Agora I/O advances the conversation on all forms and visions of liberty not only by creating a free market in relevant knowledge but also by being an experiment in liberty itself. The Agora I/O vision is for an anarchic event where order arises spontaneously. We issue the call to action. We create a central repository of information. You give presentations. You organize meetups around the country to coincide with the Agora I/O unconferences. Anyone can speak and participants can choose which speakers they will engage with. Call it coopetition!
10 Points to Understand Agora I/O
Agora I/O is a unique institution in the liberty community. Here are ten points to help you grok it.
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Mutual
Not corporate, not hierarchical, but egalitarian. We’re all equals here. No one gives orders. Things happen through voluntary and non-exploitative cooperation. (Please note that I attempt to cover my expenses by offering additional services for pay. You can do this, too.)
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Intellectually Free
No copyright is claimed on anything that happens here, not even on the name “Agora I/O” or “the free liberty conference”. Free expression is a prerequisite and no one is excluded on the basis of their beliefs or opinions. Conversation among participants and speakers is highly encouraged.
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Economically Free
You are free to homestead space here at Agora I/O. Channel-makers create channels through which speakers broadcast their talks. Channel-makers can sell ads or harvest their space in whatever way the market will bear. Ditto for speakers, who can give one or more 55-minute long talks. Speakers can sell products and/or solicit donations. A free market ecosystem is growing up around these assets and you can be a part of it. Keep reading to find out how.
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Unconference
Make of it what you will. Speakers self-select. Participants shop for speakers. Spontaneous order at its best.
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Gratis
Free of charge. No travel required. No lodging required. Participate right from the comfort of your living room and without changing out of your PJ’s.
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Experimental
Agora I/O is an experiment in liberty itself. It is not state-sanctioned or licensed. Nor is there a central authority giving orders to everyone. Please continue the experiment by building on it.
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Global
Anyone, anywhere can participate. We can run talks around the clock, if need be. Any language can be accommodated as well.
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Constructive
The intention behind Agora I/O is to create a stronger liberty community by fostering more discussion and by introducing more liberty lovers to each other.
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Social
Agora I/O has a meetup component that takes place in real life and anywhere participants can assemble. The online simultaneous chat enables participants to socialize during the conference.
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Revolutionary
Agora I/O is a quantum leap ahead of the traditional hotel conference model. Freedom is truly realized in this model as anyone, anywhere can organize, profit and participate. Agora I/O also represents a platform for advancing the liberty revolution in thought and deed worldwide.
How Channels Work
A channel is a collection of speaker presentations organized around some topic. Each channel has its own page and all talks for that channel can be viewed there. Anyone can start a channel. You can run it any way you like. We provide the web page. You can open a Justin.TV account for live-streaming video and use whatever live chat solution you like. It’s up to you to program your channel with presentations. To open a channel, contact george@agora.io.
Channel Checklist
To launch your channel, you will need the following information ready. Send it to george@agora.io once you have it all ready. If you’re even just contemplating opening a channel though, let me know immediately.
- Name. The name of the channel. Try to keep it short but interesting.
- Short Description. Two or three sentences about your channel.
- Contact Information. Your email, skype, twitter, facebook contact information, et cetera.
- Logo. 460px wide by 200px high please.
- Video Solution. We recommend Justin.TV because it is free and has the least obnoxious ads.
- Chat Solution. We recommend Facebook Live Stream or Chatroll (costs money) but you can use anything you like as long as it doesn’t put the website hosting in jeopardy.
You’ll also, of course, need to find speakers and help them provide the information needed in the checklist below.
The Details
At least one person from each channel organizer group will need to register with the website. I will give that person the access needed to edit the channel page (the web page on which viewers will watch the conference). (Let me know once you have registered at george@agora.io.)
I’ll also share two Google spreadsheets with the channel making teams. One is a list of presenters and potential presenters. We use this to keep track of who has been invited to speak and what their status is (confirmed, scheduled, invited, declined, etc). The other spreadsheet is the actual schedule.
Perks
Agora I/O is kind of like a cooperative enterprise among the channel-makers and speakers. As such, each channel can place one 125px x 125px ad on in the sitewide sidebar with a link back to whatever you like.
Channels can also run paid ads, in whatever form the market will bear.
How Meetups Work
A meetup is a real-life gathering for Agora I/O, like a viewing party. Find a meeting place, make sure it has great internet access and electricity. Go to work! Set up meetup.com and/or Facebook events and start making your preparations. Make it doubly cool by setting up a stage and having attendees give presentations to the global Agora I/O audience. To get your meetup on the Agora I/O website, contact george@agora.io.
Meetup Checklist
To have your meetup listed on the website, you will need the following information ready. Send it to george@agora.io once you have it all ready. If you’re even just contemplating holding a meetup though, let me know immediately.
- Name. The name of the meetup and/or just the location (city).
- City. The city your meetup will be held in or near.
- Short Description. Two or three sentences about your meetup.
- Contact Information. Your email, skype, twitter, facebook contact information, et cetera.
- Logo. 460px wide by 200px high please.
How Speaking Works
Speakers select their topic and work with a channel-maker to get on the schedule. Talks are up to 55 minutes long. Do whatever the market will bear with your talk (while respecting the acceptable use policies of Justin.TV and ZippyKid). All you need is a good internet connection, a computer, webcam, mic and earbuds. Have a buddy come over and read the chat so you can focus on speaking and she can focus on passing questions to you from the audience. To be a speaker, contact george@agora.io or the channel-maker you want to work with.
Speaker Checklist
In order to be a speaker, we need the following information:
- Topic. The name of your talk. You can change this at any time.
- Limits. Any schedule limitations. For example, “Saturday only,” “after 4PM” or “anytime is fine.”
- Photo. Photo of you, preferably square-ish.
- Bio. A very brief text biography of the speaker(s). If you include a chipin widget, 350 characters or less. If not, 410 characters or less. You can count the characters here: http://bit.ly/ngkltT. Feel free to include links but please code it in basic HTML if you do. Send the HTML as a text file attachment.
- Chipin Widget. If you decide to solicit donations, we’ll need your chipin widget. Just include a link to the main chipin page and we’ll take it from there.
- Affiliation. Your title and/or affiliation. For example, “Co-founder at We Won’t Fly” or “La Sierra University.” Feel free to include a link.
You can send this to george@agora.io or the respective channel-maker(s) that you’re working with.
Preparation
You will need the following tools:
- Broadband or better internet connection.
- Computer
- Webcam
- Mic
- Earbuds
It also helps if you have a friend over to scan the chat for questions and pass them to you in a way that doesn’t distract you from your talk.
It’s a good idea to open an account on Justin.TV (or whatever live-streaming video service your channel is using) and practice. Keep in mind that, for the conference, you will not broadcast using your Justin.TV account. You’ll use the channel’s account. Login information for it will be provided approximately 2-3 weeks before the conference.
If you want to spice up your presentation, check out CamTwist and SoundFlower on the Mac. On Windows, ManyCam (also available for Mac). On Linux, VLC. If you have a budget and want the flexibility of a small TV studio, try Wirecast (Mac and Windows only). This list is by no means comprehensive.
Marketing
Don’t forget to market your talk to your friends and colleagues. One easy way is by creating a Facebook event.
Perks
Agora I/O is kind of like a cooperative enterprise among the channel-makers and speakers. As such, each speaker can run ads during their slot and/or collect donations via chipin widget on the website. Whatever the market will bear is whatever goes (while respecting the acceptable use policies of Justin.TV and ZippyKid).
What’s an Unconference?
Why is Agora I/O an unconference? Good question! (1) There are no fees! (2) You choose the topics. (3) Presentations are selected by participants and not by organizers (it’s open to everyone). (4) Anyone can present and compete for participants. And more!
What does Agora I/O Mean?
Agora is comes from the ancient Greek meaning “a public open space used for assemblies and markets.” I/O is a computer term meaning input/ouput, essentially a conversation. Combine the two and you get Agora I/O, a space open to the world for conversation.
Publicity
Any publicity you would like to give or help get for Agora I/O is very welcome. All information on this site is free for unfettered. reuse, remix and redistribution. And here is a large logo you are free to use as well. When linking to Agora I/O, please do not put the “www” in the URL, just agora.io. Thanks!
