PyCon Feedback and Volunteers ( Pycon disappointment)

[Aahz]

In article <873aqp6bbq.fsf at physik.rwth-aachen.de>,
Torsten Bronger  <bronger at physik.rwth-aachen.de> wrote:
>Carl Banks writes:
>> On Mar 16, 10:49 pm, Brian  Jones <bkjo... at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Mar 16, 8:09 pm, a... at pythoncraft.com (Aahz) wrote:
>>>>
>>>> If you did not like the programming this year (aside from the
>>>> sponsor talks) and you did not participate in organizing PyCon
>>>> or in delivering presentations, it is YOUR FAULT.  PERIOD.
>>>> EXCLAMATION POINT!
>>>
>>> I find this insulting, inexcusable, and utter nonsense. If
>>> putting the blame for a failed experiment on the backs of the
>>> good folks who paid good money for travel, lodging, and
>>> registration is also an experiment, you can hereby consider it
>>> also failed.
>>
>> He said "aside from the sponsor talks", chief.
>
>I see no reason why the "fault" for parts of the rest being
>sub-optimal, too, must necessarily be on the attendee's side.  (Just
>hypothetically; I wasn't at PyCon.)

Let's suppose you have a group of friends who collectively throw a party.
They invite you to help out organizing it and putting it together, but
you choose not to.  If you don't have a good time at the party because it
wasn't what you wanted, I think it's fair to say it was your fault.  And
I think exactly the same thing is true for PyCon, albeit on a much larger
scale.

It is absolutely critical to the long-term success of PyCon as a
volunteer-run community conference that each attendee take responsibility
for their experience.  Science fiction fandom -- the part that holds
volunteer-run events such as Worldcon -- has lots of experience with this
model.  It is one reason why such cons make a fuss about attendees being
"members", compared to "purchasing a ticket" (which is what you do for a
commercialized Star Trek con).
-- 
Aahz (aahz at pythoncraft.com)           <*>         http://www.pythoncraft.com/

"It is easier to optimize correct code than to correct optimized code."
--Bill Harlan