Talk:Portland wiki conference

Goal of Conference is...

UPDATE: RCC 2010 will be held in Montreal. The Portland Wki conference will go forward as planned in March, but not as an RCC. A dedicated organizing site for the Conf will be up in Jan 2010. DavidGaliel

What is our goal in Portland Wiki Conference? David Galiel pointed out the important distinction between serving a small group of wiki enthusiasts vs. demonstrating the joy and utility of wiki to a wide audience.

That is one important concept. Are there others? Can we start by developing a mission statement? -Pete Forsyth 16:34, 6 August 2009 (UTC)

I think we can fulfill both missions, by having a conference whose goal is to inform, excite and empower the public with all things wiki, while holding sessions within the conference for hardcore wiki veterans - as well as an after-hours party for folks to get together with folks from out of town they may not have seen since last year. --DavidGaliel 06:16, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

The original intent of RecentChangesCamp was to pull into the same room both people who were passionate about wiki's, both their technology and philosophy, and people who were curious about wiki. This was very successful the first year as we had a dedicated volunteer organizer. In years after the first, it was harder to reach that goal. So, David's comment is right on with the spirit of RecentChangesCamp and I think it makes sense that it is an and instead of vs. ~~ MarkDilley

Note: Can we put the UPDATE of RCC changing to Portland Wikiw Conference closer to the top of the discussion page? Not until the 5th paragraph down does the amendment to the conference and name appear. Thus, a stated goal should be included with the change of meeting purpose. These should be above the fold, and the RCC info as a footnote at the bottom. Teresa Boze

Done. DavidGaliel

Name of Conference

If we decide we want to invite the public and make the conference accessible to non-wiki enthusiasts as well as hard core enthusiasts, I recommend we change the name to something that contains the word "wiki". It will show up better on search, stand out on event calendars, and in general the purpose will be clear to all, not just "insiders". Add name suggestions on the page, discuss here.--DavidGaliel 06:51, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

Portland WikiCamp: I registered the domains portlandwikicamp.org, .net and .com --DavidGaliel 06:11, 15 December 2009 (UTC)
WikiCamp: Ray registered the main domain variants of this, which is an advantage. From what I can tell, that is a name used in Europe, India and other countries, but I haven't found evidence of any WikiCamps here in the US.
Wiki15: to note the 15th anniversary of wikis (following year would be Wiki16, etc.) Helps to show that wiki is an established concept.
WikiWorld: An option if we decide not to do a BarCamp style unconference, or do a hybrid tracked/unconference. The domain is owned, in all variations, by someone in the UK, but there don't seem to be any WikiWorld conferences anywhere that I could find. We should make sure someone hasn't trademarked the name.

Re: some of the recent suggestions for names on the main page: I suggest we avoid frivolous, theme-based names for the conference that may give people the wrong idea of the nature of the conference and what it is about. Since it is essentially an unconference with a few prescheduled sessions, calling it PortlandWikiCamp or some variant thereof is the most descriptive title - including the location, "Wiki" and the -Camp suffix which is standard for these type of conferences.--DavidGaliel 03:01, 16 December 2009 (UTC)

I'd be disappointed for RecentChangesCamp to become "just" a wiki conference. In the first year, many of the participants were there primarily to share about their projects (half of which didn't involve wikis ... yet!) I wonder if having the word "wiki" in the title would reduce the vibrancy of the event by creating a filter in participants minds for the types of sessions that are "appropriate". ~~ Brandon CS Sanders

Resources for organizing conference

There is a community of people who have been involved in RCC planning in the past. We could probably reach just about everyone on the mailing list from RCC '09. Also, there's a wiki from the 2009 conference (it was based on Wagn).
PSU has been a good partner in the past. Though the space we used last year is expensive, there's much to build on, and maybe other ways to partner with them. Bart M., computer science prof, is a great connector, and Pete's friend Jesse C. is probably a great potential resource too (lobbyist, well connected in administrative/political areas).
Abraham H. organized a fantastic one-day conference in August 2009, and posted a blog about how he did it. We should read that, and also reach out to him personally.
Legion of Tech, the good folks who organize events like BarCamp and Ignite Portland, are really good at setting up and publicizing free conferences, and we have many connections.
AboutUs, of course. Great local wiki company, has heavily supported both WikiWednesday and RCC in numerous ways since the get-go.

Background for Session and Track Ideas

Rachel Kjack At a presentation for Managing Virtual Team, produced by Rachel Kjack of Oregon Training Network, wikis were mentioned. But no one - we're talking seasoned virtual managers - knew about the wiki or how eloquently it could be applied. What about involving the business community - both corporate and indie - on the incredible edible wiki a a tool to reduce mayhem and increase open team, etc? I would be happy to attempt to hopelessly ensnare Rachel in my in this plot... I mean track.
Open Government Initiative search for "wiki" [[1]]has results for DoD wiki now in use, and Phase III planning making extensive use. Suggestion for Keynote, track, and session developed from this.

Scheduling and Deadlines

I would like to call a meeting on Thursday Dec 17 - sent out an email to Mark, David, Steven, and copied Ward.Objective: First round list of desired keynotes and presenters, and letter of invitation composed and sent.Teresa Boze

Dec 17 mtg called off, only two could make it. We'll meet after the holidays and start organizing in earnest. --DavidGaliel 08:19, 17 December 2009 (UTC)

Promotion and Story

PLS see some other suggested names... these are in the brainstorming phase, but give us the option of fun themes. Changing themes each year makes the conference more attractive as a fun destination.
Would like to see a wiki channel launched on YouTube to tell the story(ies) and in promotional interest of event.

wiki-weekend

this is sort of like a wiki-weekend.. but jeeze, isn't like an hour in the early saturday afternoon fine too.. oh yah.. conference though.. so more stuff Michael