The History of BarCamps

With the speed at which the BarCamp concept took off, and when you read how many locations around the world now have conferences, you would assume that the idea had been around for decades. The truth is however, that the first BarCamp was organized and implemented in August 2005, just a few short years ago. Loosely fashioned after the Friends of O'Reilly Camps (FOO Camp), BarCamps are more liberal and less exclusive. Foo Camp attendees require a formal invitation, whereas BarCamp attendees come as they choose. This was the basic premise of starting the BarCamps in the first place. Everyone was welcome to attend.

BarCamp was founded by two individuals who believed in the open concept of the web. Chris Messina, a developer who worked with Mozilla Labs and created The Social Agent, and Andy Smith, also a developer, who had been invited to FooCamp on previous occasions. The first event was held at the SocialText, Palo Alto, California offices. According to old posts when the two were organizing the event, everything was completed in two weeks. That included getting corporate sponsors, a meeting venue, and letting everyone know that the new concept was being launched. True to form, they used social networking to get the word out.

In order to decipher the name, most people would begin by assuming that the letters are an acronym for the full name of the conferences. They are in a way, but not for the conference per se. Many years ago, in fact dating back to the Second World War, an acronym spelled "FUBAR" was spawned. It meant, "fouled up beyond all recognition". It took off and everyone was using the expression. Then, computer programmers started implementing the expression when they needed a place holder for something that had no formal name. Somehow, though, the spelling was bastardized and the word became "foobar'. Since the original conferences were already called FooCamp, the name for the newest, more open concept, was called "BarCamp", really just a play on the original wording.

The main website (barcamp.org) is a wiki-style site where everyone can contribute. Not surprising really, because that is the philosophy behind BarCamp, an open environment and unfettered conversations. Many more websites have cropped up dedicated to the city or region in which a BarCamp is hosted. Plus, each one has used the original logo and integrated it into a revised logo for their cities. Some have stars in the middle, some have lights surrounding the main logo, and some have buildings inside the original logo.

What is quite unique about the BarCamp craze is that it attracts individuals as well large corporations. Not only do businesses sponsor various unevents, but also, corporations are hosting their own community alternative conferences. The events are both popular and credible. They have grown into huge affairs where everyone anticipates each year's event, and participants now prepare not only their ideas and presentations, but also their portfolios, in case they might get noticed. In addition, several universities have hosted BarCamps, which seems like the perfect match, since educational institutes are environments for learning.