OggCamp11 Is Gonna Rock

Today I’d like to take a moment to tell you about OggCamp11 and how it will rock your socks off!!! I thought I’d answer some common questions people have about the event, just for the record.

What is it?

First of all what the hell is an OggCamp I hear you ask. It’s a bizarre name but let’s break it down. OggCamp is a 2 day event bringing together fans of Open Source technology and Free Software. We also embrace Free Culture and all kinds of other less technical things. You don’t have to be a hardcore hacker to talk at OggCamp. The spirit is open and welcoming, this is the most important thing to us. The name came about because it’s organised by the folks behind Linux Outlaws and the Ubuntu UK Podcast, both of which release a version in the Ogg Vorbis audio format.

The “camp” part is nothing to do with Kenneth Williams, ooooh matron! Not that we’d mind if you wanted to do a talk about him. It’s because the event has traditionally been in the Barcamp format. This means the schedule is chosen on the day by pitches from the attendees and votes from the whole group. It really is open to anyone who wants to talk or run a session. Provided someone else wants to see it, we’ll find you a slot. Obviously space is limited and we do our best to accommodate everyone. It’s worked out well in previous years.

In addition to the Barcamp this year we’ll be adding a scheduled speaker track and we have some exciting things lined up. I can’t reveal all the details quite yet but you won’t want to miss it.

Why should I care?

Well, I believe you should care because it’s the biggest Linux and FOSS event in the UK, and it’s all community organised. You’ll have a chance to mingle with interesting people and make new friends. In previous years we’ve even had software projects start just because the developers met at OggCamp. That’s a big thrill for us organisers. Besides, it’s just a 2 day party, what’s not to like about that? We have some great sponsors supporting us and I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to Bytemark, Bitfolk and Lug.org.uk. More will also be announced soon.

There’ll also be a Geeknic on Saturday afternoon, hopefully the British weather will hold up. So bring some sandwiches and hang out with us in a field, oh yeah.

Ok, but how much will it cost me?

This is the key thing, it will cost you nothing. Yes you heard me right, NOTHING. Apart from whatever you spend on getting to Farnham I suppose. We aim to cover costs through sponsorship and merchandising. If you feel like giving us a donation we’ll gratefully take that too of course. The event is strictly non-profit and anything beyond costs will be put towards running future OggCamp events. We use the FOSDEM philosophy of being open and community driven.

If you’d like to book a free ticket you can do so via Eventbrite but be quick. There’s only 31 left at the time of writing. 419 tickets have already been snapped up.

Alright I’m in, what about the details?

OggCamp11 is taking place at the lovely Farnham Maltings in Surrey and it’s on the weekend of August 13th & 14th. It will start around 10:30am and finish at 5pm on both days. There’s more information on the official OggCamp site. You can get there easily by car, train, bus, Llama or whatever else you fancy. Submarine may be a challenge though, it’s in-land, maybe there’s a convenient river nearby.

Ok sales pitch over. I hope to see many of you there 🙂

Dan