More Foo impressions at:

http://blog.pat...-hello-smx.html

This past weekend i had the pleasure privilege of attending O’Reilly Foo Camp (2008), and as usual it was mind-blowing. I’m always amazed at the incredible people you meet at Foo, the wide range of topics discussed, and the general air of insatiable …

Mike & Tim going at it was fun to watch… twitter notes started here:
http://twitter....c500hats?page=3
first tweet here:
http://twitter....tuses/857374365

1) There are more women attendees (note: attendee makeup does not perfectly track the invite make-up; many more are invited than attend)

2) Attendees are far more comfortable with the *camp (unconference) format. The first year, people stood around unsure about filling in the schedule grid; today, it’s a frenzied land grab and most session spots are filled in the first 5 minutes. BarCamp success has a lot to do with this.

3) Session mix has changed a LOT. Far more sessions now involve intersections of tech and art. Less business-y, more… interesting? Synthesizing from wide range of domains is an increasing trend in sessions, but then… this is one of Tim’s stated goal for FOO, so it may be a reflection of tweaking invite list more than anything else.

4) A woman I won’t name who has also been to every FOO noted that the attendees “look like they’ve been getting out more” than in previous years. I didn’t disagree, and the sessions also reflected that. Things about body, fitness, outdoors, even sports crept into topics with impunity. And people were commenting on whether other attendees looked “healthy” or “well-rested”. Not your typical geek-fest comment. Think about that. (must be a start-up opportunity in there somewhere : )

5) It was both odd and ultimately refreshing how many people there had no clue what the “A-List” was, let alone know of the people who are supposedly on it. It was a bit more work to start certain conversations because there weren’t the shared assumptions you have at, say, SXSW, ETech, FOWA (all events I love). Simple example: surprisingly large percentage of attendees had no idea who Loren Feldman and Shel Israel are, or what the ‘puppet kerfuffle’ was about.

6) Big shock for me: I asked for show of hands on how many felt it was acceptable/appropriate to do comment moderation and most raised their hand without hesitation. (attitude was, “Hello!?”) Even three years ago, that would have been different. Many at all levels of ‘profile’ said they’d done a 180 on this issue. People who’d once been strong advocates for allowing everything not only moderate but ban with abandon.

7) Mike Arrington adds a certain… spark…to the discussions that hasn’t always been there.

(and that was a Good Thing)

I totally agree with your take on Foo. This was my first trip and the breadth and depth of the conversations was amazing. Thanks for taking time to attend the OATV Startup Camp as well. It was great to hear your thoughts on how to work with the press at an early stage startup.