My first barcamp

Yesterday I participated in my first barcamp. To be honest, I broke one of the most important rules about barcamps but more on that later.

The mobile devcamp Munich 2009 - or #mdc09 for short - took place at the Intel offices in Feldkirchen on Saturday. As I didn't know anything about barcamps until that day, here's a brief run down of what happened for anybody interested in visiting a barcamp one of these days.

Basically a barcamp is this event where loads of people show up, quickly introduce themselves (by the ritual, everyone's allowed to only give their name and three keywords or tags) and self-organize a day full of sessions on a broad range of topics. Whoever is ready to give a session enters the stage, briefly describes what they are going to talk about and asks for a show of hands indicating people's interest in the topic. In #mdc09's case, about 15 - 20 people gave a session and rooms were allocated based on the interest of the general public in these sessions. The sessions themselves are very casual and are not at all like the classic speeches that you'll know from conferences. Participation in the session is hugely encouraged - which leads to very fruitful discussions!

Besides all the sessions, the people who show up at a barcamp are really great! Everybody has a story and a lot of insights to share. People are very approachable and open to meet and greet.

Maybe I was a very lucky first-timer at a barcamp and things just went especially well. Still, if the next barcamp is only half as interesting it's going to be a big win! So in case you're interested, go visit a barcamp whenever you get the chance. You won't regret it!

Regarding the broken rule: there are a couple of rules encouraging participation in a barcamp. Amongst others, first-timers are supposed to give a session themselves during the first barcamp they visit. So ... I did not make it this far but am very much prepared to do so at the next barcamp I'll attend. To learn more about the other rules of barcamps, go visit @flobby's blog (German). For upcoming barcamps in your area, have a look at the official barcamp wiki.

Now, go, enjoy your first barcamp!