BarCamp Boston UnReport (Updated)
[This is an edited version of the June 5th post, to reflect feedback from readers. Most of the changes are in the second to last paragraph, but there are also a few edits for clarity in the third paragraph.]
I spent a good part of the weekend at Bar Camp Boston. I talked to some great people and got an update on what's happening with micro formats, but over all I came away feeling that Bar Camp has some great potential but the idea and the execution needs refinement.
The best sessions were the ones where the presenter was showing off what they worked on or are passionate about. Ian Muir's mico formats presentation was interesting, as were all of the product presentations I attended. The worst sessions were the ones where the presenter didn't know the technical aspects of the topic, and the ones where people were experting away on something they didn't have much experience with but had read about (generally without crediting sources).
The fact that anyone can talk about any topic is a great premise, but without bios or meaningful blurbs I wasted a lot of time running around figuring out what was worth listening to. The Bar Camp philosophy is deliberately anti-commerical. As a result, most people didn't put company names on the oversized stickies used on the schedule board. Most of the good sessions - where someone was showing off their work - were dutifully disguised under some general topic like "web 2.0" which again made it hard to figure out where to direct my attention.
There was a space pitch for about three minutes during lunch on Saturday. It wasn't a particularly good speech - it was somewhat condescending and not well tuned to that particular audience. Some attendees took offense on the grounds that at Bar Camp commercial pitches are inappropriate. But the speech was short and if anything the idea that the major sponsors give you space, food, and logistical support without an opportunity to address the audience came off as a bit childish. On reflection and after listening to Shimon Rura and others I've come to appreciate it as a mixture of idealism and naivete. Maybe I should have given a session on tanstaafl :-). Plum was a small ($200) sponsor, and although I'm happy to support the Boston technical community it's tough to justify sponsoring.
I noticed stacks of VCs, only one sponsoring. Smart guys - no need to sponsor, no fees, just show up, grab a session, and work the crowd!
I spent a good part of the weekend at Bar Camp Boston. I talked to some great people and got an update on what's happening with micro formats, but over all I came away feeling that Bar Camp has some great potential but the idea and the execution needs refinement.
The best sessions were the ones where the presenter was showing off what they worked on or are passionate about. Ian Muir's mico formats presentation was interesting, as were all of the product presentations I attended. The worst sessions were the ones where the presenter didn't know the technical aspects of the topic, and the ones where people were experting away on something they didn't have much experience with but had read about (generally without crediting sources).
The fact that anyone can talk about any topic is a great premise, but without bios or meaningful blurbs I wasted a lot of time running around figuring out what was worth listening to. The Bar Camp philosophy is deliberately anti-commerical. As a result, most people didn't put company names on the oversized stickies used on the schedule board. Most of the good sessions - where someone was showing off their work - were dutifully disguised under some general topic like "web 2.0" which again made it hard to figure out where to direct my attention.
There was a space pitch for about three minutes during lunch on Saturday. It wasn't a particularly good speech - it was somewhat condescending and not well tuned to that particular audience. Some attendees took offense on the grounds that at Bar Camp commercial pitches are inappropriate. But the speech was short and if anything the idea that the major sponsors give you space, food, and logistical support without an opportunity to address the audience came off as a bit childish. On reflection and after listening to Shimon Rura and others I've come to appreciate it as a mixture of idealism and naivete. Maybe I should have given a session on tanstaafl :-). Plum was a small ($200) sponsor, and although I'm happy to support the Boston technical community it's tough to justify sponsoring.
I noticed stacks of VCs, only one sponsoring. Smart guys - no need to sponsor, no fees, just show up, grab a session, and work the crowd!
posted by Margaret at 6:39 AM
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