On 15 August 2013 00:03, Samuel Klein <meta.sj@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Wikimania should have less parallel sessions,
>< longer sessions with more time between the sessions
>> and an "open space" as an additional track.
<>
>> We implemented this idea last year at the WikiCon...
<> I am a strong believer that less is actually more. I would like to have
>> a less stressful but more effictive Wikimania.
>
> Your ideas are welcomed by me :) I've been wanting fewer sessions at
> Wikimania for a long time.

I agree totally.  We can rethink the traditional program entirely.

Imagine a Wikimania where
* the only "talks" or presentations are Plenary sessions
* all other sessions
** have their documents/drawings/slides/tools published 2 weeks in
advance, for others to read / comment / link
** have Q&A handled online in advance of the event (via comments and discussion)
** are group discussions or collaborations around a topic, not one-way
presentations
** are moderated by someone who is good at moderation (this may or may
not be the primary author of works being discussed)
** update the latest documentation about those ideas/projects/tools
live, during the session (via a designated facilitator/editor)



I dunno. That sounds fundamentally unwiki, and an awful lot like the professional annual meetings that everyone hates attending. It weighs heavily in favour of "professional" presenters and those who think that the powerpoint is more important than the presentation. I wouldn't spring for a plane ticket for something like this.

As it is, I know for a fact that most of the sessions presented this year were finalized no more than a week before their presentation, and quite a few included "up to the minute" information and data.  This is particularly important in an environment that is constantly changing. 

What I'd like to see is live-streaming of sessions with moderation that could include online questions for the sessions. 

Wikimania is primarily a social event - and that includes the "developer days" at the beginning.  Some sessions are of professional quality, some others gain their energy from the presentation itself or the perceived importance of the topic, and others simply by being presented by sincere and caring community members.  The best session I saw this year was one that would never meet the bars described above - it was about the Javanese Wikipedia, and it was the one that was so full of hope and joy at the prospect of sharing knowledge freely that the few of us who were in the room walked away with a refreshed sense of what our movement is all about. 

You can't capture that with slides or plenary sessions or expert moderation.  You need to be in the room.

Risker