[Barcamp-organizers] Demos at BarCamp

[Kyle Adams]

FYI, I received the following e-mail.

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Kyle

I haven't been to a Bar Camp yet, so I don't know if would be considered appropriate for us to make a presentation on BuoyBuilder, our zero-code generation Java GUI builder? It is an open source project, though we will be offering a commercial license for those that need one or want to support our development.

I posted a request for feedback about BuoyBuilder on the GR-JUG mailing list, and saw that there was some interest, though we haven't heard from anyone directly. Just saw some downloads from that side of the state. 

We are based a little west of Ann Arbor, and could come out for one of the days of the Bar Camp to make a presentation and hang out as long as was needed to talk and answer questions. If it's not appropriate, we  understand, but we are really excited about this tool and would love to show it to people. We think that it's pretty cool stuff and want everyone else to see why we think its so cool.

Thanks
Jack
       
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Jack Rosenzweig
94West, LLC
jack at 94-west.com 
www.buoybuilder.com 
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My initial reaction (based largely on what I've read about other BarCamps) is that demos are fine (great?) as long as the content is technical and not a sales pitch.  Here are some relevant snippets from Amit Ranjan's "BarCamp for Dummies" blog entry ( http://url123.com/6u42y ):

ON DEMOS...

"Encourage product launches/demos- remember the adage ‘a picture is worth a thousand words‘; well, that the reason why demos, live code-in sessions, product launches are likely to leave a lasting impressions on the audience; so do whatever it takes to encourage people to launch their products or display/demo off early prototypes of what they are currently building .

"This may be a little tough given the fact that many Indian companies are services companies than product companies but all the same, give this one a good shot. Believe me, (other factors being equal), this by itself could be the difference between a good & a great BarCamp experience."

ON COMMERCIAL ASPECTS OF BARCAMP...

"Sponsors- well, ‘money is what makes the world go round’ but the true spirit of BarCamp is exemplified when the event is seen as being totally non commercial and free of sales pitches. So there’s a trade off here and you would have to do this intelligently."

ON SALES PITCHES...

"2) avoiding sales pitches at BarCamp- we didn’t face this problem at DelhiBarCamp, not a little bit; though don’t ask me how or why; we didn’t do anything for it. Maybe it’s the collective social pressure at work. I think you should be alive to this possibility and take whatever steps you need, to preclude this from your event"

Thoughts?

Kyle

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Kyle Adams | Java Developer  |  Gordon Food Service  |  616-717-6162