BarCamp Bradford

BarCamp Bradford: 2009-11-15: Back from BarCamp Bradford, my first BarCamp. A BarCamp (some call it an unconference (doesn't work for me)) is a user generated conference. Basically, a group of enthusiastic and like-minded people turn up to a venue with a few rooms, coffee and wifi, there's a blank schedule of 30 minute presentations on the wall and a few pens, someone shouts 'go' and you write your presentation on the wall in the slot of your choice. If you're quick and you go to my Twitter page, I tweeted and uploaded pictures through the day.; It's not just a geek thing, there was a photography BarCamp recently in Yorkshire, and in The Whuffie Factor Tara Hunt talks about a transport one.; Confession: I don't think I've ever been to a proper, paid for conference. So I'm not sure it's fair to compare.; The coffee was shocking, for a start (made with luke-warm water). Mind you, the coffee at the paid for Spa event I went to recently tasted of meat so .. . And it was free, isn't that horrid of me for criticising the free coffee?; There was an attempt to 'theme' this BarCamp to be around muttlymedia but it didn't really happen, people just presented what they wanted, which is in the spirit of BarCamp I guess. But a talk about what was happening in the year 1784? I don't know if it was relevant, I didn't go, and people seemed enthusiastic about it and I am too ... but in that case we might as well talk about fell running and how to make the best cheese on toast.; I'm circling an issue here, working it out on the fly. I think it might be this: I went to two presentations on "how our online / social marketing succeeded" which were basically run-throughs of what happened to them in trying to market their product. The thing is, both were really great products. I think they'd have been successful with a campaign of throwing leaflets out of their car window as they drove around town combined with telling their grannies. Good products get word-of-mouth traction one way or another so long as you make some remotely sensible marketing effort, so .. nothing to learn. Their methods worked, but other methods would have worked / might have worked better and maybe there were 99 other people who used the same methods for whom it didn't work and so they weren't at the conference. It's not proof of anything. Maybe there were a couple of things there that I could try but otherwise ..; If, however, you go to a proper conference and Wally Olins or Steve Jobs is talking, well then you drink in every word, and you buy the recording of what the guy said and watch it again and again until you've wrung every drop of useful information you can from it, not just in what he says but how he presents and how he dresses and what he's chosen to present on. That's because both have done quite a few things in their time, been quite successful, so their life rules are at least repeatable for them. Even then, that's their character, their circumstances, these things worked for them at that time because of their connections and abilities and timing so may not work for you. But it's still more repeatable.; Are the people at BarCamps just enthusiastic amateurs? Certainly not. There's enormous experience and skill knocking around and it's right there, accessible. Are their lessons repeatable? By and large, yes. I went to a 'legalities of photography' talk and that seemed to come from experience and knowledge. But at the same time I arrived 7 minutes late (previous talk overran) to a talk on "you can do animation" and it finished more or less as I walked in the room which was very disappointing as I was really looking forward to it. So there's a tension about which talk to choose from the quick descriptions on the board. The one on 1794 or whenever it was, would it be good, useful, interesting, funny? Who can tell beforehand? That one relied on you taking a chance.; At the end of the day, good presentations seemed to get repeated, so that seems a worthwhile system for those who missed things the first time around.; So I think it rides on its enthusiasm and positiveness which makes it difficult to criticise. It was free, for chrissakes. Everyone gave their time and energy and if you burst that bubble, it's nothing. I learned something though. I followed a few people beforehand who were preparing for #BCBradford and one's description said he was a lifecaster. I had an issue with that. Suddenly, on that one word, I thought "bugger, am I going to turn up to a place full of up to the minute bullshitters, am I going to feel old, out of place. Is Scarborough such a backwater that I'm missing something? I thought one of the great things about Yorkshire was we called a spade a spade .. lifecasting?" And at the end of the day I got speaking more to a really nice guy at the bar and we ended up travelling back together for part of the way and I mentioned this 'lifecasting' thing and .. it turned out to be him. And he was as genuine a guy as you like. So .. Allsopp .. stop prejudging people, give them more of a chance than just reading their 160 character Twitter profile.; Would I do another BarCamp? Sure, definitely, with enthusiasm. But next time I'll do a proper presentation. Here, I did a round table IM discussion (pic) and that kinda worked and kinda didn't so I think a proper presentation showing how I structured and underwent a campaign and what came out of it, and then get improvement suggestions from the audience, that would probably work better for everyone.; Might even organise one in Scarborough, I got talking to two people who organised them and there's really not a lot to it and there seems to be a group of us who want it to happen and maybe the venue is a given. Possible themes: music / mapping. Watch this space.; Oh, it was very lovely to meet and get slightly involved with crew who held a 'decorate the Odeon' thing with bands and beeping horn drivers as an alternative to the official Christmas Light turn-on. Many parallels with us and the Futurist I think.; Funny thing. Looking at the pictures from Saturday now (on a Monday) .. I'm missing it. Missing the chance to talk with people. I think one magical thing about a BarCamp is the enthusiasm and positivity of the people there. I got the same thing from the Spencer Tunick event in Newcastle .. both were a selected group of positive people.; Other opinions: Charlotte Britton, Jane Lambert or just check out the Twitter hashtag #BCBradford.

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