[CREATE] 2009 feedback to LGM 2010

[Femke Snelting]

Hello

While updating LGM to-do-lists this w-end I looked at the series of
points formulated by Yuval and Alexandre right after LGM 2009. So, by 
way of filling you in on how things are proceeding, here a response to 
those points:

* Decide on the venue ASAP. This is the single most important issue on
the critical path to leading to LGM2010. The discussion on the mailing
list seems to have fade out?

Done

* Reach out to the general public! Ginger Coons suggested tupperware
parties?

De Pianofabriek is already a good startingplace for meeting the general
public. Don't know if we'll manage tupperware parties ;-) but certainly
working on reaching out and drawing a general public in.

We've now focused on art-schools because we feel there's a great
potential for F/LOSS LG to make a breakthrough now. Students and
teachers are really ready to see a shift. Description for this will be 
up soon.

* Let’s show schoolkids that they need not pirate software to be creative.

:-)

* Let’s share our creations with the general public. Let’s get the media
buzz going.

Jon + Nate have been doing lots of work on getting the word out this
week; from here we are working on local press.

* Concentrate a few speeches geared at the general public on the Saturday.

Yes, agree -- we'll need to keep this in mind when we will draw up the 
final programme (end of this month)

* Make the exhibition last longer than the conference, with the
conference being its culminating point. Entice the general public to
learn about free graphics.

There's a small exhibit opening one month *before* the conference with
experimental work done in F/LOSS (Inkscape).

* Keep the buzz going – my feeling is that there is not enough going on
in between conferences.

still not ;-)?

* I’d like to see more activity on the mailing list.

...

* We need more fund raising in these difficult times.

Public funding has been great this year; with the help of Nate and Jon
things are totally moving in the right direction and even pledgie starts
to pick up!

* lightning talks are great and should be used further, but in some
cases we still need long talks

Yes; mixing and matching

* all talks in one room is good — everything is recorded

Done: no parallel tracks

* more time for BoFs is good, we need even more of that working on extra
time around the presentations

All lunch breaks have been kept long; you can use Wednesday 26 as well
if you want to.

* BoFs should probably be recorded as well, at least audio
ok, we need some kind of scheduling for this to make sure someone is there.

I agree but would prefer taking minutes (audio being hard to process
afterwards; maybe as back-up?) so I am working on scheduling this. Any 
volunteers that want to help record one or two?

On an additional note: there will be a team recording small interviews
with as many participants as possible.

* we need all the attention of local designers and content producers we
can get — publish articles in local thematic magazines perhaps?

You might get more of those than you can handle ;-) We've mobilized
quite a network of designers from France, Belgium and The Netherlands.

* if we get this attention, we should better organize selling of books
on using GIMP, Inkscape, Scribus and Blender (Blender movie DVDs too?)
for little to no income, but publicity

We are keen on setting up a bookshop. So: don't forget to bring your
books to sell or showcase. We'll make a stall with books and printed
matter people can leaf through and look at; if you have books or other
graphical objects made in F/LOSS, please bring!

* we probably need some handouts for free software — something in the
lines of LGM’07 newspaper, but smaller

Yes. Budget + time for this is tight; we're working on it. There's some 
people working on a nice magazine I heard :-)

* we need a better academic track by all means

I guess you mean Computer Science / HCI? There are already quite some
academics from Media Studies and cultural studies involved, but if you
know of any people need invitations: please let them know that they are 
more than welcome!

* For the latter I think we should track scientific papers that relate
to libre graphics tools.

Would be interesting to know of more sources. The least we could do is 
draw up a reading list?


F