have in store. I know it will be a great learning experience, and the list of speakers is already quite impressive. I also noticed (and wondered if this was by design) that this event falls on a weekend where the SEC college football match ups are not very compelling. Saturdays during the college football season are most often dedicated to spending quality time with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso. I guess they will just have to do without me for one Saturday.

I had the opportunity to hear Brandon Eley speak at the IPSA (that’s Internet Professionals Society of Alabama) meeting this past Thursday. Who is Brandon Eley you ask? From the about page on his website, “Brandon Eley is the Interactive Director for Kelsey Advertising & Design, owner of large shoe retailer 2BigFeet.com, and author of Online Marketing Inside Out. Brandon is an author, blogger and speaker on e-commerce, online marketing and mobile web development. He’s considered a leader among his peers and was named the “2008 E-Commerce Guru of the Year” by SitePoint.com, an online community of website professionals and developers with more than 300,000 members worldwide.” Eley’s presentation was an overview of the topics covered in his book Online Marketing Inside Out. The book has been described as a great resource for people who want a no-hype understanding on the how and why of online marketing. I thoroughly enjoyed his presentation, and I was one of the lucky winners of his book. I am looking forward to reading it and all of the learning that I anticipate will follow.