DC Brainjams all day long!
I spent Monday Brainjamming with an interesting group of people at the DC Improv. Chris Heuer's set of DC Brainjams photos document the day.
The idea of Brainjams is to bring together people with a variety of interests, to network and explore their differing perspectives together in an open space. Allowing sparks to fly, ideas to cross-pollinate, information to flow, this is also known as an Unconference.
Our group included several software entrepreneurs, web and print journalists, a public radio data analyst, web designers and marketers, IT consultants, a management development consultant, a technical recruiter, an ag(e)ing advocate, etc., most of whom (but not all) are also bloggers.
After some preliminary exercises and speed-dating-like introductions, we put Web 2.0 under the microscope.
We looked at the evolution of the web from collections of static data pages to web applications that encourage community and self-expression. From blogging to tagging, from My Yahoo to MySpace, people are using the Web to share ideas, opinions, recommendations, photos and reviews, as well as working together collaboratively using wikis and other web-based tools.
One of my interests in attending the jam was to better understand what I can offer clients beyond web sites. This requires thinking in new ways about how to encourage community involvement, if it is appropriate. I left the full day and evening with new friends and colleagues, lots of possibilities opening in front of me, and a new model of collaboration I can draw on in the future. Well worth the time spent and highly recommended. Chris Heuer and Kristie Wells, thanks. See you next time!
BrainJams
BrainJams30Jan2006
unconference
web 2.0
blogging
social networking
