Comments on: My First Unconference http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/ Callum on life Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:09:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Callum http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/comment-page-1/#comment-22318 Callum Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:29:02 +0000 http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/#comment-22318 @<a href="#comment-22317" rel="nofollow">Evan Prodromou</a>: Firstly, let me apologise for the tone of my post. I wrote it in the heat of my frustration, so it was overly negative. My understanding of the essence of an "unconference" is wiki-like, freestyle planning of the event on the day. People announce presentations or topics, other people register. Then anyone with scheduling conflicts tries to resolve them with people directly. I felt the schedule at BarCampMontreal3 was governed by a few "organisers" and everyone was "expected" to attend the same sessions. The BOF track was essentially empty until I stormed the stage and suggested we focus more on it. At one point I remember the announcer asking (or telling, depending on your perspective) everyone to return to the main hall for the next set of presentations. As you rightly said, I haven't been to any other unconferences to compare. @Evan Prodromou: Firstly, let me apologise for the tone of my post. I wrote it in the heat of my frustration, so it was overly negative.

My understanding of the essence of an “unconference” is wiki-like, freestyle planning of the event on the day. People announce presentations or topics, other people register. Then anyone with scheduling conflicts tries to resolve them with people directly.

I felt the schedule at BarCampMontreal3 was governed by a few “organisers” and everyone was “expected” to attend the same sessions. The BOF track was essentially empty until I stormed the stage and suggested we focus more on it. At one point I remember the announcer asking (or telling, depending on your perspective) everyone to return to the main hall for the next set of presentations.

As you rightly said, I haven’t been to any other unconferences to compare.

]]> By: Evan Prodromou http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/comment-page-1/#comment-22317 Evan Prodromou Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:11:32 +0000 http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/#comment-22317 Hey, Callum. I'm one of the unorganizers of the BarCampMontreal3 unconference. I wanted to take a second to respond to your post. First, since this was your first-ever unconference, you might want to cut us some slack on the definition. B-) I realize that the event didn't meet your expectations, but it's important to note that there are a lot of different ways of structuring an unconference -- there's not just one method. Planning the speakers ahead of time is not uncommon. Some other types of conferences use other techniques, like Open Space Technology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Space_Technology). We've used the technique you saw at BCM3 for two previous BCMs and it's worked well. RoCoCoCamp in May 2007 ran using Open Space. This time around we added a BOF track in the other half of the SAT for more casual peer-to-peer talks. That didn't take off as much as we'd have liked, but I hope in the future that part of the conference grows. I think it's unlikely that we'll ever drop the slides-and-speaker part of the conference; many people really enjoy that. We'll be having some organizational meetings for the upcoming BarCampCanada1 in May 2008, and I hope you can make it to them! I think you've got some good ideas about how we can make the event more fluid. Hey, Callum. I’m one of the unorganizers of the BarCampMontreal3 unconference. I wanted to take a second to respond to your post.

First, since this was your first-ever unconference, you might want to cut us some slack on the definition. B-) I realize that the event didn’t meet your expectations, but it’s important to note that there are a lot of different ways of structuring an unconference — there’s not just one method.

Planning the speakers ahead of time is not uncommon. Some other types of conferences use other techniques, like Open Space Technology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Space_Technology). We’ve used the technique you saw at BCM3 for two previous BCMs and it’s worked well. RoCoCoCamp in May 2007 ran using Open Space.

This time around we added a BOF track in the other half of the SAT for more casual peer-to-peer talks. That didn’t take off as much as we’d have liked, but I hope in the future that part of the conference grows. I think it’s unlikely that we’ll ever drop the slides-and-speaker part of the conference; many people really enjoy that.

We’ll be having some organizational meetings for the upcoming BarCampCanada1 in May 2008, and I hope you can make it to them! I think you’ve got some good ideas about how we can make the event more fluid.

]]> By: Callum http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/comment-page-1/#comment-21636 Callum Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:58:15 +0000 http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/#comment-21636 Hahaha, Jeremy Americanized my ass, what can I say! :) Hahaha, Jeremy Americanized my ass, what can I say! :)

]]> By: tony http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/comment-page-1/#comment-21613 tony Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:16:19 +0000 http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/#comment-21613 oh Brit boy, you said 'ass' oh Brit boy, you said ‘ass’

]]> By: Stephane Daury http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/comment-page-1/#comment-21437 Stephane Daury Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:04:26 +0000 http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/#comment-21437 Yup, I'll be there. C'ya tomorrow then. Bring whatever web-enabled mobile device you might have if you wanna have some WP fun. I'm always looking for new ones I can test the following on. :) http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wphone/ Yup, I’ll be there. C’ya tomorrow then. Bring whatever web-enabled mobile device you might have if you wanna have some WP fun. I’m always looking for new ones I can test the following on. :)
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wphone/

]]> By: Callum http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/comment-page-1/#comment-21435 Callum Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:54:42 +0000 http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/#comment-21435 Aha, if I'd known I'd have stayed around, it's a small world hey! I'm going to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=6897431746" title="Facebook Camp Montreal on 7 Nov" rel="nofollow">Facebook camp</a> tomorrow night, you going to that? Aha, if I’d known I’d have stayed around, it’s a small world hey! I’m going to Facebook camp tomorrow night, you going to that?

]]> By: Stephane Daury http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/comment-page-1/#comment-21430 Stephane Daury Tue, 06 Nov 2007 18:45:13 +0000 http://www.callum-macdonald.com/2007/11/03/my-first-unconference/#comment-21430 Ah ah, I didn't realize that you were the same Callum I've been seeing on wp-hackers. :) I'm the guy who you asked for directions to when you left. If I had known, we could have chatted WP stuff. ;) Cheers, maybe next time. Ah ah, I didn’t realize that you were the same Callum I’ve been seeing on wp-hackers. :) I’m the guy who you asked for directions to when you left. If I had known, we could have chatted WP stuff. ;)

Cheers, maybe next time.

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