Aussie Web 2.0 Unconference et BlogHer with Dave Winer
Update : Dave Winer is into the idea : "Ben Barren is organizing a Downunder Uncon, which sounds right on to this northern hemispherian. Let's go!" - Add your comments, ping me if you want to get involved.
Next Update : Amyloo has some common sense points for me re "Blogher" brand / name / usage / fit / and so on - which I take on board. Let me summarise my thoughts here - Over the last 12 months my team and I have probably looked at over 10,000 Aussie Blogs, which I'm guessing no one else has done or indexed at this point has. (its part of my gnoos day job) Whether it be Aussie food, religious, librarian, female bloggers - there are many unheard voices who deserve representation. Female is just one example. Fast forward to now : I was using the "Blogher" meme/name as a catch-all term to express there should be a dedicated forum/conference segment as part of a Downunder Web 2.0 Unconference - or whatever can be organised based on interest/participation. I'm all for cooption and mashing this up. Organically. Any support - local and global - is great. But I will not infringe on other people's brands/groups. From here I will refer to a neutral/substitute gender catch-all term. The challenge here is getting all the different groups of people interested here to feel they can participate. I'm also just trying to give this a push, if Leisa/Lucy someone takes control of this part I can happily fall on my sword :D
Original Post Starts Here : So Dave Winer says he can come downunder in July this year if we get our shi*e together; Leisa is interested, Lucy leaned towards defending, Macmanus will never make it here without a VIP Red Carpet which we r trying to prepare, Duncan has 50 people on his 'interested in' Aussie Blog Conference database, and I have to launch gnoos.com.au sooner rather than later. Let's do it fellow Aussie Blogg(h)ers !
All RSS, OPML and Web 2.0 user generated content is leading to one pathway : "Aussie Web 2.0 Unconference et BlogHer, with Dave Winer" (we still need to follow up with the official blogher brand name and ppl, pls ping me again kindly person with contact here) I'm no conference organiser, but I know people who technically can run them (once we lock in topline details, people framework etc) The key issue is demand, and I dont think the online industry in Australia thinks Blogging or Web 2.0 is anymore than a passing fad, so lets show bums on seats.
To make "Aussie Web 2.0 Unconference et BlogHer with Dave Winer" work we need to get a serious turn out, with a blend of paying (and sponsored) : Drawing from online media creatives, corporate web strategists, interactive agency heads, neo-feminist web content generators, blue chip online project managers, feed-junky mainline weirdos, convergent media strategists managing online spends, bloggers who reside in Australia, online advertisers overpaying for clicks and impressions, podcasters like Cam, search and display advertisers, ad server freaks, and angel/vc investors (so u can fund the bar afterwards !!!) - so everyone is happy.
First step will be to get a wiki happening which we'll do this week, once Easter calms down :) Which City the conference will be in is another decision to make. ($$$ will decide) I wonder where Dave wants to fly into ! And where the Foundation Sponsor wants it to be.... (this is the point where all the serious pimp players who have been pinging me jump on skype/gmail and say "maybe there is something we could do here, for the good of the web 2.0 community in australia")
Marc Canter on how Dave Winer wants to do an unconference right : "So that’s why I thought we’d all just how up at a bar and wing it. But Dave says “No!” Unconferences have to be meticulously planned out affairs with dedicated DLs (discussion leaders) who make sure that people don’t ramble on, the conversation keeps moving and that the topic is properly covered. That’s why having great DLs (like Jeff Jarvis) is key to the success of a unconference."
Next Update : Amyloo has some common sense points for me re "Blogher" brand / name / usage / fit / and so on - which I take on board. Let me summarise my thoughts here - Over the last 12 months my team and I have probably looked at over 10,000 Aussie Blogs, which I'm guessing no one else has done or indexed at this point has. (its part of my gnoos day job) Whether it be Aussie food, religious, librarian, female bloggers - there are many unheard voices who deserve representation. Female is just one example. Fast forward to now : I was using the "Blogher" meme/name as a catch-all term to express there should be a dedicated forum/conference segment as part of a Downunder Web 2.0 Unconference - or whatever can be organised based on interest/participation. I'm all for cooption and mashing this up. Organically. Any support - local and global - is great. But I will not infringe on other people's brands/groups. From here I will refer to a neutral/substitute gender catch-all term. The challenge here is getting all the different groups of people interested here to feel they can participate. I'm also just trying to give this a push, if Leisa/Lucy someone takes control of this part I can happily fall on my sword :D
Original Post Starts Here : So Dave Winer says he can come downunder in July this year if we get our shi*e together; Leisa is interested, Lucy leaned towards defending, Macmanus will never make it here without a VIP Red Carpet which we r trying to prepare, Duncan has 50 people on his 'interested in' Aussie Blog Conference database, and I have to launch gnoos.com.au sooner rather than later. Let's do it fellow Aussie Blogg(h)ers !
All RSS, OPML and Web 2.0 user generated content is leading to one pathway : "Aussie Web 2.0 Unconference et BlogHer, with Dave Winer" (we still need to follow up with the official blogher brand name and ppl, pls ping me again kindly person with contact here) I'm no conference organiser, but I know people who technically can run them (once we lock in topline details, people framework etc) The key issue is demand, and I dont think the online industry in Australia thinks Blogging or Web 2.0 is anymore than a passing fad, so lets show bums on seats.
To make "Aussie Web 2.0 Unconference et BlogHer with Dave Winer" work we need to get a serious turn out, with a blend of paying (and sponsored) : Drawing from online media creatives, corporate web strategists, interactive agency heads, neo-feminist web content generators, blue chip online project managers, feed-junky mainline weirdos, convergent media strategists managing online spends, bloggers who reside in Australia, online advertisers overpaying for clicks and impressions, podcasters like Cam, search and display advertisers, ad server freaks, and angel/vc investors (so u can fund the bar afterwards !!!) - so everyone is happy.
First step will be to get a wiki happening which we'll do this week, once Easter calms down :) Which City the conference will be in is another decision to make. ($$$ will decide) I wonder where Dave wants to fly into ! And where the Foundation Sponsor wants it to be.... (this is the point where all the serious pimp players who have been pinging me jump on skype/gmail and say "maybe there is something we could do here, for the good of the web 2.0 community in australia")
Marc Canter on how Dave Winer wants to do an unconference right : "So that’s why I thought we’d all just how up at a bar and wing it. But Dave says “No!” Unconferences have to be meticulously planned out affairs with dedicated DLs (discussion leaders) who make sure that people don’t ramble on, the conversation keeps moving and that the topic is properly covered. That’s why having great DLs (like Jeff Jarvis) is key to the success of a unconference."
posted by redbarren at 1:30 AM
9 Comments:
You have got to be kidding. What are the australian women supposed to be? The backup singers for the Main Act? Should they wear tight sequined dresses, and be ready to shake their booty?
If I were the Aussie women, I'd be mighty peeved that a conference for women bloggers in Australia is headlined by a guy.
I've chatted with Australian women before, webloggers and not. This isn't like the Australian women I've met.
Shelley - KFed was a backup dancer and look where he is now; There is no "guy headlining"; There are no backup singers. Guys or Grrls can wear sequined dresses, and bootyshake if they want - esp at the party. The purpose of the event is to get important voices heard. But it doesnt just happen. Everyone myself included would like to just turn up. And be empowered. But we need people to fund. Sponsor. Present. We need locals. We need your Dave Winers. Etc. We dont want people being peeved, we want the energy directed towards creating an event which appeals to the diverse bunch of Aussies that Web 2.0 is. Any and all help is appreciated, and Im sure those who want to contribute the most, may indeed get the most back. Back to Easter :) BB
I think the problem here is that maybe you're focussing too much on the blogher aspect, which was really only one part of the original downunder conference idea. Perhaps better to focus on 'downunder unconference' featuring blogher as one of a number of streams...
you're not wanting it just to be a blog conference are you?
if you make it more of a aussie 2.0 unconference, then a bunch of others can join in with different streams, Bloghers (and other chicks) being perhaps one of them. Each stream can then be organised by people who operate within that stream, so the Aussie Blogher stream would be headed up by an Aussie Chick Blogger. I think you'll find that Shelley and others will be a bit less taken aback by your post/concept/conference.
Also, have you heard about the WebDirections conference that's coming up in September? It's organised by the same crew who have done Web Essentials over the past 2 years. Might be a good opportunity to run a concurrent un-conference (or multiple unconferences).
I do think we maybe need to refocus a little on the overall goal of this unconference, which is (as I understood it) to create a chance to get all the people in the Aussie 2.0 space talking together. And also Dave Winer (who you should probably keep separate from the potential Blogher stream. I'm not sure you'll see him on an Aussie Blogher panel anytime soon!).
Ben - How uncon can it be in Australia? Seriously. I went to Bloggercon3 at Stanford in Nov 04 (great experience by the way). Free wifi and conference rooms in the Stanford Law faculty. No admission fees. Vendors (incl google) donated but got nothing but a mention, no dreary vendor presentations. And so on. I just can't see something like this happening. So where will the compromises be?
Cool of you to take the suggestion in the same spirit it was offered, Ben.
I've been wondering about a Barcamp style of feel rather than a Blogging conference which would attrack a different sort of person.
Either way, I'd be happy to help out.
Hi Ben, you mention this is going to be in July. I'm doing my Future of Media Summit in Sydney and SF on 19 July. Details at http://www.futureexploration.net/images/Future_of_Media2006_sponsorship.pdf. This is under the auspices of my new venture Future Exploration Network. www.futureexploration.net
The Future of Media event and what you're doing are far from competitive events, but there may be a few people who would be interested in both, so better to avoid this date if you can.
Very much support what you're doing here in getting more traction on this thinking in Oz, so will certainly try to help out if I can...
Ross
I've been meaning on taking a much needed holiday from New Zealand over to Melbourne and Sydney - timing it for an unconference sounds like a great idea...
Lisa's "downunder conference" seems as if this would have a great deal of interest, as compared to a 'bloggercon' or 'blogher'. And then if people wish, they can, as you mention Lisa, split off into separate streams.
I respect much of the work on the Blogher conference, but I've never seen how having a separate event increases the visibility of women. I would think having more women show up at all events would do that.
But to have an event for women, and then focus on a guy...wow, insult to injury.
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