SweoIG/TaskForces/Conferences/Meeting Framework

Meeting Framework

This is a scetch. Everybody welcome to completly rewrite this page. Feel free to vandalize.

About SWEO Events

SWEO Event is an informal gathering aimed at bringing together developers, designers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, researchers, web pioneers, inventors, bloggers, podcasters, programmers and other folks working in Semantic Web. The goal is to better connect experts and prospective users.

Since its inception in January 2007, SWEO Events can be held all over the world. We are inspired by WebMontag.de, an event connecting the Web 2.0 community in Germany and by similar events like the Barcamp.org or wiki wednesday.

Who should attend and why?

SWEO Events are organized exclusively to connect experts and prospective users. If you are involved in Semantic Web, this is your chance to present your work and experience and to offer your services. If you are interested to deploy or benefit from Semantic Web, here you will meet the brains to get you running. SWEO Events is your chance to present your product, your service, your startup, your cool new project or your next big idea to a growing audience of Semantic Web aficionados.

We want to nurture personal relationships, so the events are invitation only. People who are invited can invite others, everybody invited names the inviter on the organizing wiki page. Attendees must sign up on the wiki page before the event.

To attend a meeting, you should be invited. If you aren't, ask someone you know and who is listed on the wiki-page to invite you. Then, get an account on the wiki and enter your name into one of the two lists, also naming the person who invited you. All presenters are also participants. If you are invited to a SWEO event, think of other people you know that might be interested and invite them to join you.

For example, the list could look like this:

Participants

Tim Berners Lee, W3C. (presenting Tabulator)
Ora Lassila, Nokia Research Center Cambridge (presenting Inference)
Leo Sauermann (invited by Susie Stephens)
Sandra Zilles (invited by Leo Sauermann)

What Topics?

We focus on practical aspects: learning Semantic Web, deploying Semantic Web, business ideas. After an event, you are interested to learn more and know the brains to contact.

Topics are: Semantic Web basics, learning resources, tutorials, deployment scenarios, business scenarios, visionary ideas, the direction we are going, benefits from using Semantic Web, technical basics, RDF, RDF-S, OWL, inference, RDF databases, search, data integration, ...

Who organizes SWEO Events?

You can organize a SWEO Event. The idea of SWEO Events was created the SWEO interest group of the W3C, and is open to be copied, adapted, transformed, and deployed anywhere and anytime you want. You can use this wiki to announce your event and keep the list of participants and presenters. Copy/paste existing event templates and read this page to learn how others did it.

Do SWEO Events cost entrance fee?

The events are free. The local organizer will look for a place to meet and sponsors are encouraged to donor food and beverages, or lend a projector. If not all costs or organizing can be covered, you may agree on a contribution by the attendees, use the wiki page of your event to coordinate that.

Events are free but not worthless: non-monetary benefits from the event are personal connections to experts and potential customers, and knowledge you get. And there is the possibility to drink alcoholic beverages.

What is the program?

SWEO Events are similar to web-mondays or wiki-wednesday. Starting time is typically around 7pm (19:00) and then consist of three time-slots:

First meet and greet. Attendees are greeted by the organizers and get a name-badge. Optionally photos are made and pinned to a wall, people can write their name and interests next to the photo.
About 60 minutes of lightning presentations follow. Each presentation is around 5 to 10 minutes long.
After the talks there is opportunity to meet and greet. Beverages and fingerfood are offered.

An example program could look like this:

Program

7pm meet and greet
7:30pm introduction of participants and presenters, welcome greetings by Susie Stephens who moderates today
The Tabulator Browser - browsing the semantic web. Talk and Demo by Tim Berners-Lee on the (link to slides)
Inference in OWL - creating new information. Talk by Ora Lassila on Inferencing (link to slides)
Drinks and fingerfood, networking

How should I present at SWEO?

A presentation should give an impression what the project or topic is about, and give an appetite for more. Ideally, a presentation takes about 5 to 10 minutes, may include a short demo. Things that could be said are: what the problem is, what magic technology solves it, how to deploy this, how to make business of it. It is a lightning talk, people can talk to you after the presentation session.

How do I organize a SWEO Event?

Copy our experiences from previous events. No more information at this moment (Jan 2007).