SmashingConf SF Moves to November
Smashing Magazine has postponed its San Francisco conference, originally planned for the coming weeks, to 10th–11th November 2020. The decision was made with the health and safety of attendees, speakers, and staff in mind, as the COVID-19 situation continues to disrupt travel and public gatherings. Ticket holders should have received an email with details; anyone with questions can consult the postponement information page or contact the team directly.
The conference is one of the few times each year when Smashing's fully remote team meets its community in person, making the postponement a difficult call. In the meantime, the organization is exploring virtual alternatives to keep the community engaged while in-person events are on hold.
Remote Work Resources
With many people new to working from home and teams shifting to remote leadership with little notice, practical guidance is in high demand. A roundup of community-shared resources covers both individual and managerial concerns:
- Mark Boulton's “You've Found Yourself Leading A Remote Design Team” draws on years of experience managing distributed teams.
- Linda Eliasen shared a Twitter thread with tips for remote team leadership.
- Holloway released an excerpt from its upcoming guide on morale, mental health, and burnout in remote teams.
- Laurie's “Remote Work For Teams” and Zsolt's guide on switching from in-person to remote UX research address workflow adaptation.
- The Leapers' “Little Guide To… Working Well From Home Under Self-Quarantine For Coronavirus”, Carie Fisher's “Top 10 Pro-Tips For Working Remotely”, and Benedikt Lehnert's “I'm Working Remotely, Now What?!” provide practical tips for newcomers.
- Vice.com offers advice on avoiding the sense of isolation that remote work can bring.
“Wear pants! Otherwise you'll forget and go grab a snack. I don't know that from experience…” — Emma Bostian 🐞 (@EmmaBostian) March 12, 2020
Conference Videos and Podcasts
For those looking to keep learning while at home, Smashing has a full catalog of recorded talks from last year's events, available on Vimeo:
SmashingConf NYC 2019
Watch videos featuring Dan Mall, Brad Frost, Ian Frost, Marcy Sutton, Denys Mishunov, Trine Falbe, Maggie Wachs, Wes Bos, Dina Amin, Harry Roberts, Sara Soueidan, Remy Sharp, Scott Jehl, and Miriam Suzanne.
SmashingConf Freiburg 2019
Watch talks from Guillaume Kurkdjian, Joe Leech, Heather Burns, Uri Shaked, Benjamin Gruenbaum, Anna Migas, Val Head, Rémi Parmentier, Sara Soueidan, Robyn Larsen, Benjamin Hersh, and Philip Walton.
SmashingConf Toronto 2019
Listen to talks from Brad Frost, Sarah Drasner, Phil Hawksworth, Jenny Shen, Kristina Podnar, Steven Hoober, Phil Nash, Dan Rose, Diana Mounter, Scott Jehl, and Chris Gannon.
SmashingConf SF 2019
Watch and learn from Jen Simmons, Jason Pamental, Jeremy Wagner, Katie Sylor-Miller, Miriam Suzanne, Chris Coyier, Darin Senneff, Anna Migas, Sara Soueidan, and Brad Frost.
The Smashing Podcast is also up to episode 11, with new episodes available to subscribe to.
Staying Connected
The situation is evolving quickly, and Smashing is taking things day by day. The team encourages everyone to stay in touch through phone, text, and video chat—and to check in on friends who may struggle with isolation. As the community adapts, the usual online channels become essential for maintaining connections.
