[Linux-aus] TWO DAYS LEFT: Haecksen miniconf @ linux.conf.au Call For Proposals

[Mary Gardiner]

The Haecksen miniconf will be a one day community stream on Tuesday 7th
January 2014, in Perth, as part of linux.conf.au 2014. It will be the
eighth annual LCA miniconference focussed on women and free and open
source software.

CFP closes 1 November.

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http://haecksen.net/haecksen-2014-call-proposals

Haecksen 2014 - Call For Proposals

Haecksen isn't Haecksen without all the Haecksen! That's you!

This year, we're looking for:

* Short talks (around 20 minutes, but requests for a double slot of 40
minutes will be considered) on anything related to open tech
generally, or women in open tech specifically, that you are currently
working on.

* A small number of short hands-on presentations about *your personal or
professional experience* of preparing, submitting, and giving talks at
technical conferences.

Think you've got what it takes? Go to
http://haecksen.net/node/add/miniconfsubmission and tell us all about
it!

Submissions are open until 1 November. If you have questions about
anything at all, email unicorn at haecksen.net.

== Admission to the conference ==

We have ONE free Hobbyist admission to the entire LCA conference to give away
to a Haecksen speaker who couldn't otherwise attend:
http://owoot.org/content/free-lca-registration-one-haecksen-speaker

In addition, thanks to the LCA team, we have FIVE free miniconference-only
admissions (Monday and Tuesday only) for Haecksen speakers who couldn't
otherwise attend.

Please note in your submission if you also want or need free admission in order
to speak.

We cannot provide travel assistance to speakers.

== About Haecksen 2014 ==

Haecksen has been a regular feature at linux.conf.au since 2007. In that
time, it has stuck to a tried and trusted formula. A group of smart,
vibrant women all working in some way with open source technology, spend
the day together sharing their experiences and knowledge in a supportive
and fun environment.

For linux.conf.au 2014, the Oceania Women of Open Technology (OWOOT
http://owoot.org) group proposes, again, a one-day Haecksen miniconf.
Again, the intention is to feature women speakers and panellists on
technical and community topics related to free software and women in
free software.

This year, however, the emphasis is on fun. Kicking off with a
gameshow-style quiz covering achievements of historical women in tech,
the day will then move into a series of short, upbeat presentations,
before finishing with a light-hearted hands-on education session
dedicated to encouraging and assisting women with conference speaker
applications, professional speaking skills, and conference attendance.
Speakers are expected, and indeed encouraged, to cover topics that range
widely from technical talks to professional development, and community
involvement.

== 2014 Haecksen team ==

Lana Brindley. Lana will lead organisation of the miniconference prior
to and at linux.conf.au 2014. Lana was the lead organiser of the 2011
and 2012 Haecksen miniconfs, and was a member of the LCA 2013 core team.

Mary Gardiner. Mary will assist with the call for papers and selecting
presentations. Mary was the founder of the Haecksen miniconf and was
co-organiser of the 2007 and 2008 miniconfs.

Bianca Gibson. Bianca will assist with the call for papers and selecting
presentations. Bianca was co-organiser of the 2013 Haecksen miniconf.

== About OWOOT ==

OWOOT (Oceania Women of Open Tech, formerly Aussiechix) was formed in
October 2011, but grew out of women's groups in the region active since
1999. OWOOT remains a chapter of Linuxchix. Linuxchix functions as a
geographically distributed user group. It has been running for over a
decade and contains well over a thousand active members in many
different countries. Originally founded with the explicit intention of
providing an alternative to occasionally hostile online environments, it
is not yet in the enviable position of being redundant. As such, as well
as the usual technical aspect of user groups, OWOOT has a heavy social
aspect.

== Women at linux.conf.au ==

Possibly due to the community spirit provided by groups like OWOOT, the
previous miniconfs have helped attract women in the greater FLOSS
community to linux.conf.au. The presence of the miniconf since 2007 has
demonstrably helped raise the numbers of women to the conference itself.
The inaugural miniconf expected 20 women. Last year, over 80 people
expressed interest in the miniconf, and the main conference is now
regularly attracting around a 20% female attendance rate. With a
reported 4% female contributions to open source projects, a 20% female
attendance rate shows the good work the Haecksen miniconf does for
promoting and welcoming female talent and perspective to FLOSS projects,
and linux.conf.au in particular.