organize a BarCamp

Missoula BarCamp 2009 is well underway. Enough registrations have already come in to support a healthy event. http://missoulabarcamp2009.eventbrite.com.

This week I setup www.floatcamp.org as a way for people to get information about the event and add their information, etc… Several people involved and wanting to attend complained about the main BarCamp website and the fact that it was yet another login you needed (however I do think that site allows for OpenID now). So we thought it would be a good idea to get our own domain.

Me being bored as usual of everything decided it was a good chance to play around with Google’s App Engine. I found some existing example Wiki code and went from there. So far so good. And if it wasn’t for the fact that you have to use Python I’d probably do a lot more with that App Engine.

The date of the event is also solid now. March 28, 2009.

This thing is still one, and is being morphed and and changed as we speak. The group Will This Float? that I’m a board member of has secured the space and we are starting to get the word out.

Technically… it is being called a FloatCamp because, well, the Will This Float? group has started the planning and there are some set presentations and events that we will be doing. So we didn’t want to straight up call it a BarCamp because they, typically, are completely free form with nothing being set until that day.

That being said, there is plenty of timeslots and space for anyone to show up and speak and share their knowledge… so it is half BarCamp and half a Will This Float? event.

The date, tentative I think is March 28th. It had been set for March 21st but that is the weekend of the Bristol Nascar races in this area… a time when pretty much everything shuts down. Except for the racecars that is.

The biggest next step is making sure we get the word out. What if you had a BarCamp and no one showed up. We are aiming for 150 people.

Got the wiki page setup. Jose has a domain already… now we need a couple of logos. One for BarCamp TriCities… one for FloatCamp TriCities.

Inspiration

Having a BarCamp here in the Tri-Cities is something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time. Actually I figured someone else or some group would get around to it first and I’d just get to attend.

Using the momentum we got from the November 2008 Will This Float? event, the group of us responsible for that are plunging headlong into a BarCamp.

Initially we were thinking another early ‘09 Will This Float? event, but I think it is going to grow towards a BarCamp type event with a Will This Float? event as a main item… but others are welcome to organize whatever other SubCamps they want during the time depending on time/space constraints.

Today I went ahead and started a wiki page off the main BarCamp site:

http://www.barcamp.org/BarCampTriCities

Now I need to get someone to create a snazzy logo :)

It was a bit nerve wracking but eventually enough registrations came it to give confidence that it would work out and a few people registered at the door. The folks who attended, and they were great people, enjoyed the event so much that they want me to get another one together in 3 months. I said not happening, 6 months, but I wasn’t even sure we’d have success enough to do it again in a year.

This was such a great project. I really went up against some personal barriers. But what really made the difference was going by inspiration rather than what I “should” do. In fact, something that really impacted the event was just emptying my email inbox when I saw a list of non-profits in Missoula and on a whim I invited them, which lead to a few attendees and some great interactions.

The next Missoula BarCamp will see if we can engage even more deeply with the techies and the non-profits and also engage the artist communities in town.

Missoula BarCamp 2008. We have a website, MissoulaBarCamp.org. The website has a link and registrations are coming in! Yay. April 26, 2008 – Noon to 6 pm. 5$ early bird registration, and 10$ for late registrations.

After receiving the training last December and then facilitating an Open Space for my company in February, we have a real BarCamp planned for April 26 at a nice facility that is being donated to us by the Missoula Area Economic Development Corporation. Sometimes, it’s amazing what happens when you just open up to gifts. Next step, set up a URL and start promoting the event.

Yesterday I facilitated an Open Space half day at work, which is basically what the BarCamp would be, except that it would be open to the general public and not just my work group. So I accomplished this goal in one sense, and in a way that gives me much more confidence about getting this done in Missoula. And next week I’ll have time to make phone calls and send messages to get this scheduled and happening.

I attended a 3 day training to facilitate Open Space just before the holidays. Open Space is a great way to facilitate an “unconference”. It provides some structure and guidelines for a productive event. Looks like I’ll get to do a “barcamp” type event for my company in February, so this is moving forward.