Abstract
Barcamps are informal conferences whose content is not defined in advance, often referred to as ad-hoc conferences or un-conferences. Therefore, the outcomes of a barcamp are largely unknown before the event. This raises the question of the participants' motivations to attend and contribute. To answer this question, we conducted an exploratory empirical study at Barcamp Graz 2012. We applied a mixed-method approach: first we used a socio-demographic questionnaire (n=99) which allowed us to characterize the 'typical barcamper'. Second, we conducted qualitative interviews (n=10) to get a deeper understanding of the participants' motivations to attend, expectations, and the use of social media in that context. We identified three concepts, which could be deducted from the interviews: people, format and topics. We found that the motivation to attend and even a common identity is quite strongly based on these three factors. Furthermore, the results indicate that participants share a set of activities and methods by following the barcamp's inherent rules and make extensive use of social media.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Title of host publication | i-KNOW 2013 |
Subtitle of host publication | Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Knowledge Management and Knowledge Technologies |
Editors | Stefanie Lindstaedt, Michael Granitzer |
Place of Publication | New York, NY |
Publisher | Association for Computing Machinery |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-1-4503-2300-0 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Event | 13th International Conference on Knowledge Management and Knowledge Technologies, i-KNOW 2013 - Graz, Austria Duration: 4 Sep 2013 → 6 Sep 2013 Conference number: 13 |
Publication series
Name | ACM International Conference Proceeding Series |
---|---|
Publisher | ACM |
Conference
Conference | 13th International Conference on Knowledge Management and Knowledge Technologies, i-KNOW 2013 |
---|---|
Abbreviated title | i-KNOW 2013 |
Country/Territory | Austria |
City | Graz |
Period | 4/09/13 → 6/09/13 |
Keywords
- Barcamp
- Communities of Practice
- Knowledge Exchange
- Motivation
- Self Organization
- Social Media