First Timer's Guide

We’re excited you’re joining us for the GSoC Alumni CAMP! To make the most of it, we recommend the following:

Prepare by reading and getting connected

We've provided a lot of information! Take some time to explore the pages of this website. Pay close attention to the announcement emails we send you. 

There are multiple activites running from morning into the night. Enjoy an occasional coffee, tea or some fresh air. Need help with anything? Please ask! Visit the Information Desk, email gsoc-support@google.com, or ask other attendees.

Met someone fascinating but can’t remember their name? We will send an email to all attendees based on your contact preferences when you registered. There will be a few contact directories at the Information Desk as well. Remember, not everyone has decided to share their information so it won't be 100% complete.

Learn the way of the "unconference"

Un-conference sessions can be very informative and also fun, if not always life-changing balls of OMG!  But the odds of revelatory coolness emerging are greatly improved by a small amount of thought in advance. We recommend you read this article, but in case you don’t get around to that, here are condensed thoughts:

1. Start thinking of your session topics now

Start thinking about sessions you wish to facilitate and use this Bengaluru brainstorming doc for ideas and Delhi brainstorming doc for ideas!

After the opening session, you are welcome to propose a session following these guidelines: 

1. Write one short topic on one of the provided sticky notes in LARGE and LEGIBLE text (less than 10 words max) 

2. Place it on the giant session boards

3. Include your name in small letters at the bottom so people can find you if they want to collaborate on a session with you or trade session time slots. 

2. Example Session Categories

• GSoC specific (How do we create project ideas, how to pick a GSoC contributor, etc.)

• Mentorship 

• Tools and Technologies

• Alumni Efforts

• Open source and Science

• Diversity and Inclusion 

• Miscellaneous/Other/”Cool stuff”

3. Scheduling

Once someone has put their session in a time slot please do not move it without asking them. If you want to combine your session with another person's session just reach out to them.

 Schedule boards (and markers) will be available for making room swaps, merging and forking sessions, cancellations, and any other changes throughout the day.

4. Honor your commitments

If you post a session, do show up! If you change your mind, please take the session off the board.

5. Small can be beautiful

Don't be upset if you only have 2 people show up - sometimes those are the best sessions for the people who do participate.

6. Don't be grabby

Please, only host 1 session per person. Pick the topic that you're most interested in and go with that. We will have some slots blocked off for people who arrive late and session ideas that emerge overnight.

Leading a session

1. Conversations are more interesting than monologues

While some people do start with a presentation the best sessions involve framing a topic by posing a related question or situation and letting people share their ideas. After all, would you rather watch someone read a stack of slides or have dinner with smart people who share your interests? Our advice: the session leader should give a brief 2-4 minute intro/background about the topic to get folks talking. 

2. Be a good host: part one

Some people have a lot to say, but as the host, it's your job to pay attention to who is and is not talking and encourage everyone to contribute. Sometimes this means drawing people out - "We haven't heard from you - do you have anything to add?" - and sometimes it means shutting them down - "Thank you for that (bone-crushingly long-winded and only vaguely on-topic) comment - let's move on."

3. Be a good host: part two

We all love tangents so don't assume that a session topic can't evolve from its starting point. If you find your session topic has shifted and everyone is engaged, just point this out: "I noticed that we're talking about "y" more than "X"; is everyone good with "y" or is there more to cover re "X"? If one person won't stop talking and it's all about "y", see Part 1 above.

Participating in a session

1. Brevity

If the session leader asks for introductions, keep it tight: name, project and maybe a very brief sentence about what you hope to learn from the session. It's super frustrating to spend the whole hour on lengthy intros and have no time left for the session.

2. The law of two feet

In un-conferences it is fine to slip in and out of sessions for whatever reason, just be quietly thoughtful of others as you do so.

3. Don't be that person

If you are making what you are sure is (yet another) crucial point, observe the room.  If more than one person in the group won't make eye contact with you or is checking their phone, finish your sentence and then stop talking to let others contribute for a while.

4. “Fake it ‘till you make it”

In general, pretend you're an extrovert surrounded by friends. The latter will be true so the former will be easier ;-) You'll have more fun.