Twin Cities Drupal Camp, Values Discussion #2

We met on Feb 6th, and started the conversation (or restarted it, from previous efforts), and we'd like to schedule a follow up meeting. A new Doodle poll is at https://doodle.com/poll/pmqxe7fb5dcpwgpz, so you can vote on a few options for meeting times.

RECAP OF PREVIOUS MEETING:

1. We started by discussing how you'd describe TCDC in a short summary (Elevator Speech). There was some legitimate confusion on whether we were talking about our conference or the group itself, but overall ideas had to do with (1) being a welcoming community (2) focused on Drupal but open to all open-source technology.

2. We debated a bit whether we should consider rebranding to a broader audience of web developers, beyond a Drupal-specific camp. Drupal is just one tool of many to a lot of people involved. The majority seemed to agree, however, that Drupal should remain our primary "touchstone" around which all conversation should revolve. It's the primary purpose and distinguishing feature of the camp, even if talks veer into other topics, like UX, project management, marketing, etc.

3. How can we increase engagement? Could we find new people in the community, new to Drupal and encourage/train them to give talks, thereby bringing new people in the community for camp and afterwards?

4. Many Drupal users and TCDC volunteers started with Drupal as hobbyists, but the reality today is that there are some large organizations in the area where using Drupal is a job above anything else. Should programming and marketing attempt to reach more of this audience? This user base is attending the conference more to learn about Drupal, and perhaps sessions should focus on that more.

5. Would charging a bit more for the conference increase the value perception, as well as relieve pressure on sponsorship? Consider bumping to $100 or more, with scholarships for those who can't afford it.

6. Should we pay for professional speakers like Midwest PHP? Several spoke out against this idea.

ABOUT THE CAMP:
- affordable, good value, free training for people who want to learn something about Drupal

BIG IDEAS:
Help people put together talks.
Help give people an opportunity to practice talks.
Encourage people to give talks.
We should do a bit of user research
Ask what people are interested in.

VALUES (Brainstorming):
Values
Openness
Welcoming
Community-oriented
Non-judgemental
Beginner-friendly
Approachable
Encourage Diversity
Providing opportunities for learning
Self Improvement
Safety
Open Source
Works are available to all to use
Sharing
Fun
Empowering
Gratitude

NEXT STEPS:
Schedule the production and release of survey questions to discover what people want from camp.
Meet again to narrow our top values into 3-5 sentences, which we can use to inform our mission statement and vision