Online collaboration tools for organizing a theme camp.

[zensurfer]

I am currently organizing our camp, Let It Go, of about 50 people with members located all around the world. I have successfully organized camps with 20 people for a number of years, however we were mainly located on the west coast and a majority of us could come together in person for at least 2 big pow wows before the burn.

This year it is quite the opposite. 10 countries and no more than 5 people in any one city.

Currently we use:

Google Drive / Docs
- for camp roster and bios
- spreadsheet of which items are being brought and by who
- Q&A
- First Timer Docs (Packing List Help, How to Be Awesome at BM without Burning Out...)

Google Groups
- email list used to send emails to everyone
- also used for google documents view/edit permissions

Facebook Group
- Group chatter and random posts
- Post pictures of shiny glowly things followed by posts about not bringing moopy stuff

I would like input on...
- What other online collaboration tools have you used successfully for organizing your camp? Basecamp? Asana? (I tried Asana before and found it too much overhead)
- How did you structure your toolset?
- Which tool did you use for what aspect of camp management/planning (committees, inventory listing, camp bios...)?

One thing I am interested in particular how can I get the separate committees to collaborate on their projects separately from each group, but still allow to share with everyone. The beautification of all things committee does not want to see infrastructure's discussions on how are we going to transport all of our scaffolding to the playa. We want to encourage stream of consciousness posts of text, images and videos for each committee ala Pinterest and searchable discussions of ideas.

As with all online activities I am looking for simple to manage, high signal to noise and ideally beautifully design.

I am also working on gathering info for a blog post on organizing a theme camp for Burning Man / transformational festivals.

I know we have amazing do'ers, organizers and people movers amongst us. What is in your tool bag?

[trilobyte]

I'm moving this over to Shelter & Camping, since that would be a better fit for a discussion about tools used to organize your camp.

In response to your question, speaking personally there are a ton of ways you can do it. None of them's wrong, none of them is perfect, it's all up to what works best for that particular group of individuals. I wrote a bunch about specific ideas and tips, but in re-reading your post and your intention about writing blog posts about planning for other transformational festivals, I think I'll pass.

[Dr. Pyro]

Zensurfer, Barbie Death Camp uses Volunteer Spot so we have a record of what everybody should be doing. But having managed a camp for 14 years and a village for five years, what I can say with absolute certainty is that not only will 20% of the people do 80% of the work, but of that 20% only a small fraction of them will end up doing the real heavy lifting. The problem here is, and I don't mean to sound cynical, is that you're dealing with a bunch of burners. They tend to be, in the aggregate, stoned burned out partiers more interested in getting wasted or laid or both rather than working for the greater good. Over the years we have weeded out many of the non-productive elements, but if you're starting a new camp/village you won't have that luxury. I'm not suggesting (exactly) that you're overdoing it, and there is nothing wrong about being anal about your goals (hells belles, somebody has to be) but seriously (and I quote): "...how can I get the seperate committees to collaborate on their projects separately from each group, but still allow to share with everyone?..." The answer to that question is: You can't. They're burners, remember? Drink the Kool-Aid and suck it up: Most of the work you'll end up doing yourself.

[zensurfer]

Dr. Pyro you hit the nail on the head.

I have witnessed it in the past 5 years the 20/80 rule. I did enjoy a chuckle about the stoned burned out partiers. I don't know if I can consider any of my camp mates to be burnt out yet. Maybe after this year

The main reason I am looking for improved online tools for collaboration/idea sharing is to create that spark. I know from my personal experience that sometimes all you need is an idea/image/conversation to inspire that first step on the path to significant participation. We were all burgins at one time.

I want more sparks for more chances of creating a fire.

As I work in the technology space I see the momentum and success in distributed international work forces and I think there is a interesting cross section between that and international burning man camps.

@trilobyte would be interested to hear your ideas in the future.

[trilobyte]

Software and apps won't change who people are. If you feel that too few people are doing too much of the work, get better (or more selective) in choosing campmates.

Sorry, I don't have any interest in contributing to nebulous articles and blog posts.

[BBadger]

Your word choice and language sound like one of those "7 Habits"-preaching office managers who may, at times, overused the word "synergy" in daily talk. Just hearing terms being thrown around such as "committees" to describe sub-groups in your camp makes me cringe. This also reads like someone looking for pre-packaged solutions for a misidentified problem.

No fancy "simple to manage, high signal to noise, ideally beautifully design[ed]" tool is going to fix things for your camp. What you're seeking reminds me of how people would make some giant community website with all the bells and whistles and yet they could never attract the people and achieve critical mass. Then, puzzled, the webmasters ask: what did we do wrong? What they did wrong was that there just wasn't much compelling content to get people interested. That "content" also includes compelling people who attract interest from others -- a core community. Instead, the website owner expected that by just creating the infrastructure, that it would generate creative thinking and community on its own.

Yeah, I get it. Your camp is fragmented and you think that by providing some magical glue, in the form of sophisticated online collaboration tools, that you can foster creativity and participation. Well... no. You're using the wrong glue. The real binder is made of the people in your camp to whom others gravitate towards. There are probably only a few such people in your camp -- nothing that warrants a huge software system to manage. The majority of the people are, as Dr. Pyro said, the "partiers." They've got lives of their own, attend the event just to enjoy the event, and would rather pay dues than really take on responsibility. They're not bad people, but you expect too much of them beyond helping out during camp setup.

So you're probably trying to find those few "sparked" people in your camp. Maybe they don't even exist. But if you want to start, how about you start up some of your own projects and invite people to help out where they can? The pirate captain must be the first to board the enemy ship or his crew will not follow. As people realize that they can receive camp support for their resources, they'll start proposing their own projects and seeking help.

I would also drop the formalities, drop the software, and drop the bureaucracy of participating in your camp. Nobody wants to "dive in" a project if there is a ton of overhead and investment needed to help out. Most people want to start out by just showing up and being told where they can do things. That way they're not a burden; they don't have to return if it doesn't work out; and they can just get a feel for how the project works. If they choose to stay, they'll slowly build confidence and trust, and eventually be willing to assume more responsibilities and have more set schedules. It doesn't happen overnight.

You also don't need special software for someone to jot down their "stream of consciousness". Some of the best ideas were transcribed from the back of dinner napkins. People can make videos of themselves rambling on, or post facebook posts or replies. All the software is already in place: keep your Facebook group, keep your Google Groups too. Why do you need anything more than that for a mere 50 people of whom only a fraction will really give a damn? If your camp does take off then seek out better software, but until you've run up against those limitations you're effectively DJing an empty dome.

[zensurfer]

Hit it on the nail on the head on many levels. I have been in business mode a lot lately, very little non-profit motivated creation.

I missed last years burn and very keen on getting my mind back into creation for fun and immediacy.

I sometimes get tied up in the future and other people. Your comments brings me back to the ground and get my own projects going first. Ask for participation. Then proceed from there as a starting point.