把大家抓到同一個房間：會議、網聚和 Barcamps¶

面對面的聚會對於鼓勵其他人使用你的資料是非常有效的方式。一些你可能考慮舉辦活動的理由是：

• Finding out more about prospective re-users
• 辨識不同資料集的使用需求
• Finding out more about how people want to re-use your data
• Enabling prospective re-users to find out more about what data you have
• Enabling prospective users to meet each other (e.g. so they can collaborate)
• Exposing your data to a wider audience (e.g. from blog posts or media coverage that the event may help to generate)

There are also lots of different ways of running events, and different types of events, depending on what aim you want to achieve. As well as more traditional conference models, which will include things like preprepared formal talks, presentations and demonstrations, there are also various kinds of participant driven events, where those who turn up may:

• Guide or define the agenda for the event
• Introduce themselves, talk about what they’re interested in and what they’re working on, on an ad hoc basis
• Give impromptu micro-short presentations on something they are working on
• Lead sessions on something they are interested in

There is plenty of documentation online about how to run these kinds of events, which you can find by searching for things like: ‘unconference’, ‘barcamp’, ‘meetup’, ‘speedgeek’, ‘lightning talk’, and so on. You may also find it worthwhile to contact people who have run these kinds of events in other countries, who will most likely be keen to help you out and to advise you on your event. It may be valuable to partner with another organisation (e.g. a civic society organisation, a news organisation or an educational institution) to broaden your base participants and to increase your exposure.