Recently I went on the /dev/hell podcast with Reg Braithwaite to discuss encouraging diversity and inclusiveness at tech conferences and in our community in the wake of the BritRuby controversy.
I don't make a secret of this fact. I don't include my email address on my personal (non-business) cards and ask people to send me a message on twitter before emailing me. It feels like I always have too much email. I have more unanswered emails in my inbox than I'd like to admit. The more involved in projects and community initiatives I get, the less time I have for email, but the more email the new responsibilities create.
Email has become a part-time job for most people - many employ part-time help to triage their email.
As someone who has organized 20 or so conferences over the past 10 years, I can tell you: organizing a conference is hard. It takes a lot of time - way more than you initially thought when you agreed to organize a conference. It's hard work. It's expensive. It's nerve-wracking. Organizing a conference also represents a lot of risk - what if no one shows up? What if we don't get good speakers? What if the wifi goes down?
95% of funding for my over 1500hrs community work per year - including this and other free online resources, AlterConf, and Fund Club - comes from donations.
Available for consulting to increase diversity and inclusion within businesses, communities, conferences, and other organizations. Find out more about consulting.
