Chris Writes.

What a day for scandal, and no doubt, some nasty things we’ll probably never hear about.  On the eve of the Tour de France, the officials decree that a flock of racers, including two of the notable favorites, are ineligible to race due to doping allegations.  Today, a lot of sponsor money just walked away from professional cycling.  The bad news is that it will take time to recover from this.  The good news is that, at least by the news reports, the presidents of all 20 pro tour teams have met and agreed that this will be the catalyst that cleans up professional cycling.  I can only hope they mean it.

“Be Glossy” is not a philosophy.

-KC

So the reason I went to Bar Camp in the first place was that my old roommate and friend Tom told me I had to skip my plans for a bike ride and go.  And the reason I listened, apart from the fact that I tend to listen to smart people when they say stuff, is that I’m actually really most curious about Case Camp, which is related to Bar Camp, but more marketing focused and more grounded in actual real-life cases that campers bring to the conference.  Tom attended Case Camp in Toronto, and I am thinking that I could, with some help, get one going out here in San Jose. 

After attending Bar Camp, and talking to a few smart friends, I am more sure than ever that this is a very good idea.

More on this idea soon.  Sooner if people write and say I should do it, and that they’ll be interested in attending. 

So by lunchtime at Bar Camp, as I enjoyed the magically-appearing food and drinks that no one paid for (volunteers found sponsors for everything, apparently), I was ready to try this thing out.  I grabbed an open slot on the schedule wall, and tossed up a topic: “Marketing: Web 2.0 Accidents (good and bad).  How come companies keep messing this up?”

This was the ultimate in impromptu.  I basically started with a story, and three follow up questions.  The story: the specialized angel.  This guerilla marketing campaign that kicked off in February at the Tour of California bike race was made popular and successful by web2.0 apps like flickr and blogs.  I told them how we thought it up, why we thought it would work, and how we stared on in disbelief as it took off, entirely out of our control.  Web2.0 turned our gimmick into a franchise. 

So I asked them: Why did this happen?  And how do we make this happen again? 

The general answer, during the heated 30-minute chat of about 30 people, was that it happened because people were allowed to have ownership over the story.  They told the story they wanted to tell about the angel.  Either that she was a great icon for their little girl to hug, or that she added color and flavor to a bicycle race, or that she was merely attractive (yet not salacious), so everyone could safely say so without getting smacked. 

As for how to make it happen again, that question didn’t really get a good answer.  But right before we split up for the next discussion, a new question arose that I think might be even more valuable: how do you say thank you to a group of bloggers who have helped you achieve success?  That is a question worth exploring.  There is gold in them thar hills.

During my day at Bar Camp, I got to talk to a bunch of smart folks (no real surprise), and heard lots of interesting stuff.  A few highlights:

1. A half hour discussion on how to get people who disagree to talk.  The fundamental split is this: lots of people who agree with each other congregate in social networks online.  Lots of people who like to fight with each other use the internet to fight with each other.  But few, if any, go online with much willingness to have their mind changed.  What would www.changemymind.com look like if it existed?   A favorite pull-quote: “There are a lot of people in Alabama who don’t know anyone like me.” 

This doesn’t fall far from the US electoral college concept: the system shows an amount of agreement and disagreement, but hides a great deal of the actual disagreement, and does not encourage people to seek alternative ways of thinking. 

2. Mobile applications are going to be even more insanely ridiculously big than they already are.  And a good deal of it will be, apparently, porn.  Go figure. 

3.  Lots and lots of web 2.o stuff gets promoted as being cheaper, or faster.  But I think the better value is actually its relevance.  Social networks, and things built by them, might be cheaper and faster and scale very well.  But they include a certain amount of relevance that cannot be otherwise created. 

Here is a picture of us getting the day started at Bar Camp SF:

 And here’s a picture of the schedule:

And then, later that same day, 85 pizzas arrived:

So, you might ask, what is all this?  And why will this be the phenomenon that shatters the idea that wisdom comes only with age and experience? 

Glad you asked.  I’ll try to explain.

This was a FREE conference, where the attendees are the presenters.  The general idea is that the topics discussed are determined by those in attendance.  People show up, find an open slot on the schedule wall, and write their topic.  Then they lead that discussion.  The range went from incomprehensible (to me) code festivals, to people showing betas of new websites or software, to people pitching their new startup, to random techno-speak discussions like “Microsoft Sucks – tell us why!”  (Hosted by a MS guy who was responsible for getting the thing hosted at a MS office in downtown SF).

This was, in a word, incredible.  I think that if you asked most individuals in the group to organize and run a conference, they’d have serious reservations about taking on the responsibility.  Yet collectively, we put on a killer show, without much planning.  Neato. 

The concept is the key.  This is actually different. 

 

This post will probably come in several parts.  I’ll start with a few photos and brief synopsis, then talk about some of the things I heard, then talk about the discussion I led, then I’ll talk about the Camp I want to organize in San Jose. Each will be a distinct post.  You will wait, and eventually, they will all appear.  I’d do them all now, but I must eat. 

 

Afforetoherementioned new bicycle was taken out today.  Went riding with co-worker and friend Kevin, and we proceeded to stomp all over the darn place.  All told, we covered 110.69 miles, with 9350ft of vertical elevation gain, and I feel….GREAT!  This bike is very, very comfortable.  It’s not as race-oriented as many road bikes tend to be, and I’m starting to wonder if that’s all that necessary.  I was climbing strong the whole day, my descending felt fantastic, and I wasn’t getting beaten up.  After 110 miles, usually your back would hurt.  Nope.  Your hands would be sore.  Nope.  Your butt would be aching.  Nope.  This thing is the real deal.  Everyone should have one. 

 Also, a quick tech note on 50/34T compact cranks – everyone should do this.  Just stop what you’re doing, remove your 53/39 cranks, put them on ebay fast before the market is saturated, and get something compact.  Even if it’s heavier.  They make climbing a happy, happy thing. 

So I’m between sessions at Bar Camp right now, and damn, this is interesting. 

It’s sounds like a drinking game, but it’s not.  Bar Camp is something that Tom told me about, and now, in a fit of impulsiveness, I’m going to San Francisco tomorrow to check this thing out.  Will post a full report when I get back.

If this goes as planned, I’ll end up smarter.  But certainly not better looking.