Michael Nielsen

As part of helping out with SciBarCamp, I’ve been studying other people’s experiences with unconferences. This post is a collection of some of the more useful links I’ve found.

• Foo Camp 2007
  • The wiki for Foo Camp 2007. Great prototype if you’re thinking of running an event. Note that wikis for previous (and presumably future) Foo Camps are linked at the bottom of the page.
• Wikipedia: Unconference
  • The article is a bit disorganized (as at 29 Feb 2008), but the links at the bottom on participation methodologies are stimulating.
• openspaceworld.org
  • Open Space is a methodology for running meetings closely related to unconferences. It’s a bit more venerable, and has a different (though overlapping) community associated to it. This website is a clearinghouse of ideas on Open Space.
• Anatomy of an Open Space Event
  • Pictorial account of Open Space. I think it won’t appeal to everyone, but I found it stimulating.
• O’Reilly Radar: Insight, analysis, and research about emerging technologies
  • O’Reilly puts on many influential unconferences – Foo and its variants – and this blog often has useful information about those conferences. It’s a great read on other topics, too.
• BarCamp wiki
  • BarCamp is often described as the “open source” analogue of O’Reilly’s Foo Camp. This wiki is the central organizing point for hundreds of BarCamps around the world.
• Toronto BarCamp
  • Toronto has an amazing unconference scene, and this wiki is ground zero. When I first moved to the area, I kept meeting people who raved about the unconference culture, and the wiki reflects this level of interest.
• OK/Cancel: Unconferences are Overrated
  • A skeptical voice. Most or all of the criticisms are addressed by better events; sounds like the writer may have attended a couple of poorly planned events. Useful as a cautionary tale.
• Scott Berkun: How to run a great unconference session
  • Loads of excellent advice. Very stimulating, with lots of suggestions for things to try, and patterns to avoid.
• unconference.net: How to DIY Unconference
  • Useful tidbits, especially near the end.
• unconference.net
  • A blog about unconferences from someone who organizes them professionally.
• Dave Winer: What is an unconference?
  • Stimulating and a bit provocative. What exactly is it about unconferences that make them work? How do they compare to ordinary conferences?
• Digital Web Magazine: Understanding the Unconference
  • Short introductory article
• edublogs: 10 Top Tips for Unplanning the Perfect Unconference
  • Another useful list of tips.
• Startup Weekend
  • Not quite a “traditional” unconference, Startup Weekend has a lot in common: not planned in advance, the participants set the agenda, and try to collectively create something (a startup) over the course of the event.
• Nascent: SciFoo review
  • Timo Hannay’s summary of the 2006 SciFoo event: “‘Does the Foo Camp format work for scientists?’, the answer is a resounding ‘Yes!’”
• Aaron Swartz: Improving the Foo Camp Format
  • Stimulating thoughts on how to decide an unconference program.
• Scott Berkun: Improving unconferences
  • More excellent advice from Scott Berkun
• Unit Structures: Advice for Planning a Bar Camp
  • Yet more useful tips.
• Blog Around the Clock: SciFoo wrapup
  • Great wrapup of the 2007 Sci Foo