BarCampChicago 2007: Six Days to Go

BarCampChicago 2007 (http://barcampchicago.com) begins in six days (or in seven days if one ignores the fun of gathering in the Windy City for the Friday evening social geekery) -- so the question is, "What should I/you do in these last few days before the latest CM3/I-94 technology unconference begins?"

There is a veritable horde of answers to this question, but presented herein are six high priority options for you to consider:

1. Tell all your tech enthusiast friends about BarCampChicago 2007. Tell them in-person, IM them, blog about the event, twitter them, post it on all your wikis, email them, give them a call. In short, make sure your circle of friends and acquaintances knows about BarCampChicago. Invite all those you feel will make the event fun.
   
2. Make arrangements for a BarCampChicago road trip. Find one, two or seven other people to go to barcamp with you. Especially focus on people who live in the CM3/I-94 region (those within ~200 miles of the Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis stretch of I-94) in order to build this region's tech community. Organize the road trip and get commitments from your fellow travelers. In the words of Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Road trippin with my two favorite allies, Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies..."
3. Decide if you want to lead a session at BarCampChicago, or in what other ways you will be a participant in the event. Barcamps are not passive events. The reason to go is to be a useful and involved part of the event. If you're not sure how you can participate, read over the BarCampChicago website, read the Wikipedia entry for 'barcamp', Google for how others have participated in barcamps, or contact Jason Rexilius, the lead organizer for BarCampChicago 2007.
4. Contact at least ten tech people you don't already know who are involved with tech areas you think are unique, innovative or compellingly interesting. Invite them to participate in BarCampChicago, especially focusing on why it would be cool if they led a session at the barcamp. If only one of the people you invite accepts your call to action, your time will have been well-spent. Even if none of the ten (or twenty) tech strangers you invite participate in BarCampChicago, they may become involved in other barcamps or your invitation may be the beginning of a new relationship in your network of tech contacts.
5. Think about and write down your BarCampChicago goals. What do you want to accomplish during the technology unconference? Come up with a list that's exciting and meaningful to you, but objectives to consider include:
1. Meet ten new sympatico tech people who have some or many of the same interests as you. Make sure to get their contact info (email, phone number, website, etc) so you can connect with them after the barcamp.
   
2. Participate in BarCampChicago by doing _______.
3. Before the weekend is over, schedule two (or five?) post-barcamp in-person meetings with fellow barcampers.
4. Find one new tech topic of high interest to you and make connections with five new people who are also interested in that topic.
5. Have fun at the conference by playing a new game with someone on the Wii or by doing _______.
   
6. Get lots of sleep over the next five days. You'll need it because there may not be much time to sleep during the barcamp weekend.

See you at BarCampChicago 2007!

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