A Socio-Religio-Cultural Look at WordCamp
As some of you know, I am an interculturalist. Interculturalists facilitate interactions across cultures. We also conduct assessments to determine the culture of organizations. I believe Matt compared WordCamp or WordPress to an Amish Barn Raising. Since he made an ethno-religious comparison, I wanted to further analyze WordCamp.
Why? I have been trying to describe WordCamp to friends and colleagues who aren’t bloggers. For that matter, people who use other programs are in the dark too. I need your help with some qualitative research. How would you describe WordCamp?
Here is some of the language I plan to use in the socio-religio-cultural analysis of WordCamp.
The Religion/Philosophy/Worldview: Blog. Need I say more?
Denomination: WordPress
The Guru: Matt Mullenweg
The Deacons: WordCamp Organizers
The Congregation: Techs, Marketing Specialists, Journalists, common everyday person
The Evangilists: WordPress Masters
The Ritual Space: WordCamp Birmingham
The Doctrine: ?
Exerpt:
On last weekend, over 150 people converged on Birmingham for WordCamp. It is hard for me to describe WordCamp. However, WordCamp is a meeting of users of WordPress where they share best practices and innovative approaches to maximizing the web. WordPress users who frequently communicate from a distance meet to problem also have a chance to solve problems in person. During WordPress founder, Matt Row…’ presentation, he compared WordCamp as an “Amish Barn Raising.” It is truly a meeting of the minds and blogs in a collaborative environment.
The Congregation
So who attends WordCamp? There are several prototypes that you may encounter such as the ‘over the top’ tech geek that reminds you of a character from the misfits of science or the slick metrosexual advertising exec. There might be a weekend techy who likes to tinker with web technology in her spare time. There was the business woman who depended upon her blog for sales. I chatted with the journalist who is excited not to be bound by print media made herself known. You also had people who were just entering the blogasphere for personal, social or countless other reasons. Overall, it was a group of bloggers who were converging to share in a cultural phenomenon known as WordPress.
Lessons from an 80's Alumna 
The doctrine was written in 1999. Download The Cluetrain Manifesto – Markets are Conversations and learn how WordPress helps spread the doctrine.
Yes, but the doctrine — since we’re using that term — can use a bit of updating now and then. Cluetrain doesn’t have to be the manifesto for the next ten years. Not entirely, anyway — take the good parts and add some new nonsense to it, spin it in a blender and splatter it on a website and call it a blog — that’s what I say!
I think Matt’s analogy was one of the best I’ve heard to describe camp style conferences, and especially WordCamp. Maybe its an outcropping of the open-source roots of WordPress or maybe its because of the blogger mindset, whatever the reason WordCamp is a perfect example of an open community serving the community. Just like the Amish.
You know, the registration form didn’t ask about the blogging experience of the attendees, nor the subject matter of their blog. Noob or developer emeritus, social consciousness or make money online… everyone was welcomed and heard.
One thing we saw, especially on Sunday was the equality of opinions and ideas. We had aspiring bloggers that hadn’t even setup their hosting account yet sitting at the same table with the creator of WordPress expressing ideas and challenging assumptions. Wow.
What we saw on display in Birmingham this past weekend was the epitome of collaboration without qualification or restrictions. Yes, it was planned and organized by a few, but the content and true value comes from the presenters and attendees and through posts like this one, that continue the conversation.
Hopefully we have established connections and relationships that will allow us to do just that, continue the conversation, in the coming months and in doing so, expand the reach of all our voices.
Thanks for the question and the opportunity to contribute!
@jtrigsby
I think that the term Open Source should be in there somewhere. I think you’ll find a similar vibe at other gatherings of open source software users and developers. Well–maybe not as friendly, but still dedicated to the principles that information should be free and that many hands make light work.
Cool. I was thinking about including collaboration as a norm or value. I am glad you mentioned the term open source.
I believe it’s important to set boundaries around “dedicated to the principles that information should be free.”
The “camps” foster an open exchange of knowledge, ideas and collaboration. It’s permissible to approach folks who make a living utilizing open source tools (designers, strategists, marketers, consultants, etc) during the event and pick their brains. That’s the norm in this forum.
If I continue to contact the same professionals after the event, then I’m not respecting their time and expertise.
Kathy, when I speak of free, I mean not constrained rather than gratis. Perhaps it would be better to say that information should be transparent. After all, even the US Department of Justice charges a fee for copies of documents requested through the Freedom of Information Act: paper, mailing supplies, postage, and labor aren’t free.
Some may disagree, but I hardly think of open source as altruistic. The business model of selling software may still work for a few companies, but in an age of rampant software piracy many businesses choose to sell subscriptions (software-as-service), or they give away software and then sell their expertise. Even such collaborative camps are opportunities for people to establish themselves as the very experts that other attendees will turn to–and pay a fee to–for their services.
Chris, we’re in agreement. On the heels of a long day hearing, “But, WordPress is free…” as a rationale for pushing back on my fees; I was big on boundaries. Carved in stone. Please note, none of the push back came from folks at WordCamp – or any other camp.
Good information to have.
I also appreciated Matt’s take on a number of things. Two books he recommended highly for understanding the culture and issues of how to develop a freesource business model were:
Producing Open Source Software which is available free on the web at
http://producingoss.com/
Predictably Irrational which has a web site at http://www.predictablyirrational.com/
Both books have wide applicability to the subject of building communities that get stuff done. Clearly, open source is a shining success story in that arena. I’m reading both. I always read what brilliant people suggest.
Although I use WordPress because it is user friendly, it was nice to know more about the philosophy of the founder. I have to find the post that I read that included a comment about Matt traveling across the country to attend a conference of less than 200 people who included many people who do not pay for WP. I really had not thought about the community focus and commitment aspects. I am more and more intrigued by each comment.
It’s a blend of the ethos of open source and the true ease of use that makes WordPress a net win for me. I started looking at online publishing methods around December 2008. I took a look at all of the major ones and it was likely the ‘buzz’ that made me adopt WordPress at the end of my search. It was a very good choice, in retrospect.
The idea of ‘link journalism’ dovetails nicely with open source ethos. As a DIY online publisher, I’ve been a greedy learner and picked anyone’s brain about WordPress I could. My hope is that one day, I can pay back that greediness by helping others get their voices online locally and elsewhere.
I interviewed Matt Mullenweg on Sunday. I’ll post that interview soon. One thing that stood out (through a specific example) is that even the commercial side of WordPress, Automattic, considers ethical questions deeply with an orientation toward long-term growth that keeps community in the forefront. I walked away with less journalism objectivity and more fanboy-ism than I’m comfortable with. *grin*
It gets my attention anytime someone mentions “the tragedy of the commons” in a substantive way (as Matt did).
This is getting more and more intriguing. What is DIY? Where can I find info about ‘link journalism.’
DIY is short for Do-It-Yourself.
I believe–though I am not positive–that it originated with weekend handyman home renovation projects, but the term has since spread to pretty much anything.