BarCamp Philly

This past weekend I made it out to BarCamp Philly, and as you can see from the photo above, the turnout was 200-300 people–pretty good. Little did I know that WordCamp NYC was going on at the same time, but I think I made the right choice.

I’ve attended so many BarCamps now that I feel like an aficionado; you start to immediately recognize what works and what doesn’t at these events. Fortunately, Philly’s version of this unconference was well-sponsored and well-organized. They had a Website, pins, t-shirts, an online/mobile schedule, a photographer, and a great turnout. Here’s a hit list of what I liked and what I didn’t like:

Liked:

1. Open Source Cupcakes. ‘Nuff said.
2. Carl Leiby‘s online schedule. I’m against developing iPhone-centric sites, but this certainly came in handy.
3. The pamphlets (above). It included a handy grid for you to write out what you wanted to attend. Definitely a nice touch.
4. The diversity of attendees. There were attendees from education, medical, and insurance sectors–not just Web developers, which made it refreshing for conversations.

Disliked:

1. The venue layout (Nothing against UArts whatsoever). Hosting a BarCamp on multiple floors of a building proved a bit disorienting–and wasn’t conducive to camper interaction out of sessions. Of course, free space is what it is.
2. The logo. Bring back the Liberty Bell, or at least make the logo Philly-centric!
3. No breaks between sessions. This was a scheduling boo-boo, but I think the organizers caught onto it. They also didn’t schedule time for a closing session, but that was promptly remedied.
4. Name tag holders. They’re a personal pet peeve, I suppose. They’re a one-time use item, yet I have some odd sense of guilt that comes over me when I think about throwing them away.

This could reflect my session choices, but it seemed as if all of the sessions I attended were hosted by people interested in discussing a topic, but not necessarily qualified in leading it (by their own admissions). Granted, there’s nothing wrong with this approach, but I prefer that happy balance of workshop and discussion.

Overall, it was pretty cool. I’m starting to get the sense that BarCamps are essentially those great discussions you had in college that you don’t get post-academia. After all, once you’re out, how often do you place yourself in a room with a group of diverse and intelligent strangers to discuss a common topic?