My name is Alistair, and I am a BarCamp addict.

What is a BarCamp? In short it is an open conference with many session over many tracks. You can attend any of the session be they presentations, discussions, demonstrations, or whatever. The only condition is that you need to participate, and you should really run a session yourself.

I am posting this because I have been asked by the organisers of BarCampLondon6 for a list of prior BarCamp organisers, and doing this puts in to perspective just how much of a addict I am. In 2006 I found out about BarCamps through a blog and managed to get on the reserve list for BarCampLondon06, and then got to go, and then went to more, and more, and more.

You will have a long way to go to beet my addiction though. After Ian Forrester could not make it to London4 and Tom Morris did not attend BathCamp I am the only remaining person who has attended all of the UK overnight BarCamps. In my defence Ian and Emma Persky have probably attended more BarCamps than I because they have had the opportunity to attend other European BarCamps, but this is not a problem to me as it is an addiction and not a competition. ;-)

For reference this is a list of BarCamps I have attended, and the session I have run. I appreciate you may well not be interested, but to be honest this list is as much reference for me as it is for you.

• BarCampLondon06, 2nd & 3rd September 2006, Geocaching
• BarCampLondon2, 17th & 18th February 2007, Travel information
• BarCampSheffield, 26th & 27th May 2007, Geocaching
• BarCampBrighton, 8th & 9th September 2007, Geocaching
• BarCampLondon3, 24th & 25th November 2007, Web site show and tell
• BarCampBrighton2, 15th & 16th March 2008, OpenID live demonstration
• BarCampNorthEast, 24th & 25th May 2008, Organiser + Speed talk on Geocaching
• BarCampLondon4, 31st May & 1st June 2008, DAB Data services open discussion
• BarCampLeeds2008, 16th & 17th August 2008, Geocaching
• BarCampBrighton3, 6th & 7th September 2008, I have a complaint (mutual moaning session)
• BathCamp, 13th & 14th September 2008, Geocaching
• BarCampLondon5, 27th & 28th September 2008, Dyslexia
• BarCampSheffieldII, 28th & 30th November 2008, What is community
• BarCampLiverpool, 6th & 7th December 2008, Geocaching + Privacy open discussion

So now I have the record and I can stop, right? Wrong. It is nice to have, but I am not actually that bothered about the record. I attend BarCamps because I enjoy them and the company of fellow attendees. I could just miss one to demonstrate that, but I do not want to.

If you are interested in attending a BarCamp then keep an eye on the BarCapm.org wiki for ones around you. I will hopefully be attending BarCampLondon6 and BarCampBournemouth, and many more this year. Don’t forget we are also organising BarCampNorthEast2 and we would love to soo you there. So, you are reading this blog about BarCamps, so why not sign up to one and get addicted as well. We would love to see you there.

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