I’ve posted about this on Facebook and Twitter and Google Plus and the like, but I’ll post about it here too: the deadline for proposals for the WIDE-EMU is tomorrow. This started as one of those things people talk about on a long car trip– specifically, me, Derek, and Bill HD on the way back from the CCCCs in Atlanta– that might or might not amount to anything. And it’s too early to tell if it will ultimately amount to much.
Still, I think we’ve seen enough interest here to make this fly, meaning that I feel past that fear of what happens if you have a party and no one comes. There’s enough “there there” for us to make a go of this, I think.
I’m interested in seeing what comes of this first proposal phase and the next pre-(un)conference phase of course, not to mention the actually f2f meeting in October. But at this moment, I’m mostly interested in seeing if it is possible for the free and quasi-impromptu (un)conference to succeed. Remember: this is costing us and participants (in theory) nothing, which puts into stark relief those many conferences out there that cost lots and lots of money. And that also seem to be the same old conference.
So like I said, stay tuned. But in the meantime, submit a proposal if you are in the SE Michigan neighborhood.