Wow. What an event.
Tremendous turnout — not sure they have a perfect count of attendees but easily 600 people. The huge grid quickly filled up with fascinating content from all corners of the tech, community, and art communities. Some giant sessions, some small sessions, but a spirit of sharing that I think embodies the current vibe in silicon valley. This was a gathering of people that are passionate about the work they do who share an eagerness to learn from their peers. Incredibly exciting.
I had the pleasure of leading a small group discussion about Music Rights issues (who gets paid what for various forms of digital music). For me this conversation perfectly embodied the spirit of BarCamp — just a handful of people sitting down to share what they know about a complex topic in the hopes that everyone would walk away better informed, and more prepared to build great things.
Later in the day I lead a much bigger discussion examining the evolution of Pandora in the two years since the first BarCamp. Great fun and lots of interesting questions. Incredible how different things are for Pandora than they were two years ago. I’m really lucky to be involved in something that so many people enjoy.
No discussion of BarCamp would really be complete without a mention of the people that create these events — people like Chris Messina, Tantek Çelik. Ross Mayfield, and Tara Hunt. You all are an inspiration to me. Thanks for all you’ve done for this community.
August 20, 2007 at 9:50 am
[...] Tom Conrad: [...]
August 21, 2007 at 3:52 pm
You are an inspiration to us, too! Thanks so much for all you helped out with at BCB. Without you, it just wouldn’t have been the same!
May 3, 2011 at 5:57 am
Fell out of bed feleing down. This has brightened my day!
November 24, 2010 at 8:23 pm
You write a good article, I thank you can share with me.
June 2, 2011 at 5:43 am
You clearly know so much about the subject, youve covered so many bases.