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BarCamp and other unconferences

trogdor9trogdor9
edited April 2012 in Technology
So I just got back from BarCamp Rochester today. It was for the most part a pretty enjoyable and educational experience.

For those not in the know, BarCamp is a participant-driven "unconference" in which every attendee does a talk, in which they teach a course, show off their work, or otherwise lecture about something nerdy. Read more on Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BarCamp

The toughest part (other than doing a talk, which is relatively easy if you actually know what you're talking about and aren't deathly afraid of public speaking) for me was figuring out what talks to go to. I went to a few boring talks, and some really interesting ones, and from what I heard about a few other talks that I missed, they were really interesting. It seems like a solvable problem, but it's up to the people running the event to actually execute that.

Anyway, has anyone else been to a similar sort of event?

Comments

  • SchnevetsSchnevets
    edited April 2012
    NYU hosted last year's Students for Free Culture conference. I was only able to attend the unconference on the second day, but it was a hoot. On an impulse, I suggested leading a discussion on open source edutainment which ended up doing alright, although little panned out from it. I definitely could have planned things more.

    I dug the format and the approachability of it all, however. In addition, it seems to contribute a real sincere vibe, where you can openly suggest that something is wrong. I remember a talk on making Free Culture more approachable as well as one on meshnets that brought out some interesting suggestions. There were differences in opinions and there were controversial suggestions, but everything remained composed and civilized.

    I have also been eagerly waiting for some updates on BarCampNYC, but I haven't heard much yet. Hopefully I can plan a decent talk by the time news starts rolling in.
    Post edited by Schnevets on
  • ColdguyColdguy
    You have Game Loop up in Boston and *Not* Game Loop in Philadelphia (lost right to use Game Loop name, long story). Both deal with game production and design and very cool to go to.
  • AprecheApreche
    edited April 2012
    Barcamp NYC is probably going to be on June 9, not 100% yet. I helped organize it last year, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Good times last year, except it was the day after I stayed in the library overnight. That won't happen this year, so it should be more awesome.
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • SchnevetsSchnevets
    edited May 2012
    Google headline for Barcamp says June 9th, 2012, but the home page hasn't been updated yet.

    Scott, do you know anything about this?
    Post edited by Schnevets on
  • AprecheApreche
    Google headline for Barcamp says June 9th, 2012, but the home page hasn't been updated yet.

    Scott, do you know anything about this?
    What do you mean? The homepage is updated. It's June 9th. Register now!
  • SchnevetsSchnevets
    edited May 2012
    Hmm... so it is! Excellent! Sorry for the confusion...

    Oh, and all registered! Now to brainstorm what/if I want to talk. Btw, if you guys need an extra volunteer on the day of, lemme know!
    Post edited by Schnevets on
  • MattMatt
    I'll be there.
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