So, I’ve been thinking about forming an actual WordCamp Foundation to somewhat loosely codify what exactly makes an event an actual WordCamp, and also to provide some legal cover and help organizers with common problems like securing liability insurance, etc.
I’ve also been struggling with what the rules should be, because what I think a WordCamp ought to be might not be what someone else thinks a WordCamp should be. So, I’ll first give a couple of suggestions on rules I think are non-negotiable, then I’ll follow up on a few that are open for debate.
1. The event must be focused on blogging or new media with a heavy emphasis on the use of WordPress software (WordPress, WordPress.com or WordPress MU).
2. All content created must be released under a Creative Commons license.
Personally, I strongly believe few WordCamp organizers will have any heartburn over the previous two rules. It’s when money is introduced that I expect things to get contentious real fast.
I believe, and I’m backed up on this by many others including Matt Mullenweg that WordCamps are meant to teach existing WordPress users and attract new ones, not to turn a profit. I also believe that any attendance fee paid by attendees should be for the purpose of gaining their investment, their “buy in” to the event, and that the bulk of costs should be borne by the event’s sponsors.
If you allow people to register to attend, and keep the admittance free, you run the risk of people signing up with no real investment or interest in attending. Unconsciously or not, many of us have this unspoken opinion that, “nothing offered for free can have any real intrinsic value, otherwise, why would any sane person be offering it for free?” “If it’s worth something”, we think, “They’d be asking fpr something in return.”
For WordCamp Dallas, I chose to offer each attendee admittance to both day’s events, along with lunch each day and a t-shirt, all for $20. Afterward, several people candidly told me they’d paid many times that and received less value at other conferences. Some even chastised me for pricing tickets too low.
So, although we frown on organizers charging too much to attend or even having a profit motive when organizing a WordCamp, should we codify that somehow, or should we continue to strongly suggest future WordCamps remain non-profit and frown on those that do? And how do we decide how much is too much? Should we say no single ticket should cost more than a large pizza? Should we say no single ticket should cost more than the meals that attendee is entitled to and one t-shirt? What about the differences in currency between countries? A large pizza in Tanzania may be exorbitantly high in cost.
So, should rule number three attempt to hard-code ticket prices? For example:
3. A single ticket to attend a WordCamp should be no more than $30
Or, maybe the way to approach it follows a suggestion that I’ve heard Matt mention, and that is to require any profit be given to charity and/or an open source project. For example:
3. At the close of a WordCamp, any and all profits must be donated to either a charity and/or an open source project.
But then, that might require an additional rule:
4. The financial records of a WordCamp must be fully disclosed in an open ledger, except for any donor/sponsor who wishes to remain anonymous.
PodCamp already does this. And it would encourage organizers to set up at least separate bank accounts for WordCamp finances, possibly even forming limited liability companies or the equivalent in overseas legal systems, but is that starting to be too “Big Brother”-ish?
Another thing, related to money, is the idea of paying for speakers, or even “compensating” them. Some people, with very good intentions and reasoned thought, believe that bringing better-known, “celebrity” bloggers in from thousands of miles away, paying for their air fare and putting them up in hotels is a good way to ensure the success of a WordCamp by practically guarantying a turnout, because if you had a chance to pick up WordPress tips from Darren Rowse or Chris Brogan for $20, wouldn’t you come out to a WordCamp?! (I’m not saying either of these would require an honorarium or anything, I just needed the names of two well-known WordPress bloggers.) Even one of these would increase the cost of a WordCamp by several hundred dollars, and would either require existing sponsors cough up the dough or new ones would have to be added. Then again, if Spacely Space Sprockets or Cosmo Cogs are fine shelling out $1,500 to fly Rowse in from Australia to speak for a couple of hours, who are we to say no?
The other side says that WordCamps are meant to be, in the words of Mullenweg, “hyper-local” events where everyone is treated like rockstars and maybe the blogger from around the block could use a place to start his or her own personal marketing campaign, and speaking at a local WordCamp would be a great way to gain exposure as a thought-leader, all while allowing the organizer to keep costs down.
Besides, if Mr. Mega-Blogger (I’ve decided to stop picking on Messrs. Rowse and Brogan… I may need their help one day) decides to speak at your WordCamp, he does so at his own expense, after all, he’s the one benefiting from the exposure and marketing opportunities… He’s the one benefiting from the networking and prospective clients… He’s the one benefiting from his book sales or whatever he’s selling… Why should he be paid on top of all that?
So, my last proposal on rules for a WordCamp would require we decide on whether or not to disallow paying for speakers. I.e.:
6. Speakers and session leaders will not be paid, compensated or otherwise reimbursed in return for speaking.
Now, in the interest of full disclosure, you may hear that I recently asked to be paid to speak at WordCamp New York City. That is both true and false. Let me explain:
I was contacted by jonathan Dingman, the lead organizer, and was asked by him first for advice on organizing a WordCamp, then if I might lead a session, possibly recording an episode of The WordPress Podcast live. I explained, that since I’d only recently become fully self-employed, that I had no money budgeted to travel to any events either to speak or to simply attend, and that if I were to attend WordCamp NYC, my flight and hotel would need to be paid. Jonathan initially agreed, but as we worked on the details, we both agreed it wouldn’t be cost-efficient for me to attend, even if sponsors agreed to pay the cost.
I fall into the “Speakers should not be paid” camp, however, this was a special circumstance where I was asked what it would take to get me there, and I gave an honest answer: That I could not pay my own way, and that the only way I could attend is if someone else paid my way for me.
So, in recap, I hope I’ve given you something to consider. Should we form a WordCamp Foundation to assist and regulate future WordCamps, and if so, should we debate and adopt any or all of the following rules?
- The event must be focused on blogging or new media with a heavy emphasis on the use of WordPress software (WordPress, WordPress.com or WordPress MU).
- All content created must be released under a Creative Commons license.
- At the close of a WordCamp, any and all profits must be donated to either a charity and/or an open source project.
- The financial records of a WordCamp must be fully disclosed in an open ledger, except for any donor/sponsor who wishes to remain anonymous.
- Speakers and session leaders will not be paid, compensated or otherwise reimbursed in return for speaking.