What is BarCamp?

A BarCamp is an “unconference” – an open, participatory event where the attendees are the presenters. The first BarCamp was held in Palo Alto, Ca., in 2005. Since then more than 350 cities on six continents have hosted BarCamps. The first BarCamps focused on early-stage web applications, open-source technologies, and open data formats; but the format has been adapted to serve a variety of other industries and issues, including public transit, health care, real estate and political organizing.

Okay, so what happens at BarCamp?

“Finding out” is part of the BarCamp mystique. The very nature of these events makes them somewhat unpredictable, but that is not to say chaotic. There is definitely an order to the openness.

BarCamp logos from around the world.

Here’s a brief overview of what the day might look like: From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., attendees arrive, chat, enjoy complimentary coffee and breakfast treats, and most importantly build the schedule for the day. There’s a large open schedule grid and next to it a pile of blank index cards. Anyone interested in leading a session writes his/her idea on a card and pins it to the board in the time slot and room of her choosing. A few minutes before 10 a.m., BarCamp kicks off with a brief welcome message from the organizers.

Sessions, which are usually about an hour, go from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m., with a break for lunch. Some attendees will have planned their sessions in advance and will come with multi-media presentations, handouts, etc. Others will be inspired that morning, throw their ideas up on the board, and see what sticks. Sessions can take the form of a lecture/presentation, discussion group, round table, Q&A, group brainstorm, or whatever the participants make happen. Likewise, there’s no limit on session topics. A typical schedule includes technical sessions on specific software development tools as well as “layperson” sessions on un-friending people, quitting your job, and making your own business cards.That’s the main event. It would be remiss to not mention all the great networking, community-building, friend-making and just plain fun activities scheduled around BarCamp. It all starts Friday night with a Pre-BarCamp gathering in downtown Jonesboro so that everyone who is attending has a chance to hang out and get to know each other before the big event. It’s not only an excellent educational event, it’s also completely social. We want people get a lot out of BarCamp Jonesboro including networking, job opportunities, collaboration, information, fun, new friends, ideas, inspiration, etc.

Sounds like fun, but what comes out of it?

BarCamp weekend is sure to be invigorating for the people who will attend the unconference and its auxiliary events, but the real impact will probably be felt for months to come. In addition, to this one-day event, several local BarCampers have coalesced to organize Refresh Jonesboro, a weekly meet-up of designers and developers working to refresh the creative, technical, and professional culture of new media endeavors in their areas. This is just one example of the collaborations made possible through events of this nature.

We want BarCamp to be a part of creating more business here in Jonesboro and creating more jobs for all of the awesomely creative people that are graduating here every year. We hope that participants feel inspired and ready to take action on new projects and old, make new friends, connections and head towards new challenges. If you’re one of those lucky enough to be at BarCamp, this is what you can look forward to: being energized and motivated, opening new doors, and embarking on new personal and professional endeavors. If you’re one of the many who will miss it, fear not. It’s a safe bet this event will happen annually.