360Flex – How the submission process works
Posted on | July 9, 2010 | 1 Comment
I had two great conversations with both Adam Flater and Andy Powell today, and wanted to take some of my thoughts and put them up on the site. Mostly fore future reference next time we open the call for papers. But also because I hate black boxes and wanted to make sure I was as transparent as possible in this.
I imagine our process is somewhere in the middle on the “formality” scale for events. We’re not like larger events that require full outlines, supporting docs, etc. We just need a few sentences and a title, few other tidbits like track and level. But we’re also more formal than simply emailing us an idea and leaving it at that.
Why does emailing us an idea not work? Mainly because I’m forgetful (It could have something to do with multiple ongoing events, and on average 150 or so emails a day about events). During the call for papers we typically get over 100 submissions, and have 30-40 spots to fill. When it comes time to make selections I review my spreadsheet, and work from that. The idea emails, while I love the ideas and like the topics, etc, if they’re not on the list, I forget about them completely. I hate that it happens, and I’m working on training myself to put a stub in the spreadsheet. But even then, if when selection time comes around, i’m likely to skip the topic stub, because it’s not completed. One email is all it takes to ensure I don’t forget.
Unlike many events, we don’t get involved in the topic submission process. We don’t tell you to change your topic title. We don’t suggest you talk about X when you want to talk about Y. We don’t even help narrow down what you should submit on, beyond “Yeah we don’t have much of that, that’d probably be cool”. We let you submit the topic(s) that you’re most excited and passionate about. That’s what 360|Flex is all about.
Selection and review is a one man job for us. I look at each submission myself and then start plugging into spaces on the schedule. 99% are totally awesome and a complete fit, which sucks because I don’t have room for close to 100 sessions, LOL. I try to balance level and track across each time slot so there’s (as little as possible) no “well crap, nothing I care about right now” going on. It’s a battle I never fully win.
The other part of why we don’t get involved, is we can’t, it’s that simple. With over 100 submissions, I can’t possibly help guide each one to be “just right”, I don’t believe in track chairs, etc. We want potential speakers to talk to their friends, coworkers, family, etc about the idea, make it “perfect for you” then submit it. You can always adjust once you submit, and even once you’re selected. We get “can I change the title?” requests at least once a week between selection, and the conference. It’s no biggy. How crappy would you (not to mention me) feel if we went back and forth on your topic, making it “just right” only to then have it not make it? That would seriously bum me out! Plus I’d feel like there was a betrayal or breach of trust.
We don’t want to be the event that sanitizes topics, there’s plenty of those already. You want to talk about “Cool shit” that’s fine. Obviously there’s a line but still, we’re not governing what can and can’t be said.
Don’t get me wrong. I may invite someone to speak about X topic, or do a keynote. But if you submit a topic, that’s your topic, not mine. You “own it” as far as such things go, and I’d never dream of making you change it.
Tags: 360flex > Community > Flash Platform > Reasons to Come > Sessions
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July 9th, 2010 @ 8:20 am
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