An un-conference is an open-format regional conference where everyone interested in the growth and development of their community is welcome to speak on any topic they are passionate about. Their motto is Share-Learn-Grow. Much like Tyler Durden's Fight Club, there are only 2 rules to the BarCamp UnConference: 1. You must want to help others learn what you know! 2. You are not here to sell or do a product presentation!
A few years ago, I had an idea to make the kind of conference I'd like to attend. Turns out the Art and Algorithms event in Titusville looked like a really great version, but I didn't get the chance to check it out. When I go to BarCamps and other similar events, I often advise people to decide on their mission, and who their audience is before they start a new project, so here is my shot at it:
BATT[south] because maybe there would be other regional events...?
This is definitely a defining moment in the history of Orlando's creative / tech / entrepreneurial scene. This is something I've been working on personally, along with hundreds of others, for what feels like forever now. That, or 7 years, whichever comes first.
This is something I have been trying to articulate since the first BarCamp Orlando almost 4 years ago. The whole idea behind FooCamp and its bastard offspring BarCamp was to use Open Space Technology to create order in chaos. Our events have had both order and chaos, but the order is not ordered toward much of anything productive. Some people have started new events to achieve this: I think our BarCamp can be better on its own, but these other purposeful events wouldn't be bad either.
Back at BarCampOrlando this year, I gave a (mostly finished) version of this presentation, about the fall of the local bookstore, and a strategy for saving such establishments. As BarCamp is filled with programmers, I then tried to give them a relevant example: how to make your app better. (read: website, product, video, etc.) My argument is to focus on storytelling, and think like a Boutique. Credit goes to Tara Hunt for the idea of boutique stores.
I promised some folks from BarCamp I would link to my blog post where I talked about saving local bookstores. I will post some slides soon, but I want to include the bullet points (i.e. actually finish the slides) before they get posted to SlideShare.
Also, if anyone out there is looking for the mailing list for New Media Orlando, jump on there and join the discussion.
My BarCamp Presentation actually hit the home page of SlideShare the other day. I gave this at the very end of the day, so if you missed it, check it out in 35 McCluhan-inspired text-happy slides.
4 years ago, I had just been away from "home" for a year, having just graduated with my Digital Media degree, ready to go out and cause some riots -- but I had no employable skills, no professional network, and very little job experience. Moving away from my comfort zone was difficult, and I decided to move back within 50 miles of where I grew up.
While I was at DrupalCon DC I went to a session about how to give a presentation. Emma Jane Hogbin had a slide where she was talking about different presentation styles, and she brought up "Selena talks dead chickens". With some creative googling, I discovered that the presentation was from Ignite Portland, and that someone had videotaped it.