Central Asia in a "barcamp" format

At the beginning of August Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) welcomed the first BarCamp Central Asia participants, and it's worthy of mentioning - the barcamp succeeded!

Almost 300 bloggers, web-delevopers, programmers and journalists from the Central Asia, CIS, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia gathered together on August 1-3 in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, to discuss the current and new tendencies in the sphere of New Media on the first international un-conference - the BarCamp Central Asia 2008.

The official opening at the American University in Central Asia was joined by the representatives of the US Embassy to Kyrgyzstan, Opera Software and the Open Society Institute.

"I support the bloggers conference where everyone is proud to belong to the community," - says Marc Cameron, the US Ambassador adviser on education, culture and mass media. He thinks the every blogger's voice is here to improve our world gives everyone else a chance to understand we could do this. "As one says, blog is unedited voice of a human being. Blog gives a chance to those who has no chance to say something in a real life to be heard, and this improves the future", - Marc Cameron summed up.

Why do we need barcamp?

The task placed by the BarCamp Central Asia 2008 organizers was more than just global: to execute in the Central Asia the first meeting of such format and scale that is unknown by the majority to bring up at the right time at the right place start-uppers and their potential investors, establish connections between Central Asia specialists and coming from Eastern Europe and CIS, and to talk about Internet technologies development.

"Owing to the BarCamp Central Asia 2008 people could not only to exchange professional experience and ideas in Internet sphere, but find out ways to motivate local users to participate in Internet technologies development and usage of foreign technologies and ideas in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia", - the organizers think.

From Kiev to Bishkek

By the mid-October of 2007 Ukraine was the first country from the Soviet block who executed the BlogCamp CIS & Baltics un-conference. More than 250 participants from Ukraine, Byelorussia, Russia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Poland, the US came. 2 days of discussions, and inspired guests from Riga (Latvia) promised to execute their own barcamp. And than it has started - Lithuania, Georgia, Russia and finally Kyrgyzstan. Barcamp came to Central Asia, and to all appearances, settled down.

Sessions

From 3 days of the BarCamp 2 were fully working. They went through in very active regime - from 9:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. with 1 hour lunch break and 3 flows sessions (3 presentations at 1 time) between.

There were a lot of themes for presentations despite of all worries the organizers had beforehand. The thing is that the barcamp format is free, therefore all beforehand made schedules could not to work. Somebody may not come or may not hold the presentation, and someone else, the opposite way, will come and decides to share the information. There is a risk that has its own + and -. But… everything went well!

The participants of the un-conference discussed bloggers' reimbursement systems and media centers networks, mobile Internet development и Mobile 2.0 service, Wordpress and Drupal, Web 2.0 loalization, video and photo blogging, video blogging in the US and a lot more in Russian and English. Auditoriums were not big because there were a lot of those who wants not to miss the topic.

Despite of hot weather and not very well working conditioner, nothing could destroy discussions after the presentations that sometimes should be interrupted to start the new session. Presentation rooms were full of people coming from te whole CIS region!

Tele bridges

The BarCamp Central Asia 2008 became the first barcamp in CIS that realized the telebridge idea.

With a help of the PC, web-cam, Internet and Skype participants could talk with their colleagues from Azerbaijan and the US that could not come to Bishkek, but very much wanted to share the new ideas and projects.

"Unusual format, interaction of the whole auditoria with someone thousands of kilometers far away from the place… - Yuri Bychkov, one of barcampers, shares the emotions. - The funniest was the telebridge with the US. We had a feeling it was specially put the last to give us some positive energy! There were so many people that some of them were standing by the door and some were exasperated that the other ongoing presentations gathered only 5 barcampers".

Telebridges proved and showed that there are no limits anymore. Be together and share what wanted to be shared is now possible even at a distance. What matters is to have a wish t do so!

Innovation Incubator

The BarCamp Central Asia final day has 2 important sections. The first was so called Innovation Incubator - a special section where every barcamper could present his\her own project or start-up to the potential investors and get a chance to develop what he\she wants.

Surprisingly, there were about 10 of such projects of different fields. Barcampers one by one got up on stage, introduced themselves and told about the projects and about why they should be realized. After then they choose the number and sit at the table where they presented the idea to everybody interested.

Among the ideas there were such interesting projects as photography distance learning and a map of dangerous city districts, ecology portal and a portal to help children from orphan's houses, news portal project in a politically closed society, online competitions for programmers, etc.

Among possible investors of the Innovation Incubator projects there was Open Sociaty Institute represented by Marchin Zalesky announcing the new Soros foundation program called "Youth Action Fund". In the frames of the program some interesting projects will get a chance for development. "There are not big money, - Marchin Zalesky said, - but it could be enough for the beginning".

Enough as knowledge that barcampers share with each other during the Innovation Incubator. Because not only financial investments could help. Mostly there is enough to get good advice born by experience of someone who already went through the same situation. Sometimes useful contacts could also lead to newborn international team that will put on its feet one or another project.

Bridge Camp

Once the Innovation Incubator was finished barcampers started the Bridge Camp - another one successful section that was about 'asking-antworting'.

Every barcamper could write on a list hanging in the hall a question that could be answered by another barcamper who knows the answer. Together with time and place it gathered participants on interesting sections.

Despite of tiredness (it was a 2d day evening) and 3 flows the Bridge Camp was executed, sections (as well as 3 flows of presentations) were over-attended and discussions exceeded 10 min time limits. As, for instance, a discussion about content management systems such as Wordpress and Drupal, and which one is better.

Pecha Kucha

The last element of the BarCamp Central Asia 2008 was so-called Pecha Kucha, for the first time invented during the BarCamp Baltics in Riga, Latvia. And even so the format of Pecha Kucha itself was changed (originally it was created in Japan and meant a presentation section where each one must contain of only 20 slides shown by 20 sec each, that means the presentation lasted for 6 min 40 sec), the section was not unnecessary.

Pecha Kucha in Bishkek meant short speeches 3 min each for every barcamper who wants to speak out. The topic could be any kind: thankful speech for organizers, a song or a poem, a dance or a business plan story. Of course, mainly barcampers shared their emotions and thanked organizers but what surprised me is that having new format or an event held in Asian society there were a lot of people wanted to share feelings. And that means, during these 2 days of presentations barcampers became real friends and felt free to talk with each other even from the stage in front of too many people.

Support

Being the first event of such format in Central Asia, the BarCamp Central Asia 2008 could attract not many but reliable sponsors that became a very good friends for every barcamper once the event was finished.

The BarCamp partners in Bishkek were Opera Software, Democratic Commission of the US Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, American University in Central Asia, Kloop Media Public Foundation, Civil Initiative for Internet Policy (CIIP).

Norwegian web-browser developer Opera Software announced about their sponsorship and sent their representative from the Opera standard department, Charles McCathieNevile, that did not only an interesting presentation of Opera products and, in particular, Opera Dragonfly, but became a soul of our company not less than others participating in competitions, discussions, even in making traditional photo with "barcamp" word (BarCamp participants drawing a "barcamp" word by their mobile phones in the night).

"Going to Central Asia was better than sit in the office and try to guess what it is a place. We want to show people our products and share our latest developments. For instance, we hope to talk about our new instruments that should help web-developers, - Charles McCathieNevile says. - I've also heard that people in Central Asia are very friendly, and I like meeting friendly people. Central Asia and Russia are regions where a lot of people use Opera browsers for a long time. It is important for us to understand our users, understand why Opera is the best choice for them. It is also important for us to know which browser's specifications are the reason why people choose it in different regions".

"We are glad to see Opera Software among those who supported us. The soul of this corporation corresponds with our event so much: from research project Opera grew up to a serious international product. We are confident that collaboration with Opera Software will allow start-ups in Central Asia to achieve such a success", - Bektour Iskender, one of the BarCamp Central Asia 2008 organizers, thinks.

Socializing

The BarCamp was joined both by large-scale Internet companies repesentatives and bloggers, experimentors in web applications developments. During the last time BarCamp movement became popular in different places of the whole universe.

Such un-conferences are regularly held in Canada, USA, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Australia and other countries. By now BarCamp movement achieves good path in CIS countries as well.

For instance, during the days the BarCamp Central Asia was executed, Russia welcomed iCamp participants (Russian un-conference for New Media specialists).

What attracts all these people to barcamp? Everything is simple. BarCamp is not just a place where professionals meet newcomers, ideas meet investments. This is a place where social frames and professional positions go to the background, where everybody is equal, and the informal character of the meeting allows talking on any theme, discussing and debating. Because the main thing is you and what you think about the topic you are interested in.

It is not just a simple conference but a complex event on connections establishment that means more than just a business relations. BarCamp is a place where people come to chat with each other as old friends and colleagues. Many know each other from other barcamps, some from Internet only. BarCamp is a reason to meet, discuss latest news, talk about common business and say 'hi' alive.

Barcamp could be called "worked well" if:

- almost every barcamper knows almost every barcamper by name, nickname or the country he\she is from;

- almost al of the time during 2-3 days event is going barcampers spend with each other and are not sick of this all;

- once BarCamp is finished they continue to keep in touch and impatiently wait for the next meeting;

- the un-conference site continues its life-cycle, and barcampers share there photos, videos, comments, etc.

Summarizing all, I am confident the first BarCamp Central Asia 2008 worked well. And that means, the second one is definitely coming!

More details about BarCamp-movement:

www.barcamp.org (international Barcamp movement site)

www.barcampasia.net (BarCamp Central Asia 2008 site)

www.barcamp.lv (BarCamp Baltics 2008 site)