Doc Talks Smack About Barcamp

...brace yourself for the community backlash...

Why?

1. Because Barcamp is not, never was and never will be an "equivalent of a kegger", whatever the hell that means.
   
   
2. Because there were more people at the original Barcamp (Palo Alto) than there was at Mashup Camp, who were provided food, power, wifi, a venue, and an environment where everyone could participate and it was planned in under a week.
   
   
3. Because there have been similarly successful underorganized, minutely-funded, ad-hoc camps in: Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle, Portland, New York City, Washington DC (BrainJamz), Amsterdam, Santa Cruz, Dallas, Vegas and Paris (mini); with 3 camps going on this weekend in Los Angeles, New Delhi, and a Mac Developer focused one in Dallas....oh...and camps upcoming in Atlanta, Boston, Austin, South Africa, London, Ottawa, Paris, Phoenix and Soeul (yes, Korea), etc. etc. These camps are NOT trademarked or even partially owned by anyone but the community. No logos. Each city organizer/team makes it what they want it to be. Ever heard of this? Kegger, my ass.
   
   
4. Because, yes, this is new territory, but the media and others invested in this Mashup Camp project have almost entirely ignored the real movement that is shaking up the establishment, disrupting the old skool pay big bucks to sit and be droned to conference. Yes, Mashup Camp was better than that, but Barcamp takes it alot further. But, hey, it is not news if it's just a bunch of enthusiastic individuals connecting from around the flippin' world via the collective unconscious. I know. That's boring shit, man. Advisory boards and loads of production and big sponsors with ugly logos plastered all over the materials attached to a supposedly ad-hoc event...that's news. That doesn't happen everyday, does it? I'd read that stuff.
   
   
5. Because, sure, things like Mashup Camp take the idea and make it easier for the mainstream to digest it, so it will spread further and all that good stuff...and good things will come of it...blah blah. But, hey, straying from an original premise, isn't that what is usually referred to as 'jumping the shark'? So, erm, Ryan was bang on.
   
   
6. Because Barcamp has never given a cut off on how many or who or how they participate...okay...that's not true...some aspects have just because it got outta control, but if someone showed up last minute, they weren't turned away. And nobody got on a list early or was treated more important than anyone else.

Man...I didn't expect that from Doc. I mean...he's so my hero. I thought he was all about the community. All Ryan was saying was that Mashup Camp wasn't true to the spirit of Barcamp and, because it was watered down, they got all of this attention. And that is how the crappy world works. And blogging, well, blogging helps us as small voices get heard. Then bigger voice Doc comes along and stomps up and down and, well, really, I'm just so disappointed right now I want to cry.

[disclosure: I'm not an original organizer, but I sleep with one...and dammit, I am blown away by what is happening here]

Anyone else have something to add?

UPDATE: Doc apologized in the comments and via email...explaining that he didn't mean to imply that Barcamp has anything to do with whoop-it-up partying (although, I'd add that there is really nothing wrong with whooping it up either). He adjusted his post to reflect this as well. I'll throw down my pitchfork now. Maybe Doc and those original barcampers should sit down over a beer and chat about this stuff next time he's in town?

UPDATE #2: Ryan has some amazing points about the irresponsible journalism (the crappy world I talk about) as well as the issues that made him feel unimpressed by Mashup Camp in the first place. Well put.