barcampchristchurch

Alright. Few talks later and a blog post lost because of expired seesion I am back from BarCampChristchurch.

We're doing pretty well I reckon. 30+ people showed up so far, we had 6 talks covering Web2.0, SaaS, Search, User-Centered design, email and OpenID.

You may want to check out Ben's coverage of all talks we've had so far (with photos).

I was quite surprised how hard is to explain to people who never heard of OpenID, how OpenID actually works. At the end a real example of how OpenID works helped. Phew. I never thought it's that hard. Lesson learned.

At the moment "gadgets" talk is on. For all rugby fans out there is http://web.rugbymate.co.nz/ site which is a portable mobile guide for Rgby World Cup 2007.

Phil talked about his play with Arduino and also promoted TVIC group (btw. next dinner is next week).

We've four talks in front of us and then planning session for BarCampChristchurch2.

Ben Kepes talks on SaaS. So, what in hell is SaaS anyway? SaaS = Software as Service.

ie. TradeMe - replacement of second hands shop online. Look what happens when you want buy a heater

SaaS/s: Pros and Cons: simpler, more incremental (add stuff as you go), threats, generally lower margin.

SaaS/v: substitue, but..; value add. Pros and Cons: conception - hard; harder to execute - more complex; needs more cash - maybe; more secure once created

Advice: look for SaaS/v model; user-centric design (make stuff *people* want to use); get advice from someone who knows their stuff;

Stuff to think about: community; power of networks; aggregation of revenue streams

Howdy,

So, we've started. BarCampChristchurch in on since 10:30am

Seth started with his talk about Web2.0. For more information see his blog entry.

At the moment discussion goes about Mindmaps, Creative Commons in New Zealand and copyright protection.

Video recordings are being made and we're hanging on Freenode IRC #barcamp-chch

It all started on the TVIC mailing list as an idea to have lunch/coffee together sometime. Then Seth suggested we should organize small BarCamp event here in Christchurch. So we do.

What is that BarCamp thingy, anyway?

BarCamp is an internation network of unconferences. It's an open event where content is provided by the participants. The idea is that everyone who attends BarCamp should do a presentation. Focus of the unconference is usually on web applications, open source technologies, etc. More information about what the BarCamp is can be found on Wikipedia.

Who, When, Where, What?

BarCamp Christchurch is a first BarCamp organized in New Zealand. Two days were proposed: Friday 31st August, or Friday 7th September. It all is going to happen at the Canterbury Innovation Incubator on Armagh street. If you're interested to attend please watch barcamp.org/BarCampChristchurch page for the latest information about the event.