Talk Guidelines
The unconference talks make OggCamp what it is. Every year we’re amazed by the range of topics and projects presented. The details below should help you prepare whether you want to give a talk, or just want to watch.
OggCamp has always been an unconference with a single scheduled track that means we can promote certain talks in advance. This year we will again be running a Call for Papers for this scheduled track: details will appear here. If you’re not successful on the CfP, please bring your talk anyway as, well, it is also an Unconference!
Don’t be shy! Talks at OggCamp can be about anything. This includes open source software, hardware hacking, making, science, home improvements, politics, creative commons music and literature, or anything else you think might interest the community. Even if you’re not sure it will, you might be surprised to find out there are many people who find your project fascinating!
Pro-tip: Add your name as well as your topic, it helps us let you know you have been scheduled, and avoid scheduling two sessions that both belong to you at the same time in different rooms …
To make sure that everyone gets the right room for their talk it’s important that we know how popular each talk is going to be. We therefore need everyone to indicate their interest by voting for the talks they want to see.
Talk slots are 25 minutes long, with 5 minutes between each slot for changeover/moving between rooms. If you need longer you can allocate 2 slots to your talk, which will give a total of 55 minutes. Please ensure you really have enough content to fill 2 slots before booking them. Otherwise you might finish after 20mins and leave a room empty that someone could have used.
When planning your talk make sure you have time to set up anything you need (slides, demos etc) and remember that question time (if you want it) is _included) in those 25 minutes. The room volunteers will stop you when your time is up to allow everyone to get to other talks and the next speaker to set up - you are of course free to chat further with your attendees in the hallway track, or to add a second session to the schedule!
We have people of various ages, genders, races, nationalities and cultures attending OggCamp and we intend to keep it that way. Please consider this when preparing your talk’s content. If you can’t avoid including content that may be unsuitable for under 18s please indicate this on the schedule and warn people before you start. However racist/homophobic/sexual/etc content isn’t welcome under any circumstances. All talks must comply with the Code of Conduct.
Attendees may take photographs, audio and video recordings during your talk. If you are not happy for this to happen please inform the member of the crew in your room before starting and also warn the attendees.
Every room will have a projector but using it isn’t compulsory. If you choose to use slides it’s advisable to bring a device with you which you know can open the format they are in, plus appropriate adapters to connect it to the projector. Please also bring a copy of your slides on a USB stick in case your device fails.
If you’re planning to demonstrate a system, it may be advisable to video the demonstration beforehand as a backup just in case something goes wrong on the day. We’ve all had live demos crash and burn on us so you’ll be in good company.
There will be a session for Lighting talks again this year. In the past we’ve had great speed presentations on everything from automated GUI testing, to political activism, to how the Internet was built.
Lightning Talks will be strictly 5 minutes long, and you’ll be allowed to take 1 question at the end. Details of submitting a Lightning Talk will be given on the day.
If you’re looking for ideas on talks to propose, some of our talks in prior years include: