MercuryNews.com | 07/13/2006 | Langberg: Plan-as-you-go `unconference' unleashes ideas: "Langberg: Plan-as-you-go `unconference' unleashes ideas
By Mike Langberg
Mercury News
How do you plan a tech conference agenda in the Age of the Internet, when everyone learns about developments in any given field as soon as they happen?
You don't.
Instead, you give up on planning and hold an ``unconference,'' also known as an open space meeting.
Mashup Camp, which began Wednesday and ends today at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, is one such unconference.
An audience of about 350 assembled in the museum's auditorium on Wednesday morning to explore ``mashups,'' software that combines different sources of online information in creative new ways.
There were no assigned topics, panelists or moderators. Instead, participants spontaneously came up with lots of ideas for discussion. This approach seems like it can work well with any crowd that's passionate and well-informed, but might be tougher with a less involved audience.
The organizers simply put a big easel at the front of the room, displaying a grid with starting times and room numbers where discussion sessions could be held.
Participants wrote brief descriptions of ideas for proposed sessions on pieces of paper.
Then they lined up at a microphone to very briefly describe their ideas.
Next, they were handed a piece of"
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- Craig
- Craig Rispin is a business futurist, trends tracker and technology guru. From age 10 he began teaching business people about the trends and technology that would change their businesses...and lives...forever! With an innate ability to spot trends and to create new markets, Craig went on to design and launch hundreds of products for major companies in the computer, consumer electronics, multimedia, internet and broadcast industries.