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The Charlotte Observer, N.C., Eric Frazier @Charlotte column: Barcamp Charlotte draws tech fansApr 12, 2010 (The Charlotte Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Barcamp Charlotte 3, this year's installment of the free-flowing "un-conference" centered mostly on technology and the Internet, is in the history books. Attendees and organizers seem pleased with how it went. About 150 people spent Saturday at the Area 15 conference center in the Optimist Park community near uptown Charlotte, sharing ideas in the laid-back, egalitarian approach that has made such events popular draws in tech-savvy communities like Austin and San Francisco. (The word "bar" refers to a term used as a placeholder in computer programming). In keeping with the deliberately unstructured Barcamp style, presenters offered their ideas for possible sessions, then folks voted on what they wanted to hear. When I dropped by just before lunch, I peeked in on sessions about everything from search engine optimization to Web development to a session about "creativity for nerds." Philip Dodds, one of the event's T-shirt-clad organizers, told me a popular session centered around the question: Is Google evil? The Barcamp organizers would certainly say Yahoo! isn't. The Web giant helped sponsor the conference. One of its Web developers, Matt Henry, flew in from California to do a session on developing projects for mobile Web devices. New Goodwill blog: Goodwill Industries has launched a new blog at www.wowgoodwill.com. It's also offering a contest through its social media outlets. One Facebook fan, Twitter follower or blog reader will win a room makeover from a professional organizer. Visit the blog site to link up. Browsers beware: Facebook is warning users to be wary of suspicious gift-card offers. The social network removed some offers that promised cards as part of a ruse to get them to supply personal information. Bottom line: if it seems to good to be true, well... Eric Frazier covers social networking. Reach him at [email protected], friend him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ericfraz. Old-fashioned? Call 704-358-5145. To see more of The Charlotte Observer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.charlotteobserver.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |