Ignite Portland

Ignite Portland 3 is tonight! 450 of you have early entry tickets (bring your ID - tickets are non-transferrable, to prevent cheating), to get in when the doors open at 5:30 PM. At 6:15, we go “general admission” - even if you have a ticket. So even if you don’t have a ticket, come down early, get in the GA line, and you’ll likely get in.

If you can’t make it in person to the Bagdad tonight, or if you’re just the kind of geek that wants to fully experience the augmented digital reality that surrounds an event like this, here’s your guide on how to follow the part of Ignite Portland that’s taking place online:

1. This blog - www.igniteportland.com. Make sure to subscribe to the feed. We won’t be posting minute-by-munte stuff here, but this is where you’ll find out when the videos, slides, and news on the next Ignite Portland become available. You can even subscribe by email, if you’re old school like that.
2. Follow @igniteportland on Twitter. This is where the up-to-the-minute updates will be coming from. Stuff like how long the lines are (hopefully short!), links to any live streams that happen, or any other last minute news or updates. Wifi coverage may be spotty, so you might want to set Twitter up to deliver these updates via text message to your cell phone (there won’t be TOO many - maybe a dozen or two over the course of the evening). If you’re attending, and have something you think everyone should know, send a “D” message to this account, and we’ll get the word out.
3. Use this Summize search to see what people on Twitter are saying about Ignite Portland 3. It’s much easier than trying to track down and follow all of the people involved - that query will show you what people are saying about IP3, regardless of whether you follow them. The buzz is already building! There’s a feed you can subscribe to, if you prefer to get it that way, and Summize looks and works great on your iPhone, Blackberry, or other mobile device.
4. Join us in the Ignite Portland FriendFeed Room. If you’re a FriendFeed person, come join us there to share and discuss related to the event. This is kind of an experiment, but it could be really, really cool. Come show us how to make it awesome!
5. If you’re making media (photos, videos, whatever) at Ignite (and we definitely encourage you do to so!), please tag it “igniteportland” on Flickr, YouTube, or wherever you share it, so that other people can find it. If you have something really, really cool to share (like you got a video of Todd doing something embarrassing ), let us know, and we’ll see about posting it here.

If last time is any indication, 700+ geeks in one place will probably overwhelm the wifi at the Bagdad Theater, so plan on using your cellular connectivity (in fact, last time, I think we overwhelmed the local cell towers with data traffic, so there’s no guarantee it won’t be a connectivity black hole!). Plan accordingly. But it doesn’t matter - come to have fun, geek out, meet cool people, and come hang out with us at the afterparty.

Let’s light this thing!

Just a quick note on tagging. We’re going to generate a tremendous amount of media at Ignite Portland tonight. Photos, videos, blog posts, Twitter updates, and who knows what else. Here’s how to tag the stuff you create so we can all find it.

1. If you’re using Twitter, use the #ip2 Hashtag in your posts (I’m bad at remembering to do this, but I’ll try to be better!). Then we can all watch/subscribe to #ip2 on Hashtags, and see what other people are saying. Don’t know what Hastags is? Find out here.
2. The general tag we recommend for photos, videos, etc. is “igniteportland”. So if you post to Flickr, YouTube, or whatever else, add the tag, and people will be sure to find it.
3. If you made some media you’re especially proud of - a great video, photo, or whatever, and want to have it featured on this site, leave a comment here, and we’ll see what we can do.

I can hardly imagine the sheer volume of media that we, collectively, are going to create tonight. I doubt any one person will be able to absorb it all. But if it’s tagged, at least we can all stand a chance at finding it! Thanks!

The idea submission form for Ignite Portland 2 has been closed. We received 54 terrific idea proposals for 20-slide presentations.

Now, the folks who are doing the selection have the daunting task of going through the submissions, and narrowing it down to the 14 that will be given at IP2. Talk about a tough job! I really wish we could do all of them, because they’re that good.

I want to say a big thank you to everyone who submitted an idea! Ignite Portland couldn’t happen without you, and it kills me that we’re going to have to tell 40 or so of you “not this time”.

We’re so spoiled here in Portland - an embarrassment of rich ideas!

We’re deliberating and voting now, and we’re going to meet on Friday this week to make the final decisions. We’ll post the lineup shortly thereafter. Stay tuned!

The next ignite Portland is a month away, and the buzz is starting to heat up. Get it? “Heat” up? Haw!

Seriously, though, I’m getting excited. Plans are being made, our venue is secured, we’re getting a great stream of submission ideas, and over 140 people have already RSVP’ed on Upcoming. All the Portland people on Twitter have exploded with conversation about it (thanks in no small part to Rick Turoczy’s Silicon Florist post on Portland Twitter People). You can follow the Ignite conversation on Twitter by following @IgnitePortland, and also by using Hashtags, under the tag #ip2. If you tweet about it, try to include that tag so your post will be included in the aggregation.

There’s even rumor of Moo.com having to charter a special delivery plane to Portland because so many people are stocking up on their awesome little photo calling cards for IP2. Hope my order doesn’t get delayed!

So, one month out, what do you need to do?

1. Spread the word (say, with a blog badge), and RSVP at Upcoming. February 5, 2008, 6 to 9 PM, at the Bagdad Theater in SE.

2. Submit your presentation ideas. They DON’T have to be techie! Only criteria is that they’re interesting, and I KNOW that you have at least one interesting idea in your head. Remember, the presentation format is 20 slides for 15 seconds each, auto-advanced. Check out the presentations from the first Ignite Portland to get an idea of the variety we had, and check out the talk submissions that are in the running for IP2.

3. We still need sponsors - the more sponsorship money we get, the more food, etc. we can provide at the event. If you’re interested in sponsoring Ignite Portland 2, for any amount, get in touch with Todd Kenefsky.

I can feel the excitement in the air. Can’t wait to see how hugely awesome Ignite Portland 2 is going to be!

Wow. I’m exhausted. Tonight was a blast! (Ha! See that pun there! ). There will be a more detailed wrap up post tomorrow, but I just wanted to post something tonight to let the world know that the first Ignite Portland was a smashing success, and to say “thank you” to everyone who made it possible - the speakers, the volunteers, everyone who attended, and my fellow organizers. I’ve never been part of something like this before - it’s been an amazing experience, and the future looks bright!

In the next few days, I’m sure blog posts and photos will trickle onto the web. In fact, they already are. I’ll have the videos posted in a couple of weeks (some have asked why so long - it’s partly because it takes a long time to edit down 2 hours of video, and partly because I’m leaving on a 2 week trip this weekend ). And there are some funny stories to tell (like how we were so worried about the number of attendees, and how we ended up with the EXACT right amount). All in time.

Right now, I’m just full of gratitude, and I want to say thanks to everyone to made this what it has become. You all rock - get ready to do it again in Janurary!