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Welcome to the InfoCamp Seattle 2009 wiki, which is no longer being updated. For the current InfoCamp wiki, please visit wiki.infocamp.org.

 

InfoCamp Seattle 2009 FAQ

 

Add any InfoCamp questions you want answered, and we'll try to answer 'em!

 

How can I start an InfoCamp in another city?

 

Check out this blog post about an InfoCamp Starter Kit, which is currently being developed.

 

Can I register in person at InfoCamp if I didn't register online?

 

Not any more - InfoCamp is sold out!

 

We've decided to sell no more than 350 tickets to InfoCamp this year.  We believe this is the maximum we can fit into the space and still have it be a good experience in terms of logistics.   

 

Sorry, we can't fit anyone else in.  See you next year!

 

Can I attend for just part of the weekend?

 

Yes. All InfoCamp participants are free to participate in whichever parts of the event work for them.

 

Please note that you'll still need to register even if you're showing up for only part of InfoCamp.  Registration for any or all of the weekend is $50 general admission or $10 for students.  

 

What if I'm out of town?  Can I watch online?

 

Maybe.  We will try to stream the keynotes at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/infocamp-seattle-2009.  And you can watch the Twitter feed by searching for our hashtag, #infocamp.

 

What do I get for registering?

 

Registration includes:

• full access to all sessions
• an official t-shirt
• free parking
• light breakfast on both days (see below for details)
• hot lunch on both days (see below for details)
• coffee, tea, and other drinks & snacks
• appetizers at the InfoParty
• and more!

 

What is the format of this unconference?

 

InfoCamp has no pre-determined session topics or presenters, other than a keynote and plenary session. You, the participants, create and lead most of the sessions!  You determine the topic and format of your session, and pitch your session idea to the group, and sign up for a time slot. The exact schedule will be created as we go.

 

The purpose of this format is to encourage collaboration, interaction, discussion, and real-time innovation.  The benefits of this format include the immediacy of the topics - the sessions didn't have to be submitted months ahead of time - and the fun, exciting (and a bit chaotic) feeling of being part of an event that's being led by everyone.  Read more about how InfoCamp works on our blog.

 

So when can I sign up to do a session?

 

Saturday at 9am a big blank schedule is going up on the wall, and that's the first crack anybody will have at it.

 

What kinds of sessions can I create?

 

You can be as creative as you like with your session content and format. For instance, you could...

 

• gather people to discuss a common interest
• solicit feedback on a design
• demo a half-baked product
• organize a panel
• present research findings
• set up a debate on a controversial topic
• start a conversation group
• discuss solutions to a problem
• brainstorm an idea

 

What if I don't have an idea for a session?

 

Attend anyway! You're sure to have an opinion or question about what's being presented, so you can participate by joining in the discussion. And who knows - maybe the discussions will spark an idea that you want to share or present as the weekend goes on!

 

What was presented in previous years?

 

The participant-led sessions at InfoCamp Seattle 2007 and 2008 included:

• UX 101
• Usability professionals don't care about user privacy
• Help me turn data into a new design
• The financial bailout
• Interviewing & getting a UX job
• UGM & real life interactions
• Teaching non-users how to use computers: strategies, tools, ideas
• UX optimization
• Overload: Aggregation of personal online tools
• Ad hoc personas
• Knowledge management
• 3D prototyping
• Copyright/creative commons sharing
• On-the-fly low budget usability
• Flat file vs. CMS for non-profit orgs
• How to incentivize knowledge sharing when culture benefits aren't clear
• Photography - GPS to geotagging
• UX/IA & marketing
• UX effort estimation tool
• Getting a job in UX
• User centered info & diagram design
• Unconference: Using openspace for collaboration
• Going neon: Dutch libraries
• UX deliverables: Axure v. Visio
• Structuring unstructured information
• Ontology development and business semantics
• Working well with others: Insights on the professional environment / Working with developers
• Universal inbox: How might we aggregate and organize stuff
• Geoinformatics: Why you need the science, why the scientists need you
• Database design and creating a database about everything
• Documenting and communicating design (discussion)
• Data as an asset: Metadata management in state government
• Open source and the library / Invisible library
• How will I save healthcare? This means you! (discussion)
• Using video to enhance and advertise for library service
• Enhancing policy readership and uptake through UCD principles
• Brainstorm: Solving the online identity crisis
• Consulting in a changing economy
• Improving student research: Online tools
• User generated content - fair use
• Emergency librarian
• Web of the physical world: impact of worldwide instrumentation of devices in everyday life
• User-generated media @ the library: Can we use it well? (discussion)
• Gateways to information: Designing intuitive interfaces
• Generation of complex diagrams: How to make lasagna instead of spaghetti
• Organizing legislative information: simplifying search
• WTF is content strategy?
• Reality for the library: What high tech looks like in public library practice
• Raising IA awareness
• All about video games
• Interface-Off
• Presenting, storing, and managing calendar data (case study and discussion)
• The WWW as a platform: Semweb 101
• Information overload!
• Demise of usability?
• Practical uses of social software in libraries
• Research methods for persona creation (discussion)
• Unconference v. traditional conference: Which is better for serendipitous knowledge discovery?
• The skinny on the mobile web

 

 See the 2007 wiki or 2008 wiki for more details, including who led these sessions.

 

I'm traveling to Seattle for the event - travel suggestions?

 

There's an InfoCamp travel page on this wiki. Please contribute to it or add questions!

 

Will there be food and drink at InfoCamp?

 

Yes!  We will provide a light breakfast both days with bagels, pastries, fruit, and oatmeal.  

 

Of course, coffee, tea and other beverages will be available at all times.  Please bring a personal water bottle and/or travel mug.

 

Saturday's lunch will be from Taco Del Mar.  

 

Sunday's lunch will be from Michou Fresca and will include a selection of sandwiches and salads.

 

Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options will be available.

 

Will there be a party on Saturday?

 

Yes!  Read all about it on the InfoParty page.

 

Where can I get some fresh InfoSwag? 

 

Besides the totally radical T-shirt you get when you show up, there's three alternate designs available this year only through Spreadshirt. It's a great way to show you've been paying more attention to the wiki than other attendees.  

 

We don't make money from these t-shirts; didn't want to make them cost more than what Spreadshirt already charges.  We just like seeing our InfoCamp artwork on you all!

 

Who's behind all this?

 

Check out the people page for details about InfoCamp Seattle volunteers, advisors and organizers.  On our blog is more about the 2009 organizing committee (and the 2008 organizing committee, if you're curious).

 

Learn more about InfoCamp's founders and origins in this article published in the Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology.

 

Why does InfoCamp cost what it costs? 

 

Check out this blog post for some answers. Let us know if you have further questions!

 

What do InfoCamp volunteers do?

 

We will have about 40 volunteers to help at InfoCamp Seattle 2009.  All the volunteer spots have been taken.  

 

Soldiers in the Volunteer Army will be called on to staff the InfoRegistration and InfoInformation Desk, provide modest technical support for sessions (help speakers connect their laptops to the projectors, press the button on a camera or audio recorder if so desired, etc.), and generally give us a hand.  

 

Volunteers are participants, too!  We'll expect a couple hours of a volunteer's time in exchange for free registration.

 

Are you still looking for volunteers?

 

Sorry, gang, we've got gobs of volunteers already.  Thanks anyway.

 

Will there be wireless internet at InfoCamp?

 

Most InfoCamp presentation rooms will have computers and internet connections via the school's infrastructure.   

 

What should I bring to InfoCamp?

 

Please bring a personal water bottle and/or coffee mug. To cut down on waste, we won't hand out disposable water bottles. You can fill your water bottles from water coolers that we'll provide or from the school's drinking fountains.

 

You might also want to bring business cards, a camera, a laptop, etc.

 

And of course, if you plan to lead a session, bring whatever you need for your session.  This might be a laptop, a handout for participants, notes to yourself, or just an idea!

 

How should I tag things related to InfoCamp?

 

The twitter hashtag is #infocamp (or just infocamp).

 

On other sites (flickr, etc.) we'll use infocamp, infocampseattle, or infocampseattle2009 - whichever you want.

 

What questions do you want answered?

 

• InfoCamp-related questions, that is!

• Add yours here...