What is BarCamp? Everyone in this community has an opinion regarding what BarCamp is and what it isn’t. Some opinions are driven by definitions or “The Rules” and some are driven by philosophy. Let’s talk about it…

The Definitions:

From the wiki…BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from participants. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. Much of the controversy with this statement surrounds the definition of “ad-hoc” so let us dissect: Miriam Webster’s dictionary defines Ad-hoc as: concerned with a particular end or purpose. Although Roget’s Thesaurus does not recognize “ad-hoc”, some synonyms from other sources include: Unplanned, Informal, Impromptu, and Improvised.

The particular purpose we are concerned with is to “create an open environment for people to share and learn.” Yes, we are informal…Casual even. Come to BarCamp Nashville in your pajamas if you want to. Believe me, we are improvising and there will be several impromptu discussions and opportunities to share ideas, but let’s be perfectly clear about planning. Nothing is “Unplanned.” If you plan to meet at a coffee shop with a whiteboard and a pack of sticky pads, by this definition you are not a BarCamp.

Seriously folks, we welcome everyone’s comments and opinions. In fact it’s the comments and opinions from last year that are driving the changes to this year’s event. If you have something constructive to say, we are listening. If you are passionate about the development of this or future BarCamps, don’t be a hater…GET INVOLVED! Organizers are all enthusiastic volunteers working hard to create a FREE and open environment for people in technology (you) to share and learn. So what if we sought a well lit and air conditioned space. So what if we are trying to be good hosts by providing coffee, cold drinks, and a kickass wi-fi network. So what if we secured a 44% discount on NHL tickets, and organized a Grand Ole’ Nashville Pub Crawl down Lower Broadway so the party does not have to end at 4:00PM. If you prefer a more intimate meeting… join the organizing committee! We meet ~ the first Tuesday of every month. For the first nine months we’re just hanging out with friends, having a beer, eating nachos, and talking about cool technology stuff. The last 3 months we’re doing some real planning, but we are still enjoying a variety of beverages, snacks, and hanging out with friends…come join us!

The Gray Areas:

That being said, there are some gray areas in the rules and definitions, but we are not the first event to encounter them or justify our solutions. Specifically: All presentations are scheduled the day they happen. Prepare in advance, but come early to get a slot on the wall. The people present at the event will select the demos or presentations they want to see. Every major market for technology has a problem with this. We had over 500 people registered to attend Nashville’s very first BarCamp. We are preparing for 600 to 800 attendees this year. There has to be some advance preparation in order to afford everyone the opportunity to present, and when you have 4 spaces in the event running concurrent sessions (as we do this year) you have to organize some content in advance to maximize valuable presentation time. Our solution has been to allow people to propose their topics on the web. This leaves the discussions in the hands of attendees AND allows us to see which session topics are garnering the most attention so we can place them in a space of adequate capacity. Believe me…if we did not do this, there would be many more negative comments about our execution of the event that we have ever seen regarding our preparation. The key here is attendees still have the podium and control of the discussion. The fact we are doing this in advance is of little consequence, and for the “purists”…we do have an entirely unscheduled manner in which you can hold impromptu sessions all day long. “The Café” in of our event will have paper, pens and “flagpole” centerpieces on several six foot round tables. If you have a great idea or topic occur to you the day of the event and would like to discuss it, write your topic on a piece of paper and run it up the flagpole!

The Rules:

• 1st Rule: You do talk about BarCamp…check
• 2nd Rule: You do blog about BarCamp…check
• 3rd Rule: If you want to present, you must write your topic and name in a presentation slot. See paragraph above, and…check
• 4th Rule: Only three word intros. You can stand up for this rule of you want to, but if we stuck to it, our current most popular session would be “Make Google Your…” and that’s not as descriptive or as cool as the 4 word intro…and check
• 5th Rule: As many presentations at a time as facilities allow for. This is why we plan…check
• 6th Rule: No pre-scheduled presentations, no tourists. Yes we are pre-scheduling presentations , but not all of them. No, I am not going to explain why again but will note: Nobody is getting paid to speak or paying for the opportunity to speak, and you will not hear “The K Word” in relation to ANY presentation or session.
• 7th Rule: Presentations will go on as long as they have to or until they run into another presentation slot…check
• 8th Rule: If this is your first time at BarCamp, you HAVE to present. (Ok, you don’t really HAVE to, but try to find someone to present with, or at least ask questions and be an interactive participant.) Is this your first BarCamp? Are you being an active participant? If so, insert “…check” here.

The Philosophy:

BarCamp is about informal community. Un-conventions are simply events that do not charge registration fees where attendees have the podium and control of the discussion. Sponsorships are not discouraged, but in fact are necessary in order for the event to be free of charge and available to anyone who would like to attend. Ledgers are transparent and organizers do not take any profits. BarCamp is organic, volunteer driven, and different in every community. The organizers of BarCamp Nashville are being very careful to stick to the philosophy that this event will be of the people, for the people, by the people as well as fun and entirely free to attend. Plan to be there, and bring your soap box… BarCamp Nashville 2008 is going to be AWESOME.