Folks,

Given that there seems to be significant demand for more coherent
scheduling in Barcamp, here's a proposal for an event that is focused
on this.

Note: This is not about Barcamp and at this stage is just an idea.

The proposed event will be more like a conference than an
unconference, but with a significant community element. There will be
a single track at this event, with all schedules pre-defined. To get
to speak, the audience must vote for you. Voting is done in the
months/weeks preceding the event. Speakers may campaign for votes,
but campaigning may only be in the form of explaining their
presentation. Merchandising (giveaways, etc) will not be allowed.

In effect, to get to speak, you must first deliver the pitch online
with sufficient effectiveness so as to outshine the contenders. It is
expected that this process of honing the pitch will ensure high
quality during the actual event, and further, because many in the
audience will already be familiar with the material, will lead to the
session being more discussion of material-oriented rather than
presentation-oriented.

Why have an offline event at all then, if the important bits are
online? Because most of the audience will not have the bandwidth to
follow everything online (and will likely not have participated in
the voting either), and because real life adds a dimension to
interactions that isn't possible online.

Thoughts?