[WABiG] BarCampBoston

[J.W. Bizzaro]

Hi guys,

The announcement below is about a local (Maynard, not Boston) programmer's 
event in which you might be interested.  FYI, "BarCamp" was developed in 
response to Tim O'Reilly's (of O'Reilly & Associates "animal books" fame) 
exclusive "FooCamp".

Cheers,
Jeff

------------------------
BarCampBoston
An unconference for geeks, June 3-4, Maynard, MA

WHAT:
BarCamp (pronounced BAH-camp) is an unconference
<http://scripting.wordpress.com/2006/03/05/what-is-an-unconference/>, organized
on the fly by attendees, for attendees. There is no cost to come, but you can't
just attend a BarCamp-- you have to participate by giving a presentation, a
lightning talk, or joining into another cooperative event. For Boston BarCamp,
we are expecting a turnout of around 150 people.

WHEN AND WHERE:
BarCamp will be held at *Monster Worldwide, Clocktower Place, Maynard, MA
01754*. Monster is providing an enormous venue with ample parking, wifi, an
auditorium, several discussion rooms, showers, cafeteria, and courtyards.
Shuttle service from a nearby commuter rail station will be available; you can
also sign up to share rides from your hometown at the BarCampBostonRideBoard.

BarCamp will start at *10am on Saturday, June 3* and end at *6pm on Sunday,
June 4* (these are approximate times and may change slightly). The venue will
be available and populated from opening to closing, and space will be available
to crash in a sleeping bag if you aren't going to stay up all night hacking. :)

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
There are multiple ways to participate in BarCampBoston. If you think of a
better way -- add it!

    1. *Sessions:* 30-minute sessions on topics of interest. Can be a
       talk, discussion, panel, or whatever format you want. Sessions
       will be scheduled live during BarCamp by writing your name and
       topic on the event grid. To offer or request a session topic,
       add it to BarCampBostonSessions.
    2. *LightningTalks:* 5-minute, usually one-person talks on a specific
       subject. You can talk about your project, your company, or a
       technical challenge that's been keeping you up at night.
       LightningTalks are delivered in nooks and crannies all around
       BarCamp in between session blocks. If you're afraid of public
       speaking, LightningTalks are for you. Offer or suggest topics at
       BarCampBostonLightningTalks.
    3. *HackingContest:* Can you build an awesome application --
       overnight? With a prize pot of at least $500, the hacking contest
       is a chance to show off your skills, impress our celebrity judges,
       and take home some cash along with the bragging rights. To learn
       more, see BarCampBostonContest.
    4. *Demos:* Show everyone how you can do something useful and fun
       with software. Show off your own work, pick a favorite open source
       project, or whatever. Offer or suggest topics at
       BarCampBostonDemos.
    5. *Be a sponsor:* Sponsorships from the $200 level make it possible
       for BarCamp to be free and fun. Sponsors get their logo placed
       prominently on the sponsor wall, and earn a place in the heart of
       local geeks. Food and computer hardware giveaway sponsors are also
       welcome. To learn more or become a sponsor, see
       BarCampBostonSponsors.
    6. *Promote the event:* BarCamp grows by word of mouth (and word of
       blog). Tell your friends, and visit the promote page to grab a
       BarCampBoston badge for your blog.


SO YOU WANT TO COME TO BARCAMP BOSTON?
If you want to come, you must register at BarCampBostonRegistrants
<http://barcamp.org/BarCampBostonRegistrants>. *If you don't register, you
won't get a T-shirt!*

ORGANIZERS:
The BarCampBoston wiki page is maintained by Shimon <http://rura.org/shimon>
and Sooz <http://www.sooz.com>. Ryan Sarver <http://www.sarver.org> and Lee
Wilkins <http://leewilkins.com> are the chief instigators of this event.
BarCamp's venue point-person is Devon Biondi at Monster Labs. RonAyers, Yevgeny
Ioffe, and MikeWalsh have also provided invaluable contributions in getting
this event rolling.

MAILING LIST:
Discussion about BarCamp in Boston, especially for people interested in helping
organize the event, is on the barcampboston Yahoo Group
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/barcampboston/>. You do not need to be on the
mailing list to participate in BarCamp, but it's a great place to test new
ideas and ask questions.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://barcamp.org/BarCampBoston