[okfn-coord] OKCon feedback

Mon Mar 30 17:17:24 UTC 2009

Just saw this:

  http://hugh.whatreallypissesmeoff.com/?p=50

Main points:

 * some of the middle speakers (particularly Andrius's lot by sounds
of it) were a bit 'bizarre' (which I agree with)
 * he and others travelled far and only got very short slots
 * people were chatting in corridors while others were speaking
 * key closing paragraph: "On this evidence, the Open Knowledge
Foundation are the last people I would get involved with - not a clue
how to get people who don’t actually care (like me) to further their
cause; or perhaps they want to prove me wrong?"

Suggestions (following up on last email) for how we/I can do it next year:

 * make deadline for proposals, and follow up well in advance with
more information about format - so they know how long they speak for
in advance (so don't feel 'cheated' about length of slot)
 * more space for discussion - so people aren't left feeling
frustrated that they can't talk with other people they've come to talk
to
 * parallel sessions so that people don't have to attend sessions they
don't want to
 * a programme committee and, e.g. 2-300 word proposals - to review
the proposals (we should not have accepted several of the
presentations IMO - but we didn't have enough detail)
 * we can't do much about people chatting in corridors

-- 
Jonathan Gray

Community Coordinator
The Open Knowledge Foundation
http://www.okfn.org