MediaBarCamp » English

Needful things

MediaBarCamp — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:44:08 +0000

The information is specifically for MediaBarCamp 2009 participants. As for the travel grants, try to choose the cheapest variant. According to our estimates, an average travel expense refunding will be approximately EURO20 for Belarusians and EURO100 for Russian and Ukrainian participants, for whom it is promised. In order to have your return ticket compensated, you won’t need to show it. It is ok to buy a ticket from Vilnius to Minsk in advance. If you don’t have it, you will be refunded with the one way ticket cost doubled. The exact time of our return to Vilnius is 2 p.m. June 7, but the long way should be taken into consideration. One had better buy a return ticket on-the-spot.Meals. Organizers undertake to arrange delicious and substantial meals for MediaBarCamp 2009 participants. Not worse than it was done last year, definitely. During the bus journey some ‘lunch packs’ in a snack style will be provided, and full-fledged meals are guaranteed at the holding place. If we have some luck, Lithuanian cuisine masterpieces will appear.

The campsite has neither shop nor currency exchange office, that is why take actions in advance. You can use Snoras Bankas and Parex Bankas stalls for this purpose, both of them are near the bus station in Vilnius. Besides, take some cash with you. If there won’t be any need for money (well, it happens), one can easily bring it back. You may be asked by a borderer how much money you have got. In case there are some one or two dollars for the whole trip, there might be questions…

Weather. It is 50% of our success. Yet the forecasts sound not very shiny, a windcheater and an umbrella will stand you in good stead. Although don’t you forget about swimming trunks, swimsuits and towels.

Help Team. Your help will be needed! Actually, barcamps are organized by their attendees; we made no secret of that. Components of the program are dependant on the participants themselves. Volunteers have marked the appropriate item in the registration form. Help team members will be having different-color T-shirts.

Questions. If you have questions about participation or any other aspect of MediaBarCamp, ask them in comments. The answers will also be found there or in the special post.

What Stuff to Take?

MediaBarCamp — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:50:31 +0000

Apart from good mood and your personal presentation some more indispensable things should be taken. In the campsite of the MediaBarCamp holding place one will find wireless internet connection, Wi-Fi. In order to use it for free, you’ll need a cordless device or gadget. That is why your notebook will be very useful. What is more, it will let you update your blog and post to twitter.

We’ve got a suggestion for all the twitter-people: tag your posts about MediaBarCamp as #mediabarcamp, and the entire news channel on Twitter will appear http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23mediabarcamp.

The MediaBarCamp 2009 holding place is overwhelmingly beauty and unique. Take your cameras with you. My bet is that your colleagues will burn in envy while watching your photos! All the web-site visual materials are photos of MediaBarCamp 2008.

The event will be held on the former pioneer-camp territory. Accommodation refers to fully-equipped houses with beds and furnishing. Please, leave your tents and sleeping bags at home. Although make sure you’ve taken your swimming trunks, swimsuits and towels. This kind of stuff will prove useful to you. Generally speaking, the less stuff – the better.

Mobile communication in Lithuania. You may enable roaming service and pay Belarusian (Russian, Ukrainian) mobile operators generously. You may act in a simple way, as well. When in Vilnius, you can buy a Lithuanian pre-paid pack ‘Tele2 Pildyk, which costs 7 Litas (?2). There will be 6 Litas on your account, and the home-country SMS will cost some 0,15 Litas, all incoming free. No ID is demanded. The nearest office of Tele2 is in the first floor of the bus station. Currency exchange offices are the Snoras Bankas kiosk, which is in front of the us station, and the Parex Bankas kiosk, which is between the bus station and the railway station.

We’ve already sent the invitations. Check your mailbox. If you have doubts about your participation, address mediabarcamp@gmail.com by all means.

On the Road Again

MediaBarCamp — Sun, 24 May 2009 12:53:40 +0000

So, MediaBarCampers’ logistics. Heartiest congratulations to those MediaBarCamp participants who managed to submit docs for visa! While the documents are in the Lithuanian Embassies in Minsk and Kyiv, let us plan our way and tickets, shall we? Disregarding the mean of transport you’ve chosen, you must be in Vilnius by 12 a.m. June 5, 2009. What will happen later is we shall load ourselves into buses and leave for MediaBarCamp. You will not be able to reach the holding place from Vilnius individually as it is incredibly complicated and costly. That is why we need all of you in Vilnius in time. Here are some tips of how to get there from Minsk and to return. Actually, participants from other countries should also watch schedules and timetables. Trains from Kyiv and Moscow go through Minsk, by the way.

One way bus ticket costs nearly 40 000 Belarusian rubles, depending on the trip. The price swings between 37 500 to 41 000, ?11 approximately. Bus has one disadvantage, limited number of places. Well, you are free to choose, to decide and to buy tickets. Besides, it is possible to reserve bus tickets and to buy them directly before the voyage. Call paid phone number 114, Belarusian bus-terminal directory inquiries. Earnest request, do not put off your tickets purchase, there won’t be any left!

Train-ticket price may be sufficiently different, depending on the type of train and sleeper. Cheap tickets are highly recommended as the whole journey from Minsk to Vilnius takes four hours. Thank you for optimizing the organizers’ budget.

Travel expenses will be compensated for those participants from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine who show the ticket. If only one way ticket is shown, only one way travel will be refunded. In order to have the return ticket compensated, one must show both an original return ticket and a copy. In case some consular charge was paid, keep the receipt. For participants from Russia and Ukraine, maximum ?100 travel expenses per person will be refunded. For detailed information about travel grants address our ambassadors.

You may choose any mean of transport, but make sure you will be in Vilnius by 12 a. m. June 5, 2009. If you lag behind or a contingency has happened, contact us. By all means, we will try and solve your problem. The meeting place is an area between the train station and the bus station.

The meeting place (Google Maps Version)

Car is an unacceptable way of getting to MediaBarCamp, we believe. Car trip is a non-ecological and overpriced mean of travel. What is more, we will not be able to refund mandatory insurance document (a ?30 Green Card), fuel charges, parking etc. If you really want to show off, travel by bicycle. All right, just kidding.

For more information visit map.

Full bus schedule may be found at the MinskTrans web-site, for train schedule go to http://poezda.net/.

Any questions still? Please ask in comments!

High Time to Make Ready for Presentations

MediaBarCamp — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:59:07 +0000

MediaBarCamp 2009 is being prepared for intensively. Registered applicants from Belarus and Ukraine have already submitted documents for Lithuanian visa obtainment. Preliminary subject of speech, stated by every participant during the application process, formed the list of presentations. Subjects will likely be changed and defined more accurately. Here is the tentative list, with language of presentation indicated in brackets:

Belarusian Independent Media: Question of Survival (En)
Overcoming the ‘Black Hole’ Image (En)
On-line Communities (En)
A-plus Radio: the 1st Internet Radio Station in Belarus (Ru)
Visual Simulation, Journalism, Internet (Ru)
Virus Marketing in Internet-Project Buildup (Ru)
Neighbourhood Football (Ru)
ITV and Mobile TV in Belarus (Ru)
Using Open Source Technologies in Modern Web-Media Projects (Ru)
Кairos: an Attempt of Running a Collective Political Blog in Belarus (Ru)
How to Infect the Entire City With Cinema Virus and to Film a Professional Video with Amateurs (Ru)
Multiple-User Blogs (Ru)
Literary Performance (By)
Lobbying Bicyclists’ Rights (By)
‘Rooki’ Lyceum Newspaper: Civil Activity Development Stimulation (Ru)
Minsk: the Seamy Side of the City, Photo (Ru)
Youth Media in Belarus (Ru)
Music in the Internet (Ru)
Illegal Mass Media: Advantages, Disadvantages and Reefs (Ru)
Regional Tabloid: Issue Organization (Ru)
Astrawieckaja Nuclear Power Plant: We are Against (Ru)
Party Internet Press Service (Ru)
‘Twoj Styl’ Media Project Presentation (Ru)
Art-camp Project Presentation (Ru)
Problems and Solutions in Regional Internet, Co-operative Development of Small Projects (Ru)
Guest ByFly Project-Development Problems (Ru)
Studying Web-journalism in Belarusian State University: What Will Students Be Taught and by Whom (Ru)
‘Haliafy’ Publishing Presentation (By)
‘Teksty’ Magazine Presentation (By)
Regional Infoblog Development after the Example of www.s13.ru (Ru)
Mass Media and Forming of National Identity (By)
Creating and Building-Up On-line Labels’ and Web Galleries’ (Ru)
‘TOK’, a Magazine on Belarusian Electronic Music (Ru)
Forming of Local Internet Communities (Ru)

To be continued and updated in comments…

The Die is Cast

MediaBarCamp — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:01:38 +0000

Fortunately, nobody died. But the deadline for those applicants who needed Lithuanian visa support closed May 1, 2009. To our astonishment, heightened interest for MediaBarCamp was expressed this year. More than 270 applications from Belarusian, Ukrainian, Russian and other-country barcampers have been received during the month. Participants’ selection, based on filled-in applications, was not an easy task to complete. But we have tried and done our best! All applicants received e-mails with results. Have you missed our letter in Inbox, look for it in Spam. The very address you have mentioned in the registration form was contacted, of course. Those approved participants who needed visa support were contacted in the first place.

Visa-obtainment procedure information will be available shortly. Haven’t got anything, don’t you worry; you’re in the pending list. To clear up the question of your MediaBarCamp attendance, we will contact you for sure till the end of May.

Travel grants’ high prices make the issue too painful. Particular post devoted to the topic will be published soon.

For Belarusian attendees return tickets (only train and bus) to Vilnius will be compensated by the organizers. In order to receive one way refunding, one will need an original ticket. Pay attention: to have your return journey compensated, you will need to have both your return ticket and a copy.

For Russian and Ukrainian attendees maximum ? 100 travel expenditures per person will be refunded. The sum is believed to be sufficient to get to Vilnius from Kyiv or Moscow. You are free to choose as comfort and quick way as you wish to, but in this case your travel expenditures will be compensated partly.

For attendees from other countries, apart from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, our Sweden partners regretfully fail to compensate travel expenses. If you obtain a travel grant by yourself, you can still become a participator, though. Not afraid of these conditions? Then contact us ASAP!

Thank you for your interest in MediaBarCamp 2009.