Wikipedia’s definition of a BarCamp is:
BarCamp is an international network of user generated conferences -open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants -often focusing on early-stage web applications, and related open source technologies, social protocols, and open data formats.
Got your head around that one? Yeah, it’s a bit dry. This post should demystify a little what happens at a BarCamp event, and what you can get out of spending your weekend with geeks rather than chilling out at home.
Totally different from regular conferences, BarCamps are more open and less structured. This means, when you arrive, you’re likely to see a grid, where you can jot down what you’d like to talk about. It’s an opportunity for people from all backgrounds and all skill levels to have a go at sharing some knowledge.
Sounds scary? It’s not essential that you present in front of a group using a Powerpoint presentation and a laser pointer while wearing a suit. In fact, suits are definitely not recommended.
When you come, be prepared to share with barcampers.
When you leave, be prepared to share it with the world.
Presentation slots are generally 30 minutes, so you don’t need to do a doctorate thesis. It’s definitely not all about monologuing in front of the group for the full half-hour, it’s about sharing your experiences, asking others to pitch in with ideas or just leading a useful conversation.
Still getting cold feet? You can still help in a number of ways. The organisers are volunteers and (generally) have only two hands each. So if you’re not too keen on doing a presentation, why not lend a hand with registration, coffee breaks, cleaning up or setting up the A/V system?
One of the best bits of a BarCamp is the memories you take home with you. But if you’re like me and you have the memory of a goldfish, the key is to capture the event in some way. So why not offer to blog or record the event on video or in photos? If you’re a podcaster, create a VoxPop clip with the participants.
BarCamp are full day events with lots of simultaneous conversations and tons of interesting people. To make the most of this, you’ll need some of the following:
Tara ‘missrogue’ Hunt, Citizen Agency co-founder, public speaker & blogger, says:
“Personally? BarCamp was an exciting idea for me, but at first I was afraid to stand up and talk… just wanted to observe and have one on one conversations… maybe ask a few questions from the audience. After a while, though, I decided to take the leap and put myself on the speaking schedule.I’m glad I did, because it started my career! I went from speaking at BarCamps… Really getting my chops wet and practicing my skills. I got stronger and stronger as a speaker. One day I was approached by a conference organizer who asked me to give a workshop on my ideas. Next thing I know, I’m speaking all over the world and have WAY more professional confidence than I’ve ever had. That all started with BarCamp. It gave me the opportunity to really push myself into the next level.
Mel Kirk, social media gal extraordinaire says:
My first experience of a barcamp was during SXSW and was BarCamp Austin… Totally awesome! We heard some people chatting about it and decided to drop in… I still have my pass and lanyard as it was one of my highlights. They had this awesome T-shirt station where you could buy a t-shirt and then have a number of different designs printed onto it. I didn’t have enough cash to buy one but I really wish that I had, they were gorgeous.There was a whole buzz about the place - it was in a really cool bar - totally laid back and relaxed and I met some amazing people that I would never have otherwise have met. Because it was a lot more laid back than a normal conference-type set up, people feel more relaxed to ask the presenters questions which leads to much more of a conversation type feel rather than content being pushed to the audience.
I’d recommend a BarCamp to anyone - it’s filled with amazing talented people willing to share and discuss their knowledge… where else can you get something like that?
Nik Butler aka Loudmouthman says
“don’t let anyone convince you they are not the werewolf”
Got some BarCamp stories to share? Maybe Suggestions for new attendees? Please leave a comment below!
About the Author:Vero is a French-Canadian gal living in the UK. She is a social media consultant, marketer and geekette. For more about Vero, check out her blog, that Canadian Girl.
We're pleased to share our first Guest Post, from Mark Grimes, BarCamp Africa Silicon Valley sponsor and founder of Ned.com: a member-governed network taking action locally, nationally & globally, in order to make the world a better place. We believe every individual has the power to make a difference. We exist for one single purpose: So that more and more people discover their own power to make good things happen. Mark also describes himself as "a serial entrepreneur, a social entrepreneur and an technology angel investor with a somewhat iffy track record."
To whet your appetite, read these impressive stats:
78,850 youtube neddotcom channel video views
59 microloans: http://www.kiva.org/lender/neddotcom
64 better world videos: http://www.youtube.com/neddotcom
345 members: http://www.ned.com
1,000,000 web site page views monthly
500,000 youtube neddotcom channel video views
1,000 registered ned.com members
500 Better World Island monthly project revenue
150 microloans
25 good quality inbound web site links
10 ongoing monthly ned.com sponsors
7 new videos at neddotcom YouTube channel
6 Ned projects anywhere in the world
3 microfinance workshop sessions in Portland
2 events where five or more Ned members meet FTF
2 Ned thriving real world locations
2 or more totally unexpected spectacular things
And now...some great thoughts from Mark:
Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. ~ Margaret MeadMainstream media usually sells the doom and gloom side for the entire continent of Africa. From corruption to AIDS, from poverty to war, from starvation to genocide, many of the images and challenges within Africa are used to "sell" and raise money for nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations who in turn send over extremely highly paid white consultants in air-conditioned white trucks living in the finest homes and hotels and working in international teams of five or six to "teach" locals how to improve their lot in life. 30 years and billions of dollars in development "aid", and yet little has changed.
Balderdash, baloney and bullshit. It truly is time for a change. Change, coming from the people. From the grassroots. From the "bottom" up. People coming together in a way to make the world a better place.
During an open space event in Gulu, Uganda in early 2007 over 135 Africans (from Kenya, Rwanda, Congo, Sudan, Chad, Tanzania and others) all participated in a large session called "Better Microfinance". This was not a gathering of bankers or politicians or educators or development staff, but simply people who knew one another in an online community and wanted to get together face to face, meet one another, and share ideas about making the world a better place. Many of these participating community members would be considered "bottom of the pyramid" by those that define things in those terms.
The majority had been on the borrower side of microloans, and as a group had some great ideas how to make microfinance work better, and they also shared stories of village savings clubs and merry-go-round circles that worked, yet outside the "traditional" workings of microcredit.
This isn't about aid, or philanthropy, or old fashion colonialism. This isn't about "us" and "them", this is about "we". This is about connecting within an entire continent of incredibly hardworking, intelligent and talented people and figuring out together how we can all best collaborate and build local and global innovative goods and services together.
So now there is an event or a gathering really. People interested in change, people feeling some form of connection to Africa. People without "the answer" but willing to explore, discuss, connect and possibly collaborate. Plugging Silicon Valley into the entire continent of Africa, and who knows what might happen?
October 11th on the Google campus in Mountain View is BarCamp Africa Silicon Valley
- bringing people, institutions and enterprises interested in Africa together as a topic, an opportunity, or a place of action. Hope to see you there.
N: Mark Grimes
P: 503-502-0185
T: http://twitter.com/neddotcom
C: Ned - a better world, every day
M: 4888 NW Bethany Blvd, K5-222 Portland, OR 97229
O: 107 SE Washington St, Suite 520 Portland, OR 97214
We'd like to take a moment to introduce some of the people who are volunteering to help produce BarCamp Africa Silicon Valley:
Ellen has built her career on creating customer and product loyalty for technology companies. During her ten years at Apple, Ellen drove growth in Apple's international markets and pioneered the use of online networks to connect Apple's global users to the company and its products. Her more recent work has guided Google, Oracle, Apple, NeXT, MCI, JAJAH, OurStory.com, Ribbit (recently acquired by BT) Blippr and others to expand markets and build loyalty through strategic partnerships and initiatives. She actively supports entrepreneurial, microfinance and children's causes in Africa, advises a portfolio of technology startups, and is a frequent speaker on social media strategy.
-Find Ellen on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/chep2m
Kaushal is a third generation Kenyan, currently living and working in the Bay Area as a technology strategist with a strong career focus on payment systems, mobile computing and social media. His most recent consulting relationships have been with Wells Fargo Bank, AAA of Northern California, Cisco Systems and a host of small to mid-size corporations. He is actively involved in advising various initiatives such as Ushahidi, and the India Sponsorship Committee on their use of technology to extend reach and engage communities. Kaushal continues to find elegance in indigenous reproducible solutions that solve everyday problems in Africa.
-Find Kaushal on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ksjhalla
Saul is the Director of Operations at Abraham & Harrison, LLC and a native of South Africa. He has co-founded, with his wife, two creative corporate team-building companies in the Bay Area. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Political Economics, and completed an honors thesis focused on South Africa's corporate investments in Africa. Saul believes that mobile technology and the "arrival" of the web in Africa will lead to profound changes throughout the continent.
Saul is a true believer and avid supporter of Africa's ingenuity, creativity and positive future and regularly travels between his homes in Cape Town, SA and Oakland, CA.
-Find Saul on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/sachutney
Shara, our "Queen of Amplification", began her internet career in 1995 working out of a San Francisco garage, and has been making media more social ever since. She led the online community for Classroom Connect's Quest, where kids around the world collaborated with an expedition team in journeys of scientific and historical discovery. In 2001, Shara was a Geekcorps volunteer in Accra, where she worked with Ghanaians to develop websites as part of USAID's EDDI initiative which had the goal of using information technology to support development of democracy and transparency. Currently she runs the small business community for Work.com, consults for MobileActive.org, and recently helped organize the Drums to Beat Malaria benefit in Venice, CA.
-Find Shara on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sharakarasic
Perrin is a passionate evangelist for the causes of Africa. Completely changed by a trip to Nairobi Kenya (pre-election crisis), his passion is devoted towards building partnerships for change between the US and Africa. Towards this end, Roots of Africa was formed to connect available resources in the US and abroad with various projects and needs in Africa. Perrin's background includes extensive sales, marketing, technology, non-profit adminstration and leadership experience. In his home life, he is the husband of a professional musician/singer/songwriter and father of three young children; all eager to travel to Africa!
-Find Perrin on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/rootsofafrica
Elia is a journalist and a photographer originally from Spain, who has lived in a few countries with long names before landing in San Francisco. She has contributed to a number of blogs, including a Europe travelogue and a wine blog, and is a frequent contributor at Global Voices Online. Recently she co-founded Maneno, a web portal that strives to provide a localized and accessible communication platform specifically designed for Sub-Saharan Africa. The goal of Maneno, which means 'words' in Swahili, is to be translated in as many African languages as possible, and to assist in the development of a truly grassroots citizen journalism in Sub-Saharan Africa.
-Find Elia on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eliaws
During the day, Julie is an executive recruiter with the nonprofit strategy consulting firm, The Bridgespan Group. Prior to joining Bridgespan in 2007, Julie conceived of and built an international corporate philanthropy program for her former company, Heidrick & Struggles. In the evening, Julie is a very active volunteer with Bead for Life, an economic development project devoted to helping women living in extreme poverty in Uganda.
Through BFL, Julie has developed a passion for all things African and is delighted to be involved in Bar Camp Africa! Julie's other passions are traveling, rowing with the competitive women's crew team at Bair Island Aquatic Center (BIAC), and engaging in discourse around social justice.
Some know me as Shara Karasic, but my new moniker is “Queen of Amplification” for BarCamp Africa. That means I am looking at ways to broadcast the event to people who cannot attend and also make it easy to virtually participate. I will be working with Jay Bhalla who has key insights since he is from Nairobi, has 10 years of IT experience, and is currently CEO of SpeechNet, a voice technology company. We are so honored to help facilitate conversation and connection between people from Silicon Valley and people in Africa.
After years of developing online communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, I applied to become a Geekcorps volunteer. In 2001, I left for Accra, Ghana, where I spent six months and was thrilled to experience the emerging and very vibrant tech scene there. Working from my desk at Africa Online and IM’ing my co-workers as we updated websites was amazingly similar to working from my desk in San Francisco. Except for a few things…
In San Francisco, we HTML’d to Aphex Twin, Pink Martini, or Yo La Tengo. In Accra, we HTML’d to gospel, "Shake the Booty that Jesus Gave You," Amakyee Dede highlife, or one’s favorite pastor preaching on JOY FM. In San Francisco, we wore sound-muffling headphones. In Accra, we had office sing-alongs. In San Francisco, we had a T3 connection. In Accra, a 33K connection down for the day.
In San Francisco, when someone in your office came up to your desk to talk, you remained focused on your monitor (you were busy). In Accra, you turned from your computer, faced your visitor, pulled over a chair, and had a conversation.
The relationships created in Accra have continued and enriched my life greatly. My former Ghana co-workers and I still IM each other as if we are sitting in the same office, as if oceans do not separate us. We tell each other about our respective tech scenes or how mobile phones are being used or exchange business ideas. Most of the people I worked with in Accra have started their own Internet businesses, and it’s been wonderful to follow their entrepreneurial progress.
We are so excited to share BarCamp Africa Silicon Valley with people living in Africa and around the world. Though this event is being held in Silicon Valley, we are looking at how people living in Africa and elsewhere can virtually participate. We’d love to get updates from key people in Accra to Nairobi, and learn more about what Africans are doing that’s innovative or changing society. We’re going to make sure the conference is live-reported and documented in a variety of ways to ensure that whatever your bandwidth situation, you'll be able to access it.
BarCamp Africa will be broadcasted through:
We're also involving virtual participation through:
Other tools we're considering or would be nice to have
Tagging
If you cannot attend BarCamp Africa Silicon Valley but would like to participate virtually, what are the best ways you can do that? So many have been reaching out with great suggestions. We welcome your ideas in the comments below.
