[wsfii-discuss] invitation to a World Summit on Free Information Infrastructures 2005

Wed Mar 23 14:32:26 UTC 2005

Hi Everyone,

Ok, I've updated the pages, written a provisional registration page (on the
wiki.. doing a custom reg page seemed like too much work! (if anyone wants to
have a go at that, let me know, I'll pass on webdav access to wsfii.org).

Pass it on!

X

S.
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                       For Distribution Far and Wide:
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                            WSFII PREPCON '05
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          ~ World Summit on Free Information Infrastructures ~

Every year for the last four years, Free Networkers from around the world have
organised summits, the last one being the Freifunk.net Summer Convention 2004
in Djursland, Denmark where Free Networkers, free infrastructure pragmatists
and community network builders from 32 countries got together, shared ideas,
made plans and forged alliances. 

This year, we are widening the scope through an association with the Open
Knowledge Foundation (okfn.org) - we want to invite people from all areas of
free infrastructure development to participate in a world summit, trying to
cross the streams Free Hardware, Free Software, Open Geodata, LETS trading
systems, Open Licensing, Community TV/Radio, Public Knowledge Infrastructures,
and other areas of research and activity that we haven't thought of yet.

                                ~ why ~ 

Because Free Infrastructure developers don't really have to ask this question.
We have this in common - that FIIs come from pragmatic application and problem
solving rather than being led by policy or law. By meeting and joining forces,
we can do what we do more effectively.

                             ~ structure ~

The structure is a 2 day public conference in a central London location
during which the various FII groups can present their activities and the
specifics of their FII domain to other groups and the public. Prior to that
weekend event (1st/2nd October for the London WSFII) there will be a week
during which a venue will be available to groups if they wish to hold
preparatory meetings, workshops, talks and social gatherings.

                              ~ prepcon ~ 

This might not be a 'world' summit with as many international delegations as we
had in Denmark last year. Instead, this is a call to FII groups to organise
summits on their continents around the same time, to feed into a more ambitious
WSFII scheduled for summer 2006 in India. 

                        ~ How to get involved ~

If you are involved in research and activity in one of the knowledge domains
we've already listed as FIIs, or you work on one we've missed out, please get
in touch and help by proposing someone, or some group to come and represent
that FII. 

The first confirmed WSFII venue is London - which will be the Western European
hub for this year's WSFII prepcon If you would like to set up a WSFII prepcon
in your locality, please get in touch via the mailing list:
http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/wsfii-discuss and we can set you up a
subdomain.

We are developing a programme on our wiki and taking registrations for
participation in the london WSFII on the website: http://wsfii.org, so we look
forward to hearing from you and your FII group there.

Registration: http://okfn.org/wsfii/wiki/WsfiiRegistration
Discussion / Announcement List:
http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/wsfii-discuss

All power to Free Infrastructures!

the WSFII provisional organisers.