Unlike other ‘camp’ styled events, this is not being organized as a traditional “Open Space” - instead we are using our experience from the past year to create a hybrid experience that should enable everyone to get what they need. We briefly considerd doing a single track like Gnomedex and Bloggercon uses, but we want to enable people who are not interested in a given topic to have alternatives, we also want to ensure we have basic “how to” instruction at a more basic level. We also have set aside some ‘open space’ for people who wanted to talk about other topics. Finally, we are providing an opportunity for supporters to talk WITH people who use their products/services directly.

So what does that really mean and how will the unconference be structured?

• The Main Talk
  We are requesting that people submit ideas for one of the 8-10 main session tracks by blogging about it (or commenting on the blog post with your idea) and tagging it with “web22talk“. On October 31st, we will take all the submissions and enter them into a voting tool of some sort to choose the topics for the talks and the discussion leaders.
• My Conference, My Way
  We have one room that will be set up using simplified open space methodology, but the principles of open space should be applied across all aspects of the event. This means that if one of your topics does not get chosen for a Main Talk and you want to have that conversation, this is where you can do so. The schedule for this room will match the schedule for the rest of the unconference.
• Web 2point2 ‘How To’
  We really want to empower people who don’t yet understand how some of the basic technologies (such as blogs, feed readers, social bookmarks, photo sharing, and wikis) to leave the unconference with the skills they need to do so. We are seeking people to come and teach these skills in small group settings and one-on-one as “technology coaches” (thanks Beth Kanter). If you are interested in doing so, can you please write something up on what you would like to teach and tag it “web22howto“. We still need to figure out how to balance this with the rest of the schedule.
• Web 2point2 Demo Room
  In order to keep the prices down, we are relying on sponsors to offset the costs - particularly that of the party which will include free booze, live music and more. We think companies are ok, but subversive commercialism is not, which is why we are giving the sponsors of the event an opportunity to have a conversation with anyone who is interested in doing so without interrupting the Main Talks with commercial messages. If you are interested in seeing what a given company has to demonstrate and are not otherwise engaged with one of the other talks that are happening, you can sit in and perhaps learn something - or perhaps help them learn something.