BarCamp
Pete Prodoehl
Pete
Mark Nickel
Jason Gullickson
Tim Bertram
Mike Putnam
This thread is aptly named. Go right ahead! -Mike
Tim Bertram
thread is just fine, my bad.
Karl P. Niemuth II
Sent from mobile device
Jason Gullickson
Mike Putnam
Tim Bertram
Tim Bertram
Jason Gullickson
Mark Nickel
Jason Gullickson
Pete Prodoehl
Here I shall ramble.
>power, Internet, chairs, tables, projectors
Will you have sponsors?
Will you be providing food? It sounds like you can bring in any food, which is good. (Venues often restrict this.)
Coolers for beverages.
Name tags/badges
PA system (mic & speakers) can be useful.
Web site & mailing list.
Do you have a hard limit on attendees? (Occupancy limit, etc.)
Are there any occupancy concerns?
Will you need event insurance?
Read this: http://www.crystalwilliams.com/2006/10/ten-steps-to-organizing-a-barcamp/
And then to relieve the stress, listen to this: http://rasterweb.net/raster/2010/12/14/plan-a-barcamp/
Pete
Pat Arneson
A space in Beaver Dam sounds awesome. I was one of the founding members of Twin Cities Maker and relocated to the area last year. I've been jonesing hard for some Hackerspace goodness and haven't had it in me to make the hike to MKE or MSN.
Just as some additional introduction: I'm currently living on 50 acres near Theresa (plenty of room to be loud) after living in Minneapolis for 18 years. Code monkey by trade. Lately most of my making time has been used up by the honey do list as my wife tries to start a small farm (bees, chickens, veggies), but have been trying to find more time for welding, rockets, r/c and electronics (or whatever has my attention this week).
When I was in Minneapolis I started the Handmade Music Minneapolis (HMMM) series which focused on making noisy stuff. Fortunately that continued after I left and is just about to have the 10th event.
Also recently I have tried to start a small kitbiz (No Cube Designs) with some of the people in MSP, but with my move here and another of the members getting hired at Sparkfun it's pretty well stalled at the moment.
Anyway, I look forward to more info on the hacker space efforts in the area.
</delurk>
Mike Putnam
Wow! Wisconsin welcomes you. Great to have you on the list!
And that goes for all of you on this list. <points finger>
Mike
Karl P. Niemuth II
Bob Waldron
we'll get the DHMN holon established soon with all the talent and makers that are in the region!
Erin Quick-Laughlin
Erin Quick-Laughlin
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Pete Prodoehl
Wow, welcome!
I'm going to assume you (and everyone else) know about BarCampMilwaukee this weekend: http://barcampmilwaukee.org/
If not... now you do. :)
Let me know if you can make it down to Milwaukee Makerspace some time... Maybe a Tuesday or Thursday night would be possible? It'd be great to have you at a meeting or demo night to talk about another space.
Oh, also, I think I saw one or two people from TCMaker signed up for BarCamp. (Was one of them you?)
Pete
Pat Arneson
There's a few things in there to get my interest though, so I'm not complaining.
Pat
Pete Prodoehl
Ahh, gotcha...
Though that event appears to wrap up at 7pm on Saturday, and we run non-stop through Sunday at 4pm ;)
Pete
Pat Arneson
I'll make sure to put a request in to the calendar manager for next year (and for BarCampFoxValley hopefully).
Pat
Jason Gullickson
How do you feel about using the Google Moderator to vett session ideas? I thought it was nice but I'm wondering what others thought...
Jason Gullickson
Looking forward to running into you sometime in the future!
Pete Prodoehl
Moderator can work...
Us Milwaukee folks are weird and build all of our own stuff.
Those Madison folks tend to use existing platforms/services.
I'd suggest whatever is easier, especially for the first time.
Pete
Pete Prodoehl
If you're on the hackerspaces list, this guy just posted about starting
a space, and this was the first response:
> I cannot stress enough, in a small town/small city, make sure you have
> a critical mass before taking on the responsibility of a lease on a
> physical space. If it takes a year or more to build interest, it is
> what it is. The lack of a hackerspace is better than a failing
> hackerspace.
Most people agree.
Beaver Dam, like Appleton, etc. needs to build up people, ideas,
projects, etc. before getting a physical space. Even Milwaukee
Makerspace existed for well over a year before having a space...
I know you might have some opportunities in Beaver Dam that could move
things faster, but still, you need that critical mass. Here's my 9 point
program.
1. Find people
2. Start a web site
3. Find people
4. Meet *somewhere*
5. Find people
6. Make thing
7. Update web site
8. Find people
9. Think about a space
10. Find more people
Or something like that... Build it up online... Makers and Hackers use
the Internet. The more you spread the word, the more like it is you will
find people.
Go to BarCamp and talk about your group. Do some group projects. Submit
things to Make, Hackaday, etc. Get noticed.
That's enough of my rambling.
Pete
Jason Gullickson
My primary concern with using "vended" solutions is that someday I plan on bringing everything in-house and I don't want to end up with data (historical or otherwise) locked-up in someone else's database. Probably less of a concern for this specific application than others, but it's something I'm vigilant about.
Jason Gullickson
Mike Putnam
Posted a BarCampMilwaukee session for this very topic.
http://barcampmilwaukee.org/session/roundtable-discussion-barcamp-hackerspace-beaver-dam-wi
Be there!
;)
Jason Gullickson
Pat Arneson
In the last year the company that was subleasing the space to TC Maker moved, so they were put in the position of renting the entire space that the company held. They decided to go for it instead of packing it up and from what I've been able to see from a distance the group has become even more vital because of it. It seems like the cash flow for tools and supplies has improved as well.
It's crucial to get the word out to everyone that might be interested. We also learned that you cannot only depend on the internet, there are many makers that are not as dependent on it as we are.
FYI, we met in the back room of a coffee shop every Wednesday for a year before the Hack Factory basically fell in our lap.
Also Rambling,
Pat
Pete Prodoehl
On 9/29/11 9:30 AM, Jason Gullickson wrote:
> Pete, keep rambling please! :)
>
> I couldn't agree more, and with many other projects I've taken a
> simular approach (if on a smaller scale) however there are a few
> dynamics about this project that seem to run opposite of many of the
> maker/hackerspace efforts I've seen and read about so far.
>
> As you know, the physical space has been given to us with a long-term
> commitment (and personal interest) from the property owner. I'm sure
> we're not the first space to be in this position but in our case the
> risk in regard to the physical aspect of the space is lower than it
> would be if we had to procure the space, pay rent, etc.
> The second thing that seems out-of-the-ordinary (to me at least) is
> that much of the community support I've found so far is from people
> who are not internet-oriented, which is part of the reason it's taken
> me awhile to find these people. We have a surprisingly rich arts
> community in Beaver Dam (surprising to me at least) and there is great
> interest in this community to have something like a makerspace (even
> if they are just learning what a makerspace is).
Go the Sector67 route, call it a Makerspace / Community Workshop. Put in
some sewing machines, crafting supplies, space for artists, engage the
art community. Do they have gallery night / artwalk events there? Be
open and show stuff during those events, offer space to artists like
Milwaukee Makerspace did.
> So I'm taking a two-pronged approach, one to find interest using the
> online methods that I am familiar with and a second to use personal
> and "old media" channels to drum up interest locally.
Non-Internet? Flyers around town could work. Is there a local radio
station? Any craft stores or art supply stores in town?
> This is actually what lead to the idea of holding a barcamp; it seemed
> like the sort of event that we could draw both crowds to, simple
> enough to communicate the value and dynamic enough to accomodate the
> needs and interests of this diverse crowd. The only catch is figuring
> out if we could pull off the event using the resources we
> have available (or can reasonably acquire), which is why I'm talking
> to people (like you :) who have more experience than I do with this
> type of event :).
BarCamp would be great, since it's an established thing (elsewhere) and
bringing one to town could build some good buzz. Bay Area, New York,
Milwaukee, Madison, Beaver Dam... a growing movement.
Pete
Mike Putnam
Our meetings are highly irregular. ;)
I'm not sure that all DHMN "members" are interested in this topic, but
if you wanted to attend one of our lunch meetups or our newly scheduled
every-first-and-third-Thursday make sessions at Harmony Cafe in Appleton
I'm sure those DHMNers that *are* interested would be there to discuss
with you.
I think I'll leave the BarCampMilwaukee session up to see who shows. I
bet Chad K. would be interested as I think he lives in the area.
Mike
Jason Gullickson
Pete Prodoehl
Fees are another issue... I wrote a blog post about it:
http://rasterweb.net/raster/2011/03/30/makerspacehackerspace-membership-costs/
Right now the Milwaukee Makerspace is $80 a month. Personally, that's
quite a bit above what I can afford, especially since I live so far away
and don't get there often enough.
A few months back they added a "cheaper" level that gets you in either
Mon-Thurs or Fri-Sun, so I went for that. I think they also have student
rates. They also have open nights Tues & Thurs, which is great.
I'm hoping as membership grows, costs might come down... but then, I'm
cheap/poor.
Pete
Jason Gullickson
On Sep 29, 2011, at 9:58 AM, Pete Prodoehl wrote:
>
> On 9/29/11 9:30 AM, Jason Gullickson wrote:
>> Pete, keep rambling please! :)
>>
>> I couldn't agree more, and with many other projects I've taken a simular approach (if on a smaller scale) however there are a few dynamics about this project that seem to run opposite of many of the maker/hackerspace efforts I've seen and read about so far.
>>
>> As you know, the physical space has been given to us with a long-term commitment (and personal interest) from the property owner. I'm sure we're not the first space to be in this position but in our case the risk in regard to the physical aspect of the space is lower than it would be if we had to procure the space, pay rent, etc.
> Awesome. :)
>
>> The second thing that seems out-of-the-ordinary (to me at least) is that much of the community support I've found so far is from people who are not internet-oriented, which is part of the reason it's taken me awhile to find these people. We have a surprisingly rich arts community in Beaver Dam (surprising to me at least) and there is great interest in this community to have something like a makerspace (even if they are just learning what a makerspace is).
>
> Go the Sector67 route, call it a Makerspace / Community Workshop. Put in some sewing machines, crafting supplies, space for artists, engage the art community. Do they have gallery night / artwalk events there? Be open and show stuff during those events, offer space to artists like Milwaukee Makerspace did.
That's definitely something we have in mind. We see it as much a "soft" as "hard" space and there is ample room for pretty much anything we could come up with. The director of the community arts association is one of the "core" group I speak of and she is very connected to that community and the events they sponsor. They have a small (comparatively) location where they have a gallery and do classes, etc. but the idea of having access to a makerspace would open them up to a whole new level of capacity for such things.
>
>> So I'm taking a two-pronged approach, one to find interest using the online methods that I am familiar with and a second to use personal and "old media" channels to drum up interest locally.
>
> Non-Internet? Flyers around town could work. Is there a local radio station? Any craft stores or art supply stores in town?
Yes :) In addition to the arts association director I mentioned above my wife Jamie is also part of this "core" group. Jamie operates an non-profit in Beaver Dam and is very connected to the local media (radio, newspaper, etc.) and businesses; so between these two I feel we can communicate very effectively to the local folks who won't join the google group :). Last time we met we started putting together an "awareness" plan which included starting with an article about makerspaces in general in the local paper, then some interviews on the radio and once the dates and such are set for the barcamp we can start turning people on to the specific event, get them down in the space, etc.
>
>> This is actually what lead to the idea of holding a barcamp; it seemed like the sort of event that we could draw both crowds to, simple enough to communicate the value and dynamic enough to accomodate the needs and interests of this diverse crowd. The only catch is figuring out if we could pull off the event using the resources we have available (or can reasonably acquire), which is why I'm talking to people (like you :) who have more experience than I do with this type of event :).
>
> BarCamp would be great, since it's an established thing (elsewhere) and bringing one to town could build some good buzz. Bay Area, New York, Milwaukee, Madison, Beaver Dam... a growing movement.
It really felt like a low-overhead way to get people together and expose them to the culture. We had been planning to do a presentation on the topic and James offered to come down and present but I felt like I wanted something that would give people more of a "feel" for what this was all about. Then the Madison barcamp came up and after describing that it seemed like a good fit, assuming it still made sense after we learned how to do it :)
Jason
>
>
> Pete
>
>
>
>
Bob Waldron
Pat Arneson
The Wednesday night open hack was very important, many people would show up regularly on those nights that couldn't afford to be members. That doesn't help pay the rent of course but goes a long way towards improving the community which adds up to more members.
Pat
Joe Kerman
The method he used was critical in accelerating a community that already had a proven interest in a space. He found a way to context it in a way that appealed beyond the core interest group to the greater community (the "community workshop" label, as well as a "business incubator"), and was able to snowball it into a 5k sq/ft space that is nearly full to the cieling with facilities, and very well respected by the local community, in less than a year.
Its also interesting to note that one of the themes of sector67 is "nobody does what they /do/ here". Our sand casting facilities were set up by a java programmer. Our tesla coil was built by a shriner who flys airplanes. The arduino classes are full of web developers. Our 3d printing nerd (me!) is a linux network admin. The guy who built the LED turn signal bike hoodie jacket has a doctorate in physics. The wall in our art corner was painted by a girl who does security testing for VOIP systems. One of the champions of our power wheels race car is a philosophy major! (and he set a track record lap time at the kansas city maker faire!)
Youll need a healty core segment of stereotypical hackerspace omni-nerds to get a space rolling, (in our case, mostly EE's and ME's) but once it exists, its very easy to 'sell' the concept to people who are outside of that stereotype. Chris taught an "intro to 3d printing" class to a group from the university art school last night, and signed up two members on the spot. just to use the 3d printers and 3d design software in house.
So in essence, I cant say "if you build it, they will come" unless your city is very large. But I can say "if they come, and build it, MORE will come". :)
Pete Prodoehl
I always tried to pitch in a few bucks before I was a member. There's a donation jar sitting out for misc. stuff like soda, shop supplies, etc.
At Bucketworks, they provided free space for Web414, and in the early days we did ask people at the meetings to help pitch in. (It was/is totally free.) We never got much, but every little bit helps I guess.
Sector67 does not do any work pushing memberships. They are fine with people coming in, doing all sorts of stuff, and not joining. That may change in the future though, as cost to run the place becomes more of an issue... I think they are just trying to grow slowly.
One thing Sector67 can offer (which Milwaukee Makerspace can't) is a "business incubator" which basically means you can rent your own personal office space. That does 2 things: makes money, and gets interest from the city (and maybe more money.)
Pete
Bob Waldron
Joe Kerman
Pete Prodoehl
Joe, I think Sector67 is unique because of Chris.... how many other spaces could have a person 100% dedicated to it? That's part of the magic. At Milwaukee Makerspace, I don't think many people (if any!) are there during the day because we all work. There was one guy who wanted to join but he said he worked nights and was afraid no one would ever be around to collaborate with during the day.
I've heard someone suggest we need a bunch of old retired shop guys who like woodworking, metalworking, etc. to hang out there during the day... Interesting idea I guess. Milwaukee Makerspace is also more grungy factory than "business incubator" by any stretch of the term. That might chance in the future though.
Pete
Pat Arneson
At Bucketworks, they provided free space for Web414, and in the early days we did ask people at the meetings to help pitch in. (It was/is totally free.) We never got much, but every little bit helps I guess.
We also allowed meetings for groups as long as the organizer was a member, DC612 (defcon club) occasionally met there and not that many of the people that showed up for HMMM were members.
Sector67 does not do any work pushing memberships. They are fine with people coming in, doing all sorts of stuff, and not joining. That may change in the future though, as cost to run the place becomes more of an issue... I think they are just trying to grow slowly.
Interesting, didn't know that.
Pat
Jason Gullickson
Jason Gullickson
Joe Kerman
Jason Gullickson
Pete Prodoehl
RasterWeb! will gladly donate $100 towards making another BarCamp happen. :)
Pete
Pete Prodoehl
Jason Gullickson
And if you need a fiscal sponsor, perhaps The School Factory could fill that role? (As well as providing Atrium for organizing if so desired.)
Pete Prodoehl
It's pretty far out, so the only thing I have scheduled is to record an album during February. :)
Pete
Tim Bertram
Saturday in February?
Pete Prodoehl
Feb 25th? Works for me!
Will this be a 1-day camp?
From when to when? How many meals? (Are you providing meals?)
Pete
Jason Gullickson
Tim Bertram
was in a hurry to leave Madison because I was hungry, I would have
rather stayed later.
Pete Prodoehl
Agreed. But I think we sort of had to get out of there....
If there's no time restriction dinner at the end would be good, that way
people can decide if they want to stay/hang out/network or just get out
of there if they have other responsibilities.
Besides food, what costs are you imagining? The venue is free/low-cost,
right? I assume you may need to rent tables, chairs, etc? Do you need
any sort of event insurance? Is there an Internet connection in place?
Pete
Jason Gullickson
Jason Gullickson
Bob Waldron
I agree that some dinner option is in order, especially because there will (hopefully) be some folks from out-of-town.The venue is free (I need to discuss some things like insurance, internet, etc. with the property owner). We'll need some supplies to create some presentation areas (it is a gigantic open space, so I figure we'll at least need tables, chairs projectors and maybe just space them out enough so there's not too much "crosstalk").
Mike Putnam
I encourage all BarCampFoxValley-interested persons on this list to join:
http://groups.google.com/group/barcampfoxvalley-discuss
There are already 30 members on that list and a portion of them are not on this list.
Lets move this conversation over there so we get in front of all the people with a specific interest in BarCamp (and don't bore the DHMN folks that may not be interested in BarCamp)
Mike Putnam
Jason Gullickson
After several conversations and considerations it looks like our best bet is a mid-March date, so I'm suggesting March 24th.
If there's no objections by the end of this week I'll consider this satisfactory and move on to the next steps, thanks!
Mike Putnam
Added to my calendar! Thanks, Jason.
Pete Prodoehl
Works for me!
Pete
Tim Bertram
Jason Gullickson
Two things:
First off, looks like the date will need to get pushed out a little more, so we're looking at Saturday, March 31 (I am still committed to locking this in by the end of the week, so I promise it won't change again after Saturday :)
Secondly, it's not going to be called "Barcamp Fox Valley" (primarily because Beaver Dam isn't technically in the Fox Valley). Instead, we're suggesting the name "DamCamp", in the tradition of wordplay established (to the best of my knowledge) at Barcamp Madison which became known as "MadCamp" (this also has the practical side-effect of being a unique term useful as a hashtag on Twitter, Google+, etc.).
That said, further updates will be posted at http://www.beaverdammakerspace.org, and drop by the forums if you'd like to get involved or just watch as the events unfold ;)