On Wed, Oct 8, 2014 at 5:07 PM, Haris Ibrahim K. V. <blucalvin@gmail.com> wrote:
From the discussion that has been going on regarding this idea, I think this is the perfect excuse for a well planned, focused MiniConf. While Python Express and Local meetups can cater to the beginner crowd (only to an extent. As it has already been said, local meetup groups have their own growth plans), and the MiniConf can cater to the advanced crowd, PyCon India should be the place where everyone meets.
There's definitely room for MiniConfs on some advanced topics, and we should do that. However, from my experience, as you start to dilute the larger conference to focus more on beginners, it will progress towards mostly being about them. Advanced and experienced speakers will stop coming. And then over a period of time, even the intermediate ones will stop (except the ones organizing the event).
From what I've seen across various mobile/cloud meetup groups, this is what tends to happens over time.
They become groups where 80-90% of the audience is beginner, and 60-70% of the audience changes each time. This makes it hard to build a real community that is engaged, active, and interacting with each other over a sustained period of time. As Krace pointed out, advanced talks != talk quality. PyCon India's
talk qualities can, and should improve. That does not mean alienating any part of the community, let them be beginners or veterans .
IMO advanced talks are more than just about talk quality. They elevate the conversations, drive greater collaboration, and create a more vibrant community. This is what seeds a network of experienced people whose learnings can then be spread and shared across the rest of the community via a network effect. What Pycon India is at risk of right now, is a reverse network effect. (Context: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/12/22/reverse-network-effects-why-scale-m... )
In any case, we've gone by the "everything for everyone" approach for 5 years now. I'm saying, let's try the other route and see if it works better. If yes, we'll stick to it, if no, we'll come back to the current approach. No gain without experiment.
Absolutely. But instead of experimenting on a huge project that has shown consistent improvement over the years, let's take it slow, and try it on a smaller scale to gauge the demand and acceptance.
IMO Pycon has grown by accident, not by careful conscious choices that were made. I'm essentially making a plea for us to have a plan, and to make specific choices about what we will do. (IMO) We *must* enable the beginners and help spread Python. I believe the Python Express effort is the best platform for it, and we must invest in it with a longer term commitment to enabling its success. (IMO) We *must* enable diversity, and make deliberate choices towards accommodating and supporting all groups and making it inclusive for them. (IMO) We *must* plan for breakaway miniconfs, and they are great opportunities to dive into specific problem sets in smaller groups. (IMO) We *must* focus on our core audience, and make the event a success for them. And even if that means slowing down our growth in terms of raw numbers for a while, and improving the quality of *conversations* that happen (not just talks), I feel that's that right direction to go. Here's to a great 2015 :) -A