The First RE BarCamp Boston June 12, 2009

RE Bar Camp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from attendees.- RE BarCamp website

Inside the Loft at RE BarCamp Boston

When I first heard the term REBAR camp (at least that’s what I thought it was) before my trip to NYC in January, I searched the term. At that time, I got post after post about extruded metal used in construction, and it took some hunting to find one site with the not-to-clear explanation posted above.

So a lot has changed in less that 6 months. Search the term now, and you get a ton of information on the correct subjects, and you get a feel for how quickly a movement can develop. You also sense that with the speed of change in real life, Google needs to decide if it is going to be an encyclopedia or a newsfeed for information- because, as I see it, that is a difference in searching that can’t be reconciled without compromise. Maybe a GoogleAll and a GoogleNow?

But anyway. We just had the latest RE BarCamp in Boston, and fast on its heels is Chicago, on June 16- Boston won’t be the baby for long.  And there are at least a half-dozen being planned.

So there are a lot of them. They are “Unconferences.”  Still, what is that?

They are for people who want to learn about the phenomenom of social media: twitter, facebook, blogging, and whetever else is the flavor of the month. In fact, a lot of it is simply describing new ways to use and implement these social media tools to get the most out of their use because the field is not static. They are for people who have never blogged, for people who don’t know what a tweet is- and they are for people immersed in the field to trade ideas about the new things coming.

They are for getting stuck in elevators. They are for hanging out with old and new friends. They are for learning about a new way to connect in a really interactive environment- a place where you can ask questions and even challenge what is being said and brainstorm a solution. It is a place where if you need help, someone there will lead you through the process.

And if you are lucky, maybe someone will hand you the mike.

A special shout-out goes out to James Shiner and Greg Afarian of Zipvo and TweeplePages for organizing RE BarCamp Boston. I think I may owe them a couple of beers.

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