what's left for the tempe packet?

[Paul Frields]

On Sun, Jan 9, 2011 at 3:31 AM, Ian Weller <ian at ianweller.org> wrote:
> Hello from the land of sleep deprivation.
>
> Here's what's left for the Tempe booklets. Deadline for when Ian burns a
> CD with the PDFs is Sunday night, CST.
>
> Some info I'm not totally sure about or can't write because I am bad at
> writing. Here's what I need:
>
> - I need a welcome letter (page 2).

Was Jared providing this?

> - I need a write-up on how a BarCamp works (page 7).

Let me make a go of it, if you don't have already:

In many conferences, attendees find some of the best information and
exchange of ideas in the hallway, between sessions, as they engage
with peers and colleagues. That effect's been referred to humorously
as the "hallway track." The BarCamp conference attempts to take that
experience and transform the proceedings into a way to deliver it.

In a BarCamp, attendees arrive ready to participate by holding a
session that interests them, and that they think will interest their
peers and colleagues. Sessions are pitched in the opening session, and
a schedule for the remainder of the event is collaboratively created
by the session owners and audience.

The Rule of Two Feet is also something attendees are encouraged to
practice. You are not required to stay in a session that loses your
interest. If you're unhappy, you have many alternatives. If you think
you'd be happier in another session, go there! If you'd like a session
leader to cover a different kind of material, ask them about it.
(Nicely, of course -- we value courtesy along with flexibility.)

Sound confusing? In principle, you'd be right. In practice, though,
this process results in a dynamic, engaging, and information-packed
event. At FUDCon, we use a BarCamp style format for the technical
sessions. The combination of collaboration, flexibility, and
user-driven content makes it nearly impossible to leave the conference
dissatisfied. Once you've experienced a BarCamp style event, you may
start to enjoy it more than other formats!

> - I need more ideas for what to put on page 7, after the BarCamp stuff.

Hm. Just some lines for notes on upcoming hackfests or contacts?

> - I need someone to tell me what rooms we're using for the different
>  talks on Saturday and Sunday in BYAC, or to tell me to leave the
>  headings blank so people can write in room numbers themselves (pages 8
>  and 9).

Looks like you got this elsewhere.

> - I need someone to double-check the schedule on pages 8 and 9.
> - I need a few more copy editing eyes.
>
> Things I'm going to spend time on tomorrow:
>
> - Double check that all URLs actually point to what they should point
>  to.
> - Double check information for local vendors. Add mileages for anything
>  that's more than a 15-minute walk.
> - Add artwork from the Tempe T-Shirt to blank spaces on page 3 and 9.

That sure would look nicer than blank lines IMHO!

> - Double checking a few thousand times that the PDFs are completely
>  CMYK, and hoping they open up fine at the print shop (I don't see why
>  not, seeing as how GhostScript is standards compliant. Oh, you never
>  know...).
>
> Thanks to everyone who has slaved getting me information and other stuff
> to make this thing happen. It's worth it, I think :)

YOU DID A FANTASTIC JOB, IAN. Cannot say that loudly or often enough.
I know paid professional organizations that would kill or maim for
such a nice conference guide!

> Production schedule for the booklet:
> - Monday: Order placed, CD given to publishers, see if they can accept a
>  credit card number over the phone from Max for payment
> - Tuesday: approve proofs (mainly a color check)
> - Wednesday-Friday: printers gonna print

If there are ways to make this process easier for other FUDCons so
they don't need a superhuman Ian at their disposal, let's plan to talk
about them with the international attendees at Tempe -- those people
who are going to participate in FUDCon planning and execution in other
parts of the world.

Again, GREAT JOB.

-- 
Paul