BarCamp Yerevan 2011 is coming

About 500 IT specialists, engineers, developers, bloggers, online journalists and social media activists will gather on June 4-5 to participate at «BarCamp Yerevan 2011» unofficial conference. At the Paramaz Avedisian building of the American University of Armenia, the participants will discuss the development of technologies and social media in the region and world.

BarCamp is a brand new event, originating in the Silicon Valley of USA in 2005 that has become widespread throughout the world.
BarCamp is usually a “non-conference” in the sphere of information technology or “IT,” new media and Internet. A “non-conference” is the unofficial, informal part of the conference supporting open discussions and a free exchange of ideas and opinions.

The philosophy of BarCamp is the following: all presentations are given by participants themselves, with no formally invited guest speakers and without the formality of traditional conference. Most revealing, the schedule of events is “produced” by the participants of the conference and is formed only after the conference opens, as participants add the presentations they want to hold on a white board.

Sponsors and supporters of the «BarCamp Yerevan 2011» are Beeline, Internews in the framework of the «Alternative Resources in Media» program supported by USAID, Opera Software, Deem Communications and PanARMENIAN.Net.

«BarCamp movement rapidly gains popularity among the Armenian IT and new media experts, and it is no wonder - the format of this "unconference" puts on the same board both top managers and ordinary users, apprentice commenters and master bloggers. Original ideas are welcome here and there is no protocol homage to false authority. It is the free creative spirit of BarCamp, that is so valuable for Beeline. Being the flagship of the Internet development in Armenia, we are aware of this innovative social phenomenon’s extraordinary importance», says Anush Begloian head of “ArmenTel” CJSC Public Relations service.

«We are interested in the BarCamp movement since it gives people opportunity to discuss developments of alternative media resources in a free and easy environment. Young people including many journalists, will get informed in the latest developments of internet technologies in the BarCamp format», says Internews media support center's founding director Nouneh Sarkissian.

«BarCamp Yerevan 2011» will host special guests from abroad, including VimpelCom's Head of PR Department, CIS Artem Minaev and Brand Communications manager Ekaterina Turtseva, famous Russian blogger Dmitry Chernishev (mi3ch), Opera Software's Charles McCathieNevile, technical and social developments specialist Adrianus Warmenhoven and BBC News World host and one of the authors of the BBC's social media guide Pooneh Ghoddoosi.

Registration for the un-conference is available on the BarCamp Yerevan website: www.barcamp.am. BarCamp Yerevan is on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barcampevn, Twitter: @barcampam. Conversations can be followed by the #barcampevn11 hashtag.

For additional information please contact:

“ArmenTel” CJSC Public Relations service
Anush Begloian Armen Akhiyan
+ 37410 54 94 88, + 37410 29 05 15
abegloian@beeline.am, aakhiyan@beeline.am

Internews Media Support NGO
Member of Barcamp Yerevan Organizing Comettee
Gegham Vardanyan37410 583620; +37491 401469
gegham@internews.am