The tenth UKGovCamp was my second. It marked not only 12 months since I last attended, but the first full year of my current role in Digital Development, so it feels like a good opportunity to look back to see how I’ve changed.
Rolling up to the doors of the National Audit Office in Jan 2016 was a bit intimidating. An event that takes over a whole building? Organised by volunteers (the mythical Government Digital Service that I’d started learning more about)? What to expect….
This time round it felt like visiting an old friend.
Walking in the door in Jan 2016 I didn’t know anybody except the rep from Jadu (sponsors). I took refuge in Twitter, looking at everyone else’s comments (and reporting the terrible spam that happens at trending events). Talking to people I didn’t know felt too hard so I just avoided it where I could.
This year felt entirely different. Before I’d been there ten minutes I’d seen seven people I knew. I made a beeline for people I knew only on Twitter or Slack, or through their blogs, and was rewarded with huge smiles (people like being recognised) and great conversation.
I’d also taken heed of Lucy Knight’s advice to just introduce yourself to people you didn’t know, either when stood next to them or sat near them in sessions. Again, the rewards were instant. For me this made for a better personal experience of the event, and I’d advise anyone to do the same.
Although I do value tweets sent during events, for me it is a bit like someone filming their kid’s christmas concert entirely behind a camera. More recording it than experiencing it. I’d decided to do less this year, and in the end did none at all.
I also wanted to participate more in the sessions that I attended to get the most out of them rather than just be a chair occupant: asking questions, listening actively.
I think my laptop was opened twice (checking the session timetable and a product mentioned in a session)
This meant I had almost a full battery for laptop and phone heading home!
One thing that hasn’t changed enough in the past 12 months is how I talk about myself and my role.
Coming late into All Things Digital, I often find myself talking down what I know and what I do. I’ll bluster something about “looking after some websites” or making sure anyone I speak to knows that “I’m not from a technical background”. Better that I tell people before they find me out….
So this is an area I need to work on: developing a personal narrative about me and what I do that gives a better introduction about me to others. Also recognising that I do play a valuable part in this community and have things worth saying. Blogging about the event is my way of starting — it’s taken over a year but I’m going to stick at it.
I also need to pitch. I got a justified push from LocalGov colleagues the day before GovCamp after expressing half an idea, but on the day didn’t feel I had enough to say or that anyone would be interested. That has to stop. Watch out LocalGovCamp!
Another dilemma I’ve still not quite solved is how I pick sessions to attend; being torn between those I feel I should and those I feel I want to. With a potential 40 sessions on offer and just five you can realistically take part in the stakes are high.
Some sounded like real fun: BookCamp — have a chat about your favourite books! But going to that means spending 20% of your sessions on something you could do on a variety of platforms at any time of the year.
Even being in a session I’ve sometimes questioned if I’m spending my precious time correctly. Should I be in a session about UKGovCamp while at UKGovCamp? Isn’t that a bit ‘Inception’?
So how did I do? Well, the balance was probably still too far into ‘should’ rather than ‘want’ but I did enjoy those I was in:
Another issue is being asked afterwards “what did you get out of it?” It’s hard to explain to those that haven’t been that what you take from it isn’t always a great lead to follow up, or an extra bit of knowledge to use; it can be just a sense of being part of a community that it working to make public services better, and that everyone goes through the same challenges you do. That for me is really valuable.
I did also get in the face of the new head of GDS and have a nag about LocalGov use of GOV.Notify (we will see if those assurances we can use it come good), meet a Permanent Secretary and make her choke on a sandwich, and meet Mark “Gubbins of Government” Foden to bestow some hero worship.
This year I did come away with some specific goals too:
And some stickers….