Boy let me tell you I can't wait for BarCamp Cape Town to come along, we have found a venue now at a primary school in Kuilsriver and I am quite relieved to have that done.
I have just read a piece on ZDNet on what a success the recent Internet Identity Workshop that just took place in MountainView was and the writers' excitement was quite tangible.
I heard some similar comments from others. The ability for people to create their own agenda is incredibly powerful. If we'd done this as a traditional conference, we would have nailed down the agenda and speakers two months ago. By the time we got to the event, everyone would have been interested in something else. The unconference format allowed us to nail the sweet spot of the conversation without even trying. The people who came to the workshop did that naturally as a matter or participating.
I hope that we can capture some of this at BarCamp and I will be very proud if we do, after all, if you take away the fun and the horseplay and the social aspects (which are a large part of the attraction) the end-goal should be enlightenment of the audience as a whole and we should leave as better versed and excited technologists when the curtains are drawn at the end of the event.
Don't know about BarCamp yet? Go over to Tectonic and have a read.
Technorati Tags: BarCamp, BarCamp Cape Town
Web Engineer, lover of technology, tearer down of walls.
