As loyal readers (mom, dad) know. I spent this last weekend at BarCamp NYC, working on a story for Wired News on the growing un-conference. If you are a visual learner, check out my photos here.
BarCamp is a makeshift gathering of technophiles which took over Microsoft’s midtown office this weekend to share ideas, business cards and at the end the day tell scary stories by the campfire….achh. Horrible joke, I know. But I had to put in at least one great pun about camp. Note: Bar pun achieved through this post’s title.
The interesting part of the get-together is that the conference is largely defined by the people who attend, since they are also the speakers. Anyone who attends has to participate in some way by presenting, helping someone present or at least cleaning up. In other words it is an open source conference.
Even I had to present. So in the very last time slot I gave a presentation on New Media journalism and how technology is changing the ways that journalism is shaped, formed, presented etc.
Preparing for BarCamp, which has local chapters springing up all over the world, is like packing for Burning Man if it were aimed for professional hackers. Participants bring a toothbrush, sleeping bag along with their laptops and surge protectors. During the day, everyone’s socks are exposed, because New York BarCamps have a no shoe policy, to create a less formal atmosphere.
It was fun all around and an interesting experience to sleep in Microsoft’s midtown office.