We’re looking at the possibility of January, we’re just making sure we can find a date with the least amount of conflicts that makes sense.
But I’m sure what you’d all really like to know is, “Why is BarCamp postponed?”

There are a lot of reasons, the big ones currently being resources, economy, and time. When it comes to us, the organizers, it’s been an
interesting time of year. I myself have been slaving away on work and projects to pay my bills. In addition, im currently in the middle of
moving to a new place, which has taken time from BarCamp planning. Similarly, our own Jeremy Kitchen recently just closed on/bought a
brand new home, and has been handling that craziness and moving with his busy work schedule being a kick ass network jedi of sorts for the
fine folks over at Dreamhost.  In addition, Bronwyn has been focused on going back to school while working full time as well, big props to
her on that! We brought on Alex, who’s done a great job at our planning meetings as well as managing some of the flow of things we
needed to do, and Shannon is still our resident food-ninja, and is quite the ace at it. :-)

As crazy as our schedules were, we had some great momentum in making this happen, but in the end, lack of being able to grab a decent venue
was what did us in. We contacted many prospective venues, but each time got responses of either ‘we’re not interested right now, check
back in the future’, responses involving not wanting to do it due to economical/financial reasons,  it not being the particular venue’s
‘conference season’ and this not being available, or that weekend already being set aside for something or booked already for that venue.

So what does this mean?

Some really great things, actually. It means you, the attendees and BarCampLA community, will be getting a much better BarCamp experience
than what we would have been able to provide you with the original November dates. Our respective schedules and free time should be
rebounding soon, and we are dedicated to making this BarCampLA better than any previous BarCampLA to date. Bigger, better venue than before, more spaces and options, and other bits of feedback we’ve gotten from all of you on the BarCampLA mailing list, are all in the works.
There’s also one big change happening we wanted to let everyone know about..

Starting with the next one, we will be switching BarCampLA back to being once a year. The first BarCampLA was put together with the intent of being once a year, much like most BarCamp’s across the US, and the world. Part of the initial organizers from the first one decided ‘hey, this is awesome, I want to do another one, let’s get started now!’, and thus they created BarCampLA2, 6 months later.There’s a lot that goes into organizing BarCampLA, and a 6 month schedule invites burnout all too easily, not just for the organizers, but the attendees as well sometimes, which makes it harder for everyone to get excited for it and keep that passion. Switching to the normal once a year schedule will allow us to make the conference bigger, better, and more valuable to everyone and bring more excitement to it.

We would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on everything, including the new changes. Post on the mailing list,
@reply us on twitter, or just comment here on the blog. We’re here for you, our BarCampLA community, with open ears.

Thanks for your support, everyone!

-Chris, Kitchen, Bronwyn, Alex, Shannon, Your BarCampLA Team

http://www.barcampla.org

http://www.twitter.com/barcampla

http://groups.google.com/group/barcampla

Mark your calendar’s, BarCampLA 8 will be held November 14-15th, 2009

We’ve got a great team getting things geared up and together to make this BarCamp really rock, consisting of:

Chris Darbro – @RockNRollGeek
Jeremy Kitchen – @Kitchen
Bronwyn Lewis  – @Bronwyn
Shannon Ramsay – @ShanGogh
Alexandra Mokh – @AlexandraMokh

Be sure to follow @barcampla on Twitter for more info, and come say Hi on the BarCamp LA Mailing List, at http://bit.ly/BCLAMail

Stat tuned here in the future as well for more info about the Venue, Sponsors/Sponsoring, and more!!

We’re just 24 hours or so away from the awesomeness that will be BarCamp LA 7! We wanted to take this post to tell you about our sponsors, who have helped to make this upcoming BarCamp ROCK!!!

First off, we’d like to thank our venue sponsor, OTX Research, who have lended us a really cool venue that we think you’ll really like. Good space, great rooms for talks, we think you’ll love it!

Our Media Sponsor is TechZulu, SoCal’s favorite news source for all the latest on the pulse of the LA Tech Scene! They’ll be on site getting some great BarCampLA content!

Top Level sponsor’s include:

• Microsoft (who provided our event insurance, whoo-hoo!)
• DreamHost – Great Web Hosting, check em out!
• Yahoo! Developer Network – They’re a past sponsor, and we’re glad to have em back again this time ’round!
• Corporate Espionage – A Card Game of Corporate Survival & Conquest!
• Planet Chiropractic – The Chiropractic resource for Chiropractors worldwide
• SpeakTech – an Interactive Design & Technolology Firm
• Weber Shandwick – We hear they’ll might be looking for tech/marcom gurus for cool gigs while there!
• Digisynd

Other sponsors include:

• Awe.sm
• Commerical Programming Systems
• The AV CLub

Last but not least, our party sponsors, who’ve provided drinks and such for the night festivities include:

• LAGeeks.org
• Hulu
• Lalawag

So while enjoying your BarCamp fun this weekend, if you happen to see or meet any of these great sponsors, make sure to tell them thanks for helping make BarCamp happen!!!

Because there are drinks to be iced, breakfast to be arranged, cars to be unloaded, signs to be made and hung, chairs to distribute and so much more, we need a crew of people to show up and help us out.

For the early birds, we’ll provide some food and sweet, glorious coffee. One of the added bonuses of doing this is that you’ll get to know a few people a little better before the Camp starts. So if you’re new to BarCamp, this could be a great way to ease yourself into getting to know people.

It’s also an easy way of contributing if you’re feeling too shy to do a talk… ;)

Anyhow, if you want to pitch in, show up at the venue on Saturday morning around 9:00 AM and we’ll put you to work. And try to put your name on the volunteer list on the wiki if you have a minute.

This event couldn’t happen without the folks who are awesome and help out — so hopefully we’ll see plenty of faces bright and early on Saturday morning!

OTX Research
10567 Jefferson Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232

Much like our past two venues (sadly), we won’t be able to camp overnight this time… but we’ve got enough conference rooms for the talks and dedicated hang-out space outside of those conference rooms! Yes, that means Track 1 folks won’t have to shout over background conversation. :)

We’ve also got a couple of photos of the venue so you can get an idea of what it’ll be like.

Be sure to sign-up and list your talk on the wiki (and Facebook or Upcoming).

And if you’d like to sponsor us, we’d love to have you – geeks need their coffee and food! Check out the Sponsors page on the wiki for details or you can hit us up at sponsors at barcampla dot org.

T-minus 3 weeks!

-BarCampLA Counselors

So go ahead and keep May 2nd and 3rd open. And if you can, consider RSVP’ing over on Upcoming or Facebook. Having an idea of who might be coming is rather helpful for event planners, you know?

As for the venue announcement, keep an eye on the the BarCampLA Twitter account, this blog and the BarCampLA Google Group. So pick your favorite way to stay up to date and we’ll be in touch, alright?

Digital Family Reunion is bringing all of the LA Tech/Business/Media scene together December 11th, for a nice holiday party at the Skirball Center! It should be a blast having so many great LA communities together, sharing their thoughts and having some great holiday fun! We’d love to see our LA BarCampers come out with us and join in on what looks to be an amazing night of fun and festivities! To save you a little bit of scratch, (that’s cash, moola, greenbacks, etc for the rest of you), use the special BarCamp code of ‘DFR03′ when you buy your tickets, and you’ll save $20 off the ticket price.

Check out the details below, and we hope to see you there!

Happy Holidays,
-Chris, Jason, Kitchen, & Bronwyn

On Thursday, December 11th from 5:00pm to 10:00pm, the Digital Family Reunion (DFR) is bringing the Southern California technology and business communities together for the holidays at the Skirball Cultural Center. In association with some of the region’s top trade associations and social networking groups, the DFR is throwing the holiday party of the millennium… so far! The DFR will reignite old relationships, spark new ones, and set the stage to kick off 2009 with a bright new start. Inviting early adopters and legacy participants of the Internet 1.0 and today’s digitally apt Internet 2.0 tube dwellers, the DFR will create the optimum conditions for these generations to synergize with one another and inspire opportunities that will serve our industries, our region, and our society at large. Attendees will include leaders from all the major industry sectors such as media, entertainment, finance, publishing, venture funding, software, commerce, education, and many more. The DFR is helping to set an engagement platform to advance the conversation between these like-minded, yet diverse communities by asking the question: “If we knew how connected we all are, how would that change everything?” Join us for this unique business networking event, which includes a leadership panel forecasting 2009, a conversation with the recipient of the DFR “Outstanding Achievement Honor”, promotion of an important non-profit initiative, showcase tables from over 25 technology associations and networking groups, entertainment and much more. Visit www.digitalfamilyreunion.net and join the collective conversation. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kurt Daradics at 323-646-8530 or kurtdaradics@gmail.com DFR Sponsors Include: Special Offer for BarCamp LA: Use promo code DFR03 and SAVE $20 off registration. ($40 member pricing for participating organizations. Non-member pricing is $60.) BUY TICKETS HERE! Skirball Cultural Center 2701 Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049 www.skirball.org December 11th 2008 5pm to 10pm Event will sell out, so purchase tickets early Networking, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Community, Inspiration Panels – 5:00pm – 6:30pm Interview with Recipient of Digital Family Reunion Outstanding Achievement Honor by interviewer Tony Winders Panel Topic – Forecasting 2009: Perspectives from 1.0 & 2.0, moderated by Ken Rutkowski of KenRadio.com Steering Committee Brad Nye, Producer Kurt Daradics, Social Catalyst Tony Winders, ValueClick Media David Leighton, WITI Affiliate Organizations Academy of Television Arts & Sciences American Marketing Association BarCamp LA Convergence Technology Council Dealmaker Media LA Digital LA DMAsc – Direct Marketing Association Girls In Tech ISOC – Internet Society ITA – Interactive Television Alliance Keiretsu Forum LA Web Developers LARTA LINC METal Mixergy Mobile Monday LA MOTM – Meeting of the Minds Tech Coast Angels Think LA Twiistup WITI – Women In Technology International Host Committee Allison Dollar, Interactive Television Alliance Andrew Warner, Mixergy Baron Miller, MOTM Ben Kuo, socalTECH.com Brian Seth Hurst, Opportunity Management Company Brian Solis, Future Works Chris Darbro, BarCamp LA Duke Stump, The Northstar Manifesto Jaymes Hines, Hines Media Group Jeannine Parker Jeff Cohn, Tech Coast Angels Jennifer Fader, Rogers & Cowan Jerry Brandt, All Media Marketing Julie Mathis, CarryOn PR Kelly Purdue, Rotohog.com Ken Rutkowski, KenRadio.com Kevin Winston, Digital LA Kimberly King Burns, Convergenz Liz Heller, Buzztone Marc Scarpa Mark Jeffrey, Mahalo Michael J. Lambie, Nielson Company Michael Terpin, Social Radius Mike Macadaan, Twiistup Nicole Jordan, Rubicon Project Robin Borough, Convergence Tech Council Rohit Shukla, LARTA Seth Shapiro, New Amsterdam Shanna Rosen Shawn Gold, Social Approach Shira Lazar, NBC and Reelz Channel Sloane Berrent, CauseCast Tapio Anttila, Brauning Ted Cohen, TAG Strategic Tony Greenberg, Ramprate Whitney Tipton, Insight Express Will Jessup, Citrusbyte Entertainment by: Pasadena Jazz Institute DJ Loomer Video Installation: Arthur Klein Art Installation: jungle [8] Invitation Design: jungle [8] Event Produced by: Brad Nye & Kurt Daradics, in association with WITI – Women In Technology International

Location

Malaho/Causecast HQ
902 Colorado Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90401 [Google Maps]

Our fantastic venue sponsors at Mahalo and Causecast have given us a really great space — and it couldn’t be easier to reach.  Take the 10, get off at Lincoln Blvd., make a right on Colorado Ave. and you’re there!  Seriously, we’re a cinch to get to.  There’ll be plenty of parking in both the lot and on the surrounding streets as well — so that’s a bonus.

Checking In/Registration

Once you’ve parked, you’ll need to swing by the table we’ve put out front and fill out a name badge.  Didn’t register on the wiki?  No problem!  Well, okay, minor problem.  To be 100% honest, we’d prefer it if you did.  Knowing who is showing up will give us a better idea on how much food and drink we need to have.  Nothing’s worse than a thirsty/hungry BarCamper.  As somebody who has done these before, I speak from experience here.

Since we have a few extra bucks in our food budget, we can afford to buy more grub — but we have to get a bit of a heads up.  So go register if you haven’t.  It’ll only take a minute, honest.

rent a car bulgariaSchedule

Saturday
We said 11 AM, and we seriously mean 11 AM. There are loads of reasons that will make you want to get out of bed early and come to see us. We’ll have plenty of delicious Peets coffee and some breakfast type things. If you’re just getting your day started — and let’s face it most of us probably will be — it’ll be good to get something with caffeine (and other essential nutrients) in you.

Of course, you could show up at 9 AM to help set up.  In fact, if you did that, we’d love you forever.  And I’m talking about the sort of love where we write your name and ours together in our notebooks with little hearts around them.  So as long as you’re cool with that, you might want to consider lending a hand.

But if you decide to show up at 11 AM instead, it’s a great chance to hang out and mingle before the talks start. Slots for sessions (45 minute talks with a 15 minute passing period) will be open to fill then, and we want you to get to know where everything is laid out in the space. Also, we have a crazy delicious (and totally free) lunch planned for Saturday. We’re planning to eat and do intros (no talking with your mouth full, please) as people finish getting their grub on then roll promptly into sessions. So please get there early, enjoy the food and the company and help us get started on time.

We’re going to try to keep intros short. If that means the return of the gong, so be it.

Saturday Evening
We’ve got a delicious dinner (recent BarCampLA meals have had carnivore, vegetarian, and vegan options — this one will be no different), an awesome keg of beer, acoustic music jams, video games, ice cream and great company. It’s worth sticking around for, so we hope to have you do so.

BarCamp After Hours
Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to sleep at the venue this time around.  What does this mean if you’re coming to BarCamp from out of town and you haven’t lined up a hotel?  Actually, we’ve got you covered with our Satellite Campgrounds.  Okay, so that’s just a fancy term for couch/floor space.  But hey, at least you’re not high and dry.

Sunday
Breakfast is served at 10am. More yummy coffee will be provided. Breakfast foods will also nourish the famished. Come early to nurse your hangovers with possible leftover beer.

Oh, and please try to plan to hang around for a little while after the closing ceremony to help clean up. With 30-40 people helping, it’s a whirling dervish of cleaning and we end up getting done in no time.

General Tips

• Bring surge protectors and extension cords if you’ve got them laying around. Keep them in your car unless we need them, but it’s always good to have extras.
• Rehearse your talks and leave room for questions. Your audience will thank you for it.
• Don’t plan on having wi-fi for your talk. You probably will — but always plan for Murphy and his blasted law. If it’s really crucial to show things to people, take screenshots and do screencasts just in case.
• Be kind on the wi-fi. No torrenting or crazy 12-megapixel full-size HDR Flickr uploads, please. Share the bandwidth, share the love.  If you don’t, we have ways of finding you.  We are computer nerds, after all.
• Speaking of sharing, share and be helpful.  We’ll get into this more down in the conduct section below.
• Shirts are free, but please don’t take more than one for yourself.
• Please don’t bring anything illegal. It’s not that we care, necessarily, but we would like to not get shut down over anything silly.
• No, you don’t have to speak, but we’d hope, if you’re there, that you have something to share. This is a good place to come out of your shell.
• Follow BarCampLA on Twitter for updates. Our own Andy Sternberg has also set up BCLA on Twitter.  It looks for any mention of BarCampLA or BCLA on Twitter and reposts it.  Since Twitter’s track feature is currently off, it’s the best way to keep your fingers on the pulse of BarCamp without following everyone there.  The only downside is you may see an occasional repeat.
• Any and all photos uploaded to Flickr should be tagged with ”barcampla” and ”barcampla6″. Try your best to do this as we’ll be dusting off the Flickr Wall for an encore performance.

Conduct

As always, the best thing people can do is to just set to doing whatever you see that needs to be done. No one is going to mind if somebody up and takes out the trash or steps in to help set up lunch. Just make sure to wash your hands in between, okay? There are a million tiny things that have to happen at an event like this and it’s impossible to schedule out all of them. It’s honestly best for our sanity (and logistics) if we don’t even try to. Larger cons have event staff for this stuff, but we have BarCampers. Just be active participants (which is the BarCamp way, after all) and help out wherever you see. If you do, we should all have a good time.

Oh, there’s also a copy of our “Code of Conduct” you ought to read over. Nothing surprising there, but it’s been linked for reference.

Take it easy on this fine Friday, BarCampers! We’ve got a lot in store for you, so plenty of rest — and maybe some light stretching — is strongly suggested.

On behalf of my other BarCamp Counselors (Chris, Bronwyn and Kitchen), we’ll see y’all really soon.

-jason!

BarCamp LA is in need of a few helping hands Saturday morning before things get started to help us set up chairs and prep a few things before the festivities begin! We also have a limited number of Barcamp LA shirts this year, so early helpers will get first dibs on their shirts. :-) If you’d like to lend a hand, Please meet us at Mahalo / Causecast HQ, 902 Colorado Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90401 , Saturday Morning, at 9am!

Cant wait to see y’all there!!

-Chris, Jason, Kitchen, & Bronwyn

Our pals over at Oddica put us in touch with a printer who cut us a really sweet deal — so there’ll be plenty of shirts for everyone.  Still, we’re expecting quite a few folks over the course of the weekend.  If you want to guarantee you get your size, show up early and help us set up next Saturday. ;)

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone!  And don’t forget to sign up on the wiki if you’re planning on attending.

See y’all in a week!
Jason, Chris, Kitchen and Bronwyn