sacha chua :: enterprise 2.0 consultant, storyteller, geek » barcamp http://sachachua.com/wp I help people connect through blogs, wikis, other Web 2.0 tools. I'm also writing a book about Emacs. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:28:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 en Tom Purves, Enterprise 2.0 overview http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/11/07/tom-purves-enterprise-20-overview/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/11/07/tom-purves-enterprise-20-overview/#comments Wed, 08 Nov 2006 00:25:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.11.07.php#anchor-2 I'm at Enterprise2.0Camp right now. Tom Purves gave a good overview of what Enterprise 2.0 is and what it means for businesses. "Social media" is fine for Web 2.0, but it raises eyebrows in business. Tom suggested "tacit media" as a better term, and went into more detail.

Bryce Johnson pointed out a difference between barcamp.org wiki and usabilitycamp.org wiki - barcamp wiki was where organization happened, whereas usabilitycamp wiki happened after the organization. Tom shared something from Office 2.0: "A blank wiki is a room without chairs." (Esther Dyson)

Comments: Seeding a wiki can affect how it goes. Any best practices? Tom suggested deliberately making small mistakes, which encourages people to look for how to edit it. Another person points out that this also lowers the psychological barrier to entry - things don't have to be perfect. There are social issues, though, such as implied permissions. Bob Logan pointed out that you can't design emergence. Alex Petrov noted that you can't predict innovation if you're going bottoms-up. Tom acknowledged the loss of control, but talked about unorganizations that emerge as well.

Another person explicitly distinguished between innovation and collaboration. Innovation is never really been successful without some sort of direction, he continues. A wiki is like a blank piece of paper, which is difficult to work with. Tom replied that collaboration is a good stepping stone toward innovation or the dispersion of innovation. The first person continued that R&D expenditure has no correlation to the performance of the company. Innovation is a very different function than collaboration. Another person talked about skunkworks and the possible value of having a skunkworks wiki, which could be a very powerful tool. Greg Van Alstyne supported Tom's point that innovation requires diffusion and adoption, and differentiated innovation from invention. You have to see it happening in a network. The person beside him talked about emergence and levels of complexity.

Another person talked about the nature of a corporation as a tree structure, push instead of pull. You have to fuse them together. Tom wondered if wikis need critical mass, and if the software isn't as good as they thought.

Deb brought the conversation back to the empty wiki. Anything successful has at the core of it a real problem, so that people have a motivation to do whatever. Carsten pointed out that it needs to be appropriate. Bryce brought up the idea of voice. Tom agreed that different kinds of media fit different tasks. Brent Ashley pointed out that there's a certain constituency of the population who are going to be involved. So we need to draw out the people in the organization who would be good adopters of these tools, so that the tools will be built by people who care about it. Tom agreed absolutely. Firestoker saying: "Learn to stop worrying and love your 1%." Rohan said that the key is to make sure that something there is important. People don't want to be left behind. As long as what's on the wiki is a hobby thing, then they're not going to go there. Jevon of Firestoker: A moment of crisis. Work gets done and operational efficiencies come into play. In that moment of crisis, it's a chance for leadership to let go and give up some of their silos. It's after that point that we see innovation and collaboration really come into play, because that's when people trust the space. Carsten: I think what makes collaboration unattractive is the lack of integration. The browser is the great equalizer. [But it's not integrated into the applications that I live in, like Outlook]. Maybe the wiki is not all that appropriate or practical.

Jevon: Story about Big 5 banks. They had computers in managers' offices, but no one was reading e-mail because computers were handled by their secretaries. Then the CEO sent the final paper memo, and then everyone used e-mail.

Person: If you build technology that does not conform to the way people behave, no one will use it. Noted problem with signup wiki. UX experience is the story. The experience of using a device should complement what you want to use it for.

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Random Emacs symbol: char-property-alias-alist - Variable: Alist of alternative properties for properties without a value.

]]> I'm at Enterprise2.0Camp right now. Tom Purves gave a good overview of what Enterprise 2.0 is and what it means for businesses. "Social media" is fine for Web 2.0, but it raises eyebrows in business. Tom suggested "tacit media" as a better term, and went into more detail.

Bryce Johnson pointed out a difference between barcamp.org wiki and usabilitycamp.org wiki - barcamp wiki was where organization happened, whereas usabilitycamp wiki happened after the organization. Tom shared something from Office 2.0: "A blank wiki is a room without chairs." (Esther Dyson)

Comments: Seeding a wiki can affect how it goes. Any best practices? Tom suggested deliberately making small mistakes, which encourages people to look for how to edit it. Another person points out that this also lowers the psychological barrier to entry - things don't have to be perfect. There are social issues, though, such as implied permissions. Bob Logan pointed out that you can't design emergence. Alex Petrov noted that you can't predict innovation if you're going bottoms-up. Tom acknowledged the loss of control, but talked about unorganizations that emerge as well.

Another person explicitly distinguished between innovation and collaboration. Innovation is never really been successful without some sort of direction, he continues. A wiki is like a blank piece of paper, which is difficult to work with. Tom replied that collaboration is a good stepping stone toward innovation or the dispersion of innovation. The first person continued that R&D expenditure has no correlation to the performance of the company. Innovation is a very different function than collaboration. Another person talked about skunkworks and the possible value of having a skunkworks wiki, which could be a very powerful tool. Greg Van Alstyne supported Tom's point that innovation requires diffusion and adoption, and differentiated innovation from invention. You have to see it happening in a network. The person beside him talked about emergence and levels of complexity.

Another person talked about the nature of a corporation as a tree structure, push instead of pull. You have to fuse them together. Tom wondered if wikis need critical mass, and if the software isn't as good as they thought.

Deb brought the conversation back to the empty wiki. Anything successful has at the core of it a real problem, so that people have a motivation to do whatever. Carsten pointed out that it needs to be appropriate. Bryce brought up the idea of voice. Tom agreed that different kinds of media fit different tasks. Brent Ashley pointed out that there's a certain constituency of the population who are going to be involved. So we need to draw out the people in the organization who would be good adopters of these tools, so that the tools will be built by people who care about it. Tom agreed absolutely. Firestoker saying: "Learn to stop worrying and love your 1%." Rohan said that the key is to make sure that something there is important. People don't want to be left behind. As long as what's on the wiki is a hobby thing, then they're not going to go there. Jevon of Firestoker: A moment of crisis. Work gets done and operational efficiencies come into play. In that moment of crisis, it's a chance for leadership to let go and give up some of their silos. It's after that point that we see innovation and collaboration really come into play, because that's when people trust the space. Carsten: I think what makes collaboration unattractive is the lack of integration. The browser is the great equalizer. [But it's not integrated into the applications that I live in, like Outlook]. Maybe the wiki is not all that appropriate or practical.

Jevon: Story about Big 5 banks. They had computers in managers' offices, but no one was reading e-mail because computers were handled by their secretaries. Then the CEO sent the final paper memo, and then everyone used e-mail.

Person: If you build technology that does not conform to the way people behave, no one will use it. Noted problem with signup wiki. UX experience is the story. The experience of using a device should complement what you want to use it for.

On Technorati: , , ,

Random Emacs symbol: char-property-alias-alist - Variable: Alist of alternative properties for properties without a value.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/11/07/tom-purves-enterprise-20-overview/feed/ Of BarCamp and conversations http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/31/of-barcamp-and-conversations/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/31/of-barcamp-and-conversations/#comments Thu, 31 Aug 2006 06:00:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.31.php#anchor-4 People who have never been to a BarCamp probably have no idea what to expect from this un-conference. In fact, I get the feeling that the BarCamp *I* go to is very different from the BarCamp that everyone else goes to, even if we're all going to BarCampEarthToronto.

I think my way is cool, and I think you should try it out. =) Here's what I get out of BarCamp and why I think it's tons of fun.

For me, BarCamp is all about conversation. I start with the assumption that as a whole, everyone else knows more than I do about anything I want to talk about. My sessions are not presentations, but roundtable discussions. I'll structure them a little bit to give people something to work with, like the way I talked a little bit about Enterprise 2.0 or shared some of my networking tips. The value of the session doesn't come from me, though, but from the participants.

My job is not to tell people answers, but to share a few stories and ask lots of questions. I turn Q & A onto its head by saving more time for questions than for speaking, and asking more questions than I answer.

This also allows me to adapt to people's interests on the fly. In the middle of hallway conversation, I've said, "Hey, I'd love to have a larger conversation about this," run off to find a marker, and then added the session to the grid. I think it's okay not to be an expert on something just yet, to not have a slick well-rehearsed presentation.

I think this is so much more fun than treating BarCamp as a self-organizing series of traditional presentations. I'd rather say, "I feel like talking about ____" and see who else wants to.

Conversation. For me, BarCamp is all about starting conversations. It's fun following up with people, too. Just finished a BBQ with a few people I met at BarCampEarthToronto - that was great fun!

I'll blog about this more when I'm more coherent, but yeah. Conversation.

On Technorati: , , , ,

]]> People who have never been to a BarCamp probably have no idea what to expect from this un-conference. In fact, I get the feeling that the BarCamp *I* go to is very different from the BarCamp that everyone else goes to, even if we're all going to BarCampEarthToronto.

I think my way is cool, and I think you should try it out. =) Here's what I get out of BarCamp and why I think it's tons of fun.

For me, BarCamp is all about conversation. I start with the assumption that as a whole, everyone else knows more than I do about anything I want to talk about. My sessions are not presentations, but roundtable discussions. I'll structure them a little bit to give people something to work with, like the way I talked a little bit about Enterprise 2.0 or shared some of my networking tips. The value of the session doesn't come from me, though, but from the participants.

My job is not to tell people answers, but to share a few stories and ask lots of questions. I turn Q & A onto its head by saving more time for questions than for speaking, and asking more questions than I answer.

This also allows me to adapt to people's interests on the fly. In the middle of hallway conversation, I've said, "Hey, I'd love to have a larger conversation about this," run off to find a marker, and then added the session to the grid. I think it's okay not to be an expert on something just yet, to not have a slick well-rehearsed presentation.

I think this is so much more fun than treating BarCamp as a self-organizing series of traditional presentations. I'd rather say, "I feel like talking about ____" and see who else wants to.

Conversation. For me, BarCamp is all about starting conversations. It's fun following up with people, too. Just finished a BBQ with a few people I met at BarCampEarthToronto - that was great fun!

I'll blog about this more when I'm more coherent, but yeah. Conversation.

On Technorati: , , , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/31/of-barcamp-and-conversations/feed/ Starting your own business http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/starting-your-own-business/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/starting-your-own-business/#comments Sat, 26 Aug 2006 21:08:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.26.php#anchor-7 @BarCampEarthToronto, Brooke Gordon, serial entrepreneur

  • Business plan. You are trading money for value. You need to be able to clearly articulate what you are translating money into. If you can't articulate that clearly to friends and family, you will never be able to do that for investors or customers.
  • Find a mentor. Ask your professors who they know. Go to your local business development center. Find people who have started their own company. You'll be shocked at how many people will spend half an hour talking to you. Camaraderie. If you ask for help, you will find help. You'll probably find someone who can share with you best practices.
  • A business is a business is a business. Get yourself an accountant. Make sure that you're following all of the business rules that apply to the industry. Find out what all the tax rules are and the task breaks are. There are some absolutely fantastic R&D tax credits that people don't know about. I tried doing the books myself when I was starting out, and that's a mistake, at least for the first time. Make sure that your accountant knows small business. Whatever you get, make sure you ask for a receipt. You must have copies of receipts. Keep good records of things. That's what your accountant is there to help you with - your industry. Any time you ever hire someone, interview them, and interview more than one person. Do your due diligence. There's a lot of risk, but there's so much reward. You want to mitigate that risk. When you're doing that mentorship, ask around. Do not ask a corporation. Ask other people who have their own business. Ask for referrals and references. Ask!
  • Do a lot of time at first with your wording. Value proposition. Your company name is an important thing. Try and think about things like common misspellings, pronounciation misspellings, how you want to be perceived. Everything you do, you test. Whatever you choose to do, write it down, go and tell someone. Take someone out for coffee and say "Here are my thoughts; what do you think?" Constantly ask, ask for genuine feedback, and ask for honest criticism. People you trust care about you and don't want to see you fail. Other people aren't going to give you that feedback. Good or bad, thank them for it, and take it to heart.
  • Don't use your name as your company name.
  • There are free seminars that you have access to that you wouldn't believe. Go to learn and listen and connect. Be very open to that and continue going. There are lots of things out there for free.
  • Government grants and loans for people under 29!
  • Check out TD and Royal Bank for programs for small businesses. They can mitigate their risk if they act as advisors. Don't discount your bank.
  • Networking. Part of the reason why Dana and I met. Bag design. Women's networking group.
  • BNI. Business Networking International. Givers gain. When you go to a networking group, don't just talk - listen. Introduce yourself not just with your name, but with what you do.
  • "So, tell me about your business." You can tell a lot about a business by how well they can articulate their value. "What do clients of yours look like?" Keep thinking about how your clients might be good clients for them. That's what networking is.
  • For example, our value is phased implementations for projects.

Know what your value is. Know what your customer looks like. Create scenarios. Find out what a typical customer looks like, so you can tell other people what you look like. Make sure that you get involved in networking. Get those government resources.

Dana: Clients.

  • People respond when you're not aggressive or overbearing. Your product is not impressive. Treat people as people, not sales.
  • Keep a client database. I used to work for a customer-relationship management system. I missed it when I started my own business. I love Sugar CRM, which is online and open source. Get something so that you can keep track of your clients. Schedule your followups. That way, they don't only hear from you when you're asking for money. You want to show that you care about them. Make sure your clients feel valued. Send an actual paper thank-you.
  • You don't want to be too close to your client also, because sometimes you have to say no. You really should say no. A project that you thought you should've said no will drag you down and kill you. If you have that feeling, don't do it. Or get really good specs.
  • Get a lawyer to review your contracts. Do not do this yourself.
  • Put everything you can on paper before you implement it.
  • Protect yourself with sign-offs.
  • Don't go into business with friends, if you can help it.
  • Go through scenarios in order to mitigate risk.
  • Engineering entrepreneurship and education at McMasters! Experiential program. ALWAYS take notes and offer to do the first draft. Then get your lawyer's intern to look at the stuff for you. Ask lawyers what you've missed.
  • Outsource your overflow capacity.
  • Know enough to know if the people you're outsourcing to do good work.

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]]> @BarCampEarthToronto, Brooke Gordon, serial entrepreneur

  • Business plan. You are trading money for value. You need to be able to clearly articulate what you are translating money into. If you can't articulate that clearly to friends and family, you will never be able to do that for investors or customers.
  • Find a mentor. Ask your professors who they know. Go to your local business development center. Find people who have started their own company. You'll be shocked at how many people will spend half an hour talking to you. Camaraderie. If you ask for help, you will find help. You'll probably find someone who can share with you best practices.
  • A business is a business is a business. Get yourself an accountant. Make sure that you're following all of the business rules that apply to the industry. Find out what all the tax rules are and the task breaks are. There are some absolutely fantastic R&D tax credits that people don't know about. I tried doing the books myself when I was starting out, and that's a mistake, at least for the first time. Make sure that your accountant knows small business. Whatever you get, make sure you ask for a receipt. You must have copies of receipts. Keep good records of things. That's what your accountant is there to help you with - your industry. Any time you ever hire someone, interview them, and interview more than one person. Do your due diligence. There's a lot of risk, but there's so much reward. You want to mitigate that risk. When you're doing that mentorship, ask around. Do not ask a corporation. Ask other people who have their own business. Ask for referrals and references. Ask!
  • Do a lot of time at first with your wording. Value proposition. Your company name is an important thing. Try and think about things like common misspellings, pronounciation misspellings, how you want to be perceived. Everything you do, you test. Whatever you choose to do, write it down, go and tell someone. Take someone out for coffee and say "Here are my thoughts; what do you think?" Constantly ask, ask for genuine feedback, and ask for honest criticism. People you trust care about you and don't want to see you fail. Other people aren't going to give you that feedback. Good or bad, thank them for it, and take it to heart.
  • Don't use your name as your company name.
  • There are free seminars that you have access to that you wouldn't believe. Go to learn and listen and connect. Be very open to that and continue going. There are lots of things out there for free.
  • Government grants and loans for people under 29!
  • Check out TD and Royal Bank for programs for small businesses. They can mitigate their risk if they act as advisors. Don't discount your bank.
  • Networking. Part of the reason why Dana and I met. Bag design. Women's networking group.
  • BNI. Business Networking International. Givers gain. When you go to a networking group, don't just talk - listen. Introduce yourself not just with your name, but with what you do.
  • "So, tell me about your business." You can tell a lot about a business by how well they can articulate their value. "What do clients of yours look like?" Keep thinking about how your clients might be good clients for them. That's what networking is.
  • For example, our value is phased implementations for projects.

Know what your value is. Know what your customer looks like. Create scenarios. Find out what a typical customer looks like, so you can tell other people what you look like. Make sure that you get involved in networking. Get those government resources.

Dana: Clients.

  • People respond when you're not aggressive or overbearing. Your product is not impressive. Treat people as people, not sales.
  • Keep a client database. I used to work for a customer-relationship management system. I missed it when I started my own business. I love Sugar CRM, which is online and open source. Get something so that you can keep track of your clients. Schedule your followups. That way, they don't only hear from you when you're asking for money. You want to show that you care about them. Make sure your clients feel valued. Send an actual paper thank-you.
  • You don't want to be too close to your client also, because sometimes you have to say no. You really should say no. A project that you thought you should've said no will drag you down and kill you. If you have that feeling, don't do it. Or get really good specs.
  • Get a lawyer to review your contracts. Do not do this yourself.
  • Put everything you can on paper before you implement it.
  • Protect yourself with sign-offs.
  • Don't go into business with friends, if you can help it.
  • Go through scenarios in order to mitigate risk.
  • Engineering entrepreneurship and education at McMasters! Experiential program. ALWAYS take notes and offer to do the first draft. Then get your lawyer's intern to look at the stuff for you. Ask lawyers what you've missed.
  • Outsource your overflow capacity.
  • Know enough to know if the people you're outsourcing to do good work.

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On Technorati: , , , , , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/starting-your-own-business/feed/ Building a community http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/building-a-community/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/building-a-community/#comments Sat, 26 Aug 2006 20:04:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.26.php#anchor-6 @BarCampEarthToronto: Search engine optimization

Terrific idea! Ryan McKegney identified the top 1% in his RedFlagDeals.com community, rewarded them with stickers and other stuff, and encouraged them to evangelize. Great! Also, you have another 1% who want to get more involved. As for the 1% who are jerks: do things in an open and fair way. Also, keep in mind that there's a negative response bias in large online communities. People who disagree with something will be the loudest. Takeaway: You set the tone for the site, because you are such an integral part of the community.

Random notes: Alan Hietala talked about bridging multiple communities in World of Warcraft. Event planning for MMORPG. Heatware - independent reputation system. Jason: no one makes the first post, so you seed.. but dependency? .. Also, start with existing communities.

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]]> @BarCampEarthToronto: Search engine optimization

Terrific idea! Ryan McKegney identified the top 1% in his RedFlagDeals.com community, rewarded them with stickers and other stuff, and encouraged them to evangelize. Great! Also, you have another 1% who want to get more involved. As for the 1% who are jerks: do things in an open and fair way. Also, keep in mind that there's a negative response bias in large online communities. People who disagree with something will be the loudest. Takeaway: You set the tone for the site, because you are such an integral part of the community.

Random notes: Alan Hietala talked about bridging multiple communities in World of Warcraft. Event planning for MMORPG. Heatware - independent reputation system. Jason: no one makes the first post, so you seed.. but dependency? .. Also, start with existing communities.

Laptop ads sponsored by: Orange & Bronze and http://www.wordpress.org

On Technorati: , , , , , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/building-a-community/feed/ Win-win-win: The power of asking http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/win-win-win-the-power-of-asking/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/win-win-win-the-power-of-asking/#comments Sat, 26 Aug 2006 18:57:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.26.php#anchor-5 The problem with conferences is that I always, always run into scheduling conflicts. I really, really wanted to go to the two talks about communities, the two talks about culture, one talk about perception, and of course I have another session to run on information overload.

Six sessions, three time slots. Aiyah. You don't need a CS degree to know that's a problem.

So I convinced Mike and Quinn to merge their talks on culture. Then I looked for the people responsible for the meta-community talk and asked if they could merge with Ryan's talk about building communities. They agreed!

I couldn't merge with Mike's talk - thematically different, and I'd probably run a long conversation - but hey, that was a great win. All the people who merged said it would be a good idea because they needed less than an hour. Everyone else gets a nice panel. And I learned that if you ask, people will probably say yes.

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]]> The problem with conferences is that I always, always run into scheduling conflicts. I really, really wanted to go to the two talks about communities, the two talks about culture, one talk about perception, and of course I have another session to run on information overload.

Six sessions, three time slots. Aiyah. You don't need a CS degree to know that's a problem.

So I convinced Mike and Quinn to merge their talks on culture. Then I looked for the people responsible for the meta-community talk and asked if they could merge with Ryan's talk about building communities. They agreed!

I couldn't merge with Mike's talk - thematically different, and I'd probably run a long conversation - but hey, that was a great win. All the people who merged said it would be a good idea because they needed less than an hour. Everyone else gets a nice panel. And I learned that if you ask, people will probably say yes.

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On Technorati: , , , , , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/win-win-win-the-power-of-asking/feed/ BarCampEarthToronto: Search engine optimization http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/barcampearthtoronto-search-engine-optimization/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/barcampearthtoronto-search-engine-optimization/#comments Sat, 26 Aug 2006 18:29:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.26.php#anchor-4 @BarCampEarthToronto: Search engine optimization

I'm learning a lot from the session. Some points:

  • Primary domains are better than subdomains because Google tries to figure out what a domain is about, and something like blogspot.com is too large.
  • Research keywords to find out what people are searching for, and develop good material for these. Linkbait?
  • Structure an FAQ with forward-links and H1s.
  • Use keyword-rich headings.

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On Technorati: , , , , , ,

]]> @BarCampEarthToronto: Search engine optimization

I'm learning a lot from the session. Some points:

  • Primary domains are better than subdomains because Google tries to figure out what a domain is about, and something like blogspot.com is too large.
  • Research keywords to find out what people are searching for, and develop good material for these. Linkbait?
  • Structure an FAQ with forward-links and H1s.
  • Use keyword-rich headings.

Laptop ads sponsored by: Orange & Bronze and http://www.wordpress.org

On Technorati: , , , , , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/barcampearthtoronto-search-engine-optimization/feed/ BarCampEarthToronto: Networking for Introverts http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/barcampearthtoronto-networking-for-introverts/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/barcampearthtoronto-networking-for-introverts/#comments Sat, 26 Aug 2006 18:15:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.26.php#anchor-3 I ran a terrific session on networking for introverts at BarCampEarthToronto. I shared a few stories about blogging and conversation-starting pins, and then asked people to save me from having to talk for an entire hour by myself. People shared tips and asked questions, and we had a wonderful, wonderful conversation.

We talked about why connecting with people is important: it opens up new possibilities and helps us learn more about ourselves. People shared many tips for how to network, from initiating conversations to developing friendships.

One of the useful tips I heard was to practice talking to people by asking strangers for the time or for directions to a place. Hmm, might try that. Another was to physically open the circle of conversation in order to invite people in. Yet another was to keep track of people's interests and wants, and this gives you an excuse to get back in touch with them.

Someone suggested using breaks to invite more introverts into the conversation. I'll facilitate the next session better. It was a great session! =)

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On Technorati: , , , ,

]]> I ran a terrific session on networking for introverts at BarCampEarthToronto. I shared a few stories about blogging and conversation-starting pins, and then asked people to save me from having to talk for an entire hour by myself. People shared tips and asked questions, and we had a wonderful, wonderful conversation.

We talked about why connecting with people is important: it opens up new possibilities and helps us learn more about ourselves. People shared many tips for how to network, from initiating conversations to developing friendships.

One of the useful tips I heard was to practice talking to people by asking strangers for the time or for directions to a place. Hmm, might try that. Another was to physically open the circle of conversation in order to invite people in. Yet another was to keep track of people's interests and wants, and this gives you an excuse to get back in touch with them.

Someone suggested using breaks to invite more introverts into the conversation. I'll facilitate the next session better. It was a great session! =)

Laptop ads sponsored by: Orange & Bronze and http://www.wordpress.org

On Technorati: , , , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/barcampearthtoronto-networking-for-introverts/feed/ Sweeeet! Wordpress.org bought ad space on my laptop! http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/sweeeet-wordpressorg-bought-ad-space-on-my-laptop/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/sweeeet-wordpressorg-bought-ad-space-on-my-laptop/#comments Sat, 26 Aug 2006 05:51:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.26.php#anchor-1 Remember my crazy idea to sell advertising space on my laptop during BarCampEarthToronto? Well, Matt Mullenweg of Wordpress.org - *WORDPRESS.ORG!* My favorite blogging platform! (Okay, my *second-favorite* - nothing beats Emacs Planner)

!!

They are *uber*cool. Another thing I really, really, really, really like. Whenever I need to set up a blog for someone else, the very first thing I do is download the latest version of Wordpress, unpack it, and set it up. I like it a lot.

So here's what's going to happen. I am going to make the logos for Orange & Bronze and Wordpress.org as large as I can. I don't mind potentially wasting space. It'll be a *fantastic* story.

I'll blog more from BarCamp tomorrow, and I'll post my D*I*Y tutorial on Sunday. =) Or today, if I feel particularly diligent...

Anyway. Wordpress.org. They are totally, totally cool.

Wordpress.org

On Technorati: , , , , , , , , ,

]]> Remember my crazy idea to sell advertising space on my laptop during BarCampEarthToronto? Well, Matt Mullenweg of Wordpress.org - *WORDPRESS.ORG!* My favorite blogging platform! (Okay, my *second-favorite* - nothing beats Emacs Planner)

!!

They are *uber*cool. Another thing I really, really, really, really like. Whenever I need to set up a blog for someone else, the very first thing I do is download the latest version of Wordpress, unpack it, and set it up. I like it a lot.

So here's what's going to happen. I am going to make the logos for Orange & Bronze and Wordpress.org as large as I can. I don't mind potentially wasting space. It'll be a *fantastic* story.

I'll blog more from BarCamp tomorrow, and I'll post my D*I*Y tutorial on Sunday. =) Or today, if I feel particularly diligent...

Anyway. Wordpress.org. They are totally, totally cool.

Wordpress.org

On Technorati: , , , , , , , , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/26/sweeeet-wordpressorg-bought-ad-space-on-my-laptop/feed/ Advertise on my laptop! Webpage up http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/23/advertise-on-my-laptop-webpage-up/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/23/advertise-on-my-laptop-webpage-up/#comments Wed, 23 Aug 2006 05:26:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.23.php#anchor-1 Okay, we're open for business! Buy adspace on my laptop for USD 1.00 / 0.5"x0.5" (basic) or USD 2.00 / 0.5"x0.5" (premium, includes elevator pitch). Hurry! BarCampEarthToronto is just a few days away!

Props to Gabriel Mansour for helping me work things out!

See also my previous blog entries:

Other people's blog entries:

Reserve ad space now!

On Technorati: , , , , , , , , ,

]]> Okay, we're open for business! Buy adspace on my laptop for USD 1.00 / 0.5"x0.5" (basic) or USD 2.00 / 0.5"x0.5" (premium, includes elevator pitch). Hurry! BarCampEarthToronto is just a few days away!

Props to Gabriel Mansour for helping me work things out!

See also my previous blog entries:

Other people's blog entries:

Reserve ad space now!

On Technorati: , , , , , , , , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/23/advertise-on-my-laptop-webpage-up/feed/ Whoa, onto something cool here: advertising on the back of my laptop http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/22/whoa-onto-something-cool-here-advertising-on-the-back-of-my-laptop/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/22/whoa-onto-something-cool-here-advertising-on-the-back-of-my-laptop/#comments Wed, 23 Aug 2006 03:52:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.22.php#anchor-4 UPDATE: See http://sachachua.com/advertise-on-my-laptop.html

Want to grab the eyeballs of every geek at BarCampEarthToronto and the other tech events I go to? Advertise on the back of my laptop. Even better: tell me enough about your stuff so that I can enthusiastically talk about it.

I'm an evangelist. Give me something cool to talk about.

The back of an 8.9" laptop screen *really* doesn't seem like much space to advertise on, but *everyone* looks, believe me. It's the irresistable combination of cute geek girl _and_ insanely tiny laptop.

And it happens *every* *single* *time.* It helps that I have small hands. Most people just can't deal with something that small. Sure, black Macbooks are trendy, but they're not as rare as a *teensy* little laptop that a geek girl is happily typing away on. (In Emacs, no less.)

Amber MacArthur (TechTV) called attention to the sticker I had on my laptop ("The geek shall inherit the earth") and the pins I have on my backpack ("No, you can't just explain it in the manual" - Human Factors International). Random strangers cross the street to compliment me on my outfit, ask about the stickers on my skateboard, or wonder out loud if that's a *real* computer I'm typing away on. (Yes, as I walk.) And that happens both in geek-heavy get-togethers and while just walking in cosmopolitan, blase downtown Toronto.

I can't help it. I get attention. I might as well make use of it.

More to the point: _you_ might as well make use of it.

So here's what's going to happen:

  • TONIGHT: I'll decide on a pricing scheme. E-mail me or leave a comment if you want to hear about it as soon as I've come up with it (probably later tonight).
  • TONIGHT: I'll set up a static page, blog about it, and tell people.
  • WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY: I'll accept orders.
  • THURSDAY: I'll figure out exactly how to mount it. Don't worry, I have several plans.
  • FRIDAY: I'll select and confirm orders, and print out and mount the final thing on Friday afternoon.

My skateboard's also open for advertising.

E-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com or leave a comment using the form below to find out about the next step as soon as possible.

On Technorati: , , , , , , , , ,

See also my previous blog entry:

Networking for Geeks: Advertise with your laptop!

Other people's blog entries:

(leave me a comment to get linked!)

]]> UPDATE: See http://sachachua.com/advertise-on-my-laptop.html

Want to grab the eyeballs of every geek at BarCampEarthToronto and the other tech events I go to? Advertise on the back of my laptop. Even better: tell me enough about your stuff so that I can enthusiastically talk about it.

I'm an evangelist. Give me something cool to talk about.

The back of an 8.9" laptop screen *really* doesn't seem like much space to advertise on, but *everyone* looks, believe me. It's the irresistable combination of cute geek girl _and_ insanely tiny laptop.

And it happens *every* *single* *time.* It helps that I have small hands. Most people just can't deal with something that small. Sure, black Macbooks are trendy, but they're not as rare as a *teensy* little laptop that a geek girl is happily typing away on. (In Emacs, no less.)

Amber MacArthur (TechTV) called attention to the sticker I had on my laptop ("The geek shall inherit the earth") and the pins I have on my backpack ("No, you can't just explain it in the manual" - Human Factors International). Random strangers cross the street to compliment me on my outfit, ask about the stickers on my skateboard, or wonder out loud if that's a *real* computer I'm typing away on. (Yes, as I walk.) And that happens both in geek-heavy get-togethers and while just walking in cosmopolitan, blase downtown Toronto.

I can't help it. I get attention. I might as well make use of it.

More to the point: _you_ might as well make use of it.

So here's what's going to happen:

  • TONIGHT: I'll decide on a pricing scheme. E-mail me or leave a comment if you want to hear about it as soon as I've come up with it (probably later tonight).
  • TONIGHT: I'll set up a static page, blog about it, and tell people.
  • WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY: I'll accept orders.
  • THURSDAY: I'll figure out exactly how to mount it. Don't worry, I have several plans.
  • FRIDAY: I'll select and confirm orders, and print out and mount the final thing on Friday afternoon.

My skateboard's also open for advertising.

E-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com or leave a comment using the form below to find out about the next step as soon as possible.

On Technorati: , , , , , , , , ,

See also my previous blog entry:

Networking for Geeks: Advertise with your laptop!

Other people's blog entries:

(leave me a comment to get linked!)

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/22/whoa-onto-something-cool-here-advertising-on-the-back-of-my-laptop/feed/ DemoCamp! http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/07/26/democamp-2/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/07/26/democamp-2/#comments Thu, 27 Jul 2006 02:28:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.07.26.php#anchor-3 I love going to conferences and geek get-togethers because I always end up having the most interesting conversations. Even though my responsibilities at Toast I.T. Toastmasters meant that all I caught of DemoCampToronto8 was just David Crow ending it with, "That wraps up DemoCamp for the night," it was so worth the mad scramble across town.

Here's an incomplete list of highlights from DemoCamp:

  • Ari Caylakyan came along from Toast I.T. Toastmasters in order to see the geek events I go to.
  • Chatted with Olivier Yip Tong on the way in.
  • Carsten Knoch gave me the July 1 issue of the Guardian UK that I'd blogged about. A journalist interviewed a bunch of UK-based IBM bloggers and the IBMers mentioned me as an example of a blogging student, and the article came out online on July 1. I met Carsten at Enterprise 2.0 Camp on 2006.07.20, and he went back and read my blog. (Awwwwww!) When he read my entry about the Guardian, he realized that he had that issue and that it was sitting in his recycling bin. What an amazing coincidence! I'll read through the entire thing later to see if I made it into print. If so, them my mom will be ridiculously happy to receive a paper copy of it for her scrapbook. =) Even if the article isn't there - isn't that just a nifty thing?
  • Jane Zhang made me promise to blog the Social Tech Brewing event this August. The event's about women in technology, and it looks like it will be a very interesting discussion.
  • I apologized profusely to Greg Wilson for not following up on the introduction to Steve Easterbrook, who teaches a course that I absolutely must take next semester and who is interested in the social side of software engineering. Greg invited me to another meeting at 9:45 AM at the Starbucks at College and St. George. (Update: I was unavoidably late and ended up at the Starbucks at 10:00 instead of 9:45. Didn't meet them. Argh! Now I look terrible. I hate being late!)
  • Hypothesis: Following Greg Wilson around leads to conversations with interesting people. Data point: Hugh Ranalli. I overheard Hugh talking to Greg about computer training in developing countries, so naturally I stepped right into the conversation. (Greg told me to be nice and share! ;) ) Hugh's working with Digital Opportunity Trust on skill-oriented training (as opposed to tech-oriented; teaching presentation skills instead of Microsoft Powerpoint), and I think that's just what is needed. I'm curious about the Teach Up, Skill Up, and Scale Up programs he described for teachers, at-risk youth, and entrepreneurs.
  • James Woods had a haircut, which is probably one of the reasons why I didn't remember his name, but still... He remembered mine and he makes an effort to be good with names, but was good-natured enough to forgive my lapse. =) He told me how he scheduled himself onto a yet-unplanned DemoCamp just to make sure he'd get a slot, and of David Crow's funny reaction to that.
  • James Woods introduced me to Vlad Jebelev, who used to be a Toastmaster when he lived in Missassauga. His wife was one of the club founders for a bank-based club.
  • Jeremy talked to me about his work in scientific visualizations - mainly physics and chemistry. His wife's doing her PhD in biotechnology, so he's getting interested in that as well.
  • With a little more time this DemoCamp, I got to know Ian Irving through more than just his blog title. "Hi, I'm Ian Irving of falsepositives" wasn't much to go on last time, especially as I didn't feel like opening my computer then and there! ;) I noticed the Lotus Notes thing on his business card and we talked a bit about that. Then we ended up in a longer conversation about how to keep track of lots of blogs and the strategies we use, like following influencers, analyzing OPML... Ian has some pretty interesting OPML analysis tools that he should share. =) It would be good to see the intersection of blog subscriptions between your friends, for example... He's thought a lot about this attention economy, and has come up with a few things to make it personally better.
  • Finally got to connect with Rick Mason. He had stumbled across my entry on networking with Moleskine notebooks. We nearly met at the Flash event on 2006.06.29, but for some reason or another he didn't make it to that one. We were supposed to meet last week for coffee, but our schedules got full. DemoCamp did the trick!
  • It was good to see Rock Jethwa at DemoCamp. I met him at the TorCHI social the night before and thought he might enjoy the DemoCamp scene. He probably heard about it from other people, too. =)
  • Rock Jethwa introduced me to Goran Matic, who's also really enthusiastic about storytelling and social computing. Awesome!
  • Simon Rowland actually managed to make it out to one of the DemoCamp parties! =)
  • Andrew Burke joked about his resemblance to Simon Rowland. I laughed and said I'd probably be able to tell them apart by now, all things considered. Andrew and I chatted about Emacs. He said that geek get-togethers in California tend to be Emacs-dominated, while Toronto's more of a vi city than anything else. I really should have a dinner party just for Emacs geeks.
  • Joey de Villa talked about his recent experiences with AdSense and how Randy of KBCafe is making quite a living off targeted blogs.
  • Brent Ashley collected his requisite two hugs: one coming in, one going. <laugh>
  • Gabriel Mansour and Simon Rowland started talking about Asterisk. Gabriel mentioned the Asterisk + Drupal module. Simon laughed and told him the history of that particular piece - his company developed it. <grin> That was cute!
  • Jedediah Smith suggested that I introduce him as a former mustard factory safety inspector if Web advertising is considered evil.
  • Alan Hietala promised to check out Toastmasters. He'll be graduating within a few weeks and is looking for a programming/software development job that can take advantage of his interests in visualization and other deep hacking stuff. He's interested in doing software architecture eventually.
  • Apricots and a kooshy ball!

A very good evening indeed.

On Technorati: , , , ,

]]> I love going to conferences and geek get-togethers because I always end up having the most interesting conversations. Even though my responsibilities at Toast I.T. Toastmasters meant that all I caught of DemoCampToronto8 was just David Crow ending it with, "That wraps up DemoCamp for the night," it was so worth the mad scramble across town.

Here's an incomplete list of highlights from DemoCamp:

  • Ari Caylakyan came along from Toast I.T. Toastmasters in order to see the geek events I go to.
  • Chatted with Olivier Yip Tong on the way in.
  • Carsten Knoch gave me the July 1 issue of the Guardian UK that I'd blogged about. A journalist interviewed a bunch of UK-based IBM bloggers and the IBMers mentioned me as an example of a blogging student, and the article came out online on July 1. I met Carsten at Enterprise 2.0 Camp on 2006.07.20, and he went back and read my blog. (Awwwwww!) When he read my entry about the Guardian, he realized that he had that issue and that it was sitting in his recycling bin. What an amazing coincidence! I'll read through the entire thing later to see if I made it into print. If so, them my mom will be ridiculously happy to receive a paper copy of it for her scrapbook. =) Even if the article isn't there - isn't that just a nifty thing?
  • Jane Zhang made me promise to blog the Social Tech Brewing event this August. The event's about women in technology, and it looks like it will be a very interesting discussion.
  • I apologized profusely to Greg Wilson for not following up on the introduction to Steve Easterbrook, who teaches a course that I absolutely must take next semester and who is interested in the social side of software engineering. Greg invited me to another meeting at 9:45 AM at the Starbucks at College and St. George. (Update: I was unavoidably late and ended up at the Starbucks at 10:00 instead of 9:45. Didn't meet them. Argh! Now I look terrible. I hate being late!)
  • Hypothesis: Following Greg Wilson around leads to conversations with interesting people. Data point: Hugh Ranalli. I overheard Hugh talking to Greg about computer training in developing countries, so naturally I stepped right into the conversation. (Greg told me to be nice and share! ;) ) Hugh's working with Digital Opportunity Trust on skill-oriented training (as opposed to tech-oriented; teaching presentation skills instead of Microsoft Powerpoint), and I think that's just what is needed. I'm curious about the Teach Up, Skill Up, and Scale Up programs he described for teachers, at-risk youth, and entrepreneurs.
  • James Woods had a haircut, which is probably one of the reasons why I didn't remember his name, but still... He remembered mine and he makes an effort to be good with names, but was good-natured enough to forgive my lapse. =) He told me how he scheduled himself onto a yet-unplanned DemoCamp just to make sure he'd get a slot, and of David Crow's funny reaction to that.
  • James Woods introduced me to Vlad Jebelev, who used to be a Toastmaster when he lived in Missassauga. His wife was one of the club founders for a bank-based club.
  • Jeremy talked to me about his work in scientific visualizations - mainly physics and chemistry. His wife's doing her PhD in biotechnology, so he's getting interested in that as well.
  • With a little more time this DemoCamp, I got to know Ian Irving through more than just his blog title. "Hi, I'm Ian Irving of falsepositives" wasn't much to go on last time, especially as I didn't feel like opening my computer then and there! ;) I noticed the Lotus Notes thing on his business card and we talked a bit about that. Then we ended up in a longer conversation about how to keep track of lots of blogs and the strategies we use, like following influencers, analyzing OPML... Ian has some pretty interesting OPML analysis tools that he should share. =) It would be good to see the intersection of blog subscriptions between your friends, for example... He's thought a lot about this attention economy, and has come up with a few things to make it personally better.
  • Finally got to connect with Rick Mason. He had stumbled across my entry on networking with Moleskine notebooks. We nearly met at the Flash event on 2006.06.29, but for some reason or another he didn't make it to that one. We were supposed to meet last week for coffee, but our schedules got full. DemoCamp did the trick!
  • It was good to see Rock Jethwa at DemoCamp. I met him at the TorCHI social the night before and thought he might enjoy the DemoCamp scene. He probably heard about it from other people, too. =)
  • Rock Jethwa introduced me to Goran Matic, who's also really enthusiastic about storytelling and social computing. Awesome!
  • Simon Rowland actually managed to make it out to one of the DemoCamp parties! =)
  • Andrew Burke joked about his resemblance to Simon Rowland. I laughed and said I'd probably be able to tell them apart by now, all things considered. Andrew and I chatted about Emacs. He said that geek get-togethers in California tend to be Emacs-dominated, while Toronto's more of a vi city than anything else. I really should have a dinner party just for Emacs geeks.
  • Joey de Villa talked about his recent experiences with AdSense and how Randy of KBCafe is making quite a living off targeted blogs.
  • Brent Ashley collected his requisite two hugs: one coming in, one going. <laugh>
  • Gabriel Mansour and Simon Rowland started talking about Asterisk. Gabriel mentioned the Asterisk + Drupal module. Simon laughed and told him the history of that particular piece - his company developed it. <grin> That was cute!
  • Jedediah Smith suggested that I introduce him as a former mustard factory safety inspector if Web advertising is considered evil.
  • Alan Hietala promised to check out Toastmasters. He'll be graduating within a few weeks and is looking for a programming/software development job that can take advantage of his interests in visualization and other deep hacking stuff. He's interested in doing software architecture eventually.
  • Apricots and a kooshy ball!

A very good evening indeed.

On Technorati: , , , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/07/26/democamp-2/feed/ More thoughts on Barcamp II http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/30/more-thoughts-on-barcamp-ii/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/30/more-thoughts-on-barcamp-ii/#comments Tue, 30 May 2006 07:40:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.05.30.php#anchor-4 I personally am not tired of conferences. I am just tired of tired conferences. Particularly the ones with the same group of twenty talking heads saying the same twenty things. - Stowe Boyd

I know public speaking scares the heck out of most people, but maybe we can get more people into the conversation...

I remember facing two hundred people at one of the PLUG technical sessions, all quiet as a mouse. I remember feeling _really_ frustrated by the notion that they might just be there to listen to people talk (possibly over their heads, eh?), get their certificate and go on with their lives. Or maybe they were just thinking about lunch. Ah, well.

I want small groups, so no one can hide in the anonymity of crowds. ;) I'm tired of audiences. I want participants. I don't want to hear presentations. I want to be part of conversations.

On Technorati: ,

Random Japanese sentence: 猫はネズミを追いかけた。 The cat ran after the rat.

]]> I personally am not tired of conferences. I am just tired of tired conferences. Particularly the ones with the same group of twenty talking heads saying the same twenty things. - Stowe Boyd

I know public speaking scares the heck out of most people, but maybe we can get more people into the conversation...

I remember facing two hundred people at one of the PLUG technical sessions, all quiet as a mouse. I remember feeling _really_ frustrated by the notion that they might just be there to listen to people talk (possibly over their heads, eh?), get their certificate and go on with their lives. Or maybe they were just thinking about lunch. Ah, well.

I want small groups, so no one can hide in the anonymity of crowds. ;) I'm tired of audiences. I want participants. I don't want to hear presentations. I want to be part of conversations.

On Technorati: ,

Random Japanese sentence: 猫はネズミを追いかけた。 The cat ran after the rat.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/30/more-thoughts-on-barcamp-ii/feed/ More thoughts on Barcamp, no answers http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/30/more-thoughts-on-barcamp-no-answers/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/30/more-thoughts-on-barcamp-no-answers/#comments Tue, 30 May 2006 06:49:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.05.30.php#anchor-3 Dominique helpfully offered suggestions on adapting BarCamp to the Philippines. He said that it was doable, but challenging. He asked me the top five people I'd like to be there. He suggested having interdisciplinary talks by invited speakers on entrepreneurship, physics, biology, etc. Many of the Linux geeks who regularly speak at events would no doubt turn up, too.

I had such a strong reaction against his ideas that I had to stop myself from being frustrated. I recognized that I felt he didn't understand what unconferences were about. I also recognized that I couldn't yet articulate the differences between unconferences and conferences in a way that would make the changes and benefits clear. I was frustrated, yes, but I was frustrated with myself for being unable to figure out how to hack unconferences into Filipino culture without turning the event into yet another thing that divides speakers from audience instead of creating a community of participants.

I knew Dominique wanted to help me think things through, but the strength and irrationality of my reaction made me realize that I needed to first think things over with people who know the unconference culture and who may have insights into helping a new community adapt.

I need more insight from people like Chris Messina and David Crow. How does one hack unconferences into a society's culture? How can I help people go from a strongly hierarchical culture to a flatter one? Must ask Don Marti, too...

I don't have answers. I don't even know where to start. One good thing is that I can recognize when I'm hitting a wall, though. When I heard Dominique repeat his suggestion for inviting talks from outside disciplines and I knew I just couldn't listen well enough to do him credit, I thanked Dominique for sharing his thoughts and confessed my inability to discuss things further at this time. I need to talk to the others first. I need to figure things out.

You know, it's just _so_ tempting to not think about how to hack something like unconferences into Philippine society. It would be so easy to just enjoy the fruits of other people's labor in a tech culture that's starting to take off. But I want to bring these ideas home...

And you know what? Maybe I don't need to figure out how to get people out of their chairs and into the conversation. Maybe I can focus on just meeting the Web 2.0 entrepreneurs, the connectors who are reaching out to me and to each other. I'd like to meet them in person and get them to talk to each other. Maybe I don't have to think about doing that this August. Maybe I can do that this December, if I can afford to go home.

I don't feel bad about being asked tough questions. I feel bad about not knowing the answers and not even being able to explain why something doesn't feel right. I just need to talk to more people and try more things in order to figure out what to do.

And I seriously need hot chocolate and a hug, but that's just because I'm feeling all lost again... I'll try to postpone thinking about it until Friday, as I'm booked until then.

On Technorati: , , , ,

Random Japanese sentence: うちの猫って甘えん坊で、どこでも私のあと着いて来るのよね。 My cat is such a baby, she follows me around wherever I go.

]]> Dominique helpfully offered suggestions on adapting BarCamp to the Philippines. He said that it was doable, but challenging. He asked me the top five people I'd like to be there. He suggested having interdisciplinary talks by invited speakers on entrepreneurship, physics, biology, etc. Many of the Linux geeks who regularly speak at events would no doubt turn up, too.

I had such a strong reaction against his ideas that I had to stop myself from being frustrated. I recognized that I felt he didn't understand what unconferences were about. I also recognized that I couldn't yet articulate the differences between unconferences and conferences in a way that would make the changes and benefits clear. I was frustrated, yes, but I was frustrated with myself for being unable to figure out how to hack unconferences into Filipino culture without turning the event into yet another thing that divides speakers from audience instead of creating a community of participants.

I knew Dominique wanted to help me think things through, but the strength and irrationality of my reaction made me realize that I needed to first think things over with people who know the unconference culture and who may have insights into helping a new community adapt.

I need more insight from people like Chris Messina and David Crow. How does one hack unconferences into a society's culture? How can I help people go from a strongly hierarchical culture to a flatter one? Must ask Don Marti, too...

I don't have answers. I don't even know where to start. One good thing is that I can recognize when I'm hitting a wall, though. When I heard Dominique repeat his suggestion for inviting talks from outside disciplines and I knew I just couldn't listen well enough to do him credit, I thanked Dominique for sharing his thoughts and confessed my inability to discuss things further at this time. I need to talk to the others first. I need to figure things out.

You know, it's just _so_ tempting to not think about how to hack something like unconferences into Philippine society. It would be so easy to just enjoy the fruits of other people's labor in a tech culture that's starting to take off. But I want to bring these ideas home...

And you know what? Maybe I don't need to figure out how to get people out of their chairs and into the conversation. Maybe I can focus on just meeting the Web 2.0 entrepreneurs, the connectors who are reaching out to me and to each other. I'd like to meet them in person and get them to talk to each other. Maybe I don't have to think about doing that this August. Maybe I can do that this December, if I can afford to go home.

I don't feel bad about being asked tough questions. I feel bad about not knowing the answers and not even being able to explain why something doesn't feel right. I just need to talk to more people and try more things in order to figure out what to do.

And I seriously need hot chocolate and a hug, but that's just because I'm feeling all lost again... I'll try to postpone thinking about it until Friday, as I'm booked until then.

On Technorati: , , , ,

Random Japanese sentence: うちの猫って甘えん坊で、どこでも私のあと着いて来るのよね。 My cat is such a baby, she follows me around wherever I go.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/30/more-thoughts-on-barcamp-no-answers/feed/ Barcamp explained http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/18/barcamp-explained/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/18/barcamp-explained/#comments Thu, 18 May 2006 07:29:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.05.18.php#anchor-3 Joey de Villa has an excellent blog post explaining BarCamp. Check it out.

On Technorati:

Random Japanese sentence: 私は犬の方が猫より好きです。なぜなら、前者の方が後者より忠実ですから。 I like dogs better than cats, because the former are more faithful than the latter.

]]> Joey de Villa has an excellent blog post explaining BarCamp. Check it out.

On Technorati:

Random Japanese sentence: 私は犬の方が猫より好きです。なぜなら、前者の方が後者より忠実ですから。 I like dogs better than cats, because the former are more faithful than the latter.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/18/barcamp-explained/feed/ Ruby versus Java http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/13/ruby-versus-java/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/13/ruby-versus-java/#comments Sat, 13 May 2006 19:02:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.05.13.php#anchor-2 This is totally cool. I'm in the middle of a geek crowd discussing Java vs Ruby, but there's none of that "my language is better than yours" vibe that often comes out in Linux distribution discussions. I think what's cool about it is that most people here use both, so we're just figuring out where one is better than the other for something, and how we can improve things...

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Random Japanese sentence: 彼は２匹猫を飼っている。一匹は黒でもう一匹は白だ。 He keeps two cats: one is black, and the other white.

]]> This is totally cool. I'm in the middle of a geek crowd discussing Java vs Ruby, but there's none of that "my language is better than yours" vibe that often comes out in Linux distribution discussions. I think what's cool about it is that most people here use both, so we're just figuring out where one is better than the other for something, and how we can improve things...

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Random Japanese sentence: 彼は２匹猫を飼っている。一匹は黒でもう一匹は白だ。 He keeps two cats: one is black, and the other white.

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