One of my recent rabbit hole explorations went through different possibilities for organizing events with small to mid-sized groups of people.

Just putting it out here to show how much context and branding matter for different audiences. You can literally sell the same thing and ideas in different packages.

You think the "Unconference" is a modern invention of the tech world.

You go to these events where the agenda is empty, the participants build the schedule, and you feel like you’re on the cutting edge of decentralized coordination. You aren't.

You are actually taking part in a corporate experiment from the 1980s that needed a marketing makeover to survive.

Here is the uncomfortable truth about the event format you love.

The Unconference is the direct descendant of something called Open Space Technology (OST).

It was created by Harrison Owen in the mid-80s. He realized the same thing we all realize at boring conferences: the best conversations happen during the coffee breaks.

So he designed a meeting format that was entirely coffee breaks. No speakers. No panels. Just people and circles.

But there was a problem.

Corporate executives in the 80s weren't going to pay for "a gathering where people just talk." It sounded too soft. Too hippie.

So Owen added the word "Technology" to the name.

He literally branded it Open Space Technology to make it sound scientific, repeatable, and valuable to the "suits."

He hacked the perception to sell the chaotic reality. And it worked.

Today, we have a linguistic split that proves how powerful naming is.

If you are in the Corporate/Consulting bubble, you hold "Open Space Technology" meetings. You shouldn't need them, but most likely, you have facilitators and talk about "holding space." You also visit https://openspaceworld.org/ to get smarter.

If you are in the Tech/Web3 bubble, you host an "Unconference" or "BarCamp." You talk about "hacking the agenda" and "participant-driven content."

It is the exact same thing.

We are just using different wrappers for the same social physics.

We obsess over terminology to signal which tribe we belong to.

But if you strip away the "Technology" branding from the 80s and the "Un" prefix from the 2000s, you are left with the only thing that actually drives innovation:

Getting smart people in a room and getting out of their way.

Don't let the branding fool you. The "science" was just a sales pitch. The magic was always the people. And I believe that magic will always stay with people, even when we'll have magical tech. 😉

1. Unconferences aren't new. They are a rebrand of Open Space Technology (OST) from the 1980s.

2. "Technology" was a sales tactic. Harrison Owen added the word to make the format sound scientific enough for corporate budgets.

3. Bubbles define the name. Consultants say "OST." Tech founders say "Unconference." It’s the same mechanism.

4. Structure creates freedom. Whether you call it tech or not, the value comes from removing the keynote speakers.

Can you use this idea for your own project or product? Think about it.

Till next time, let's BUILD BETTER!

BFG

ICYMI: The essay explaining how Lean Canvas and Business Model Canvas can be helpful tools for founders. Read here ...

https://paragraph.com/@buildbetter/lean-canvas-adapted-for-web3-projects

Connect with me:
- on Farcaster: https://warpcast.com/bfg
- on X: https://twitter.com/aka_BFG
- on TG: https://t.me/BrightFutureGuy 
- and join YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Web3MagicPod

I still have a LinkedIn in case you're that old.

One of my recent rabbit hole explorations went through different possibilities for organizing events with small to mid-sized groups of people.

Just putting it out here to show how much context and branding matter for different audiences. You can literally sell the same thing and ideas in different packages.

You think the "Unconference" is a modern invention of the tech world.

You go to these events where the agenda is empty, the participants build the schedule, and you feel like you’re on the cutting edge of decentralized coordination. You aren't.

You are actually taking part in a corporate experiment from the 1980s that needed a marketing makeover to survive.

Here is the uncomfortable truth about the event format you love.

The Unconference is the direct descendant of something called Open Space Technology (OST).

It was created by Harrison Owen in the mid-80s. He realized the same thing we all realize at boring conferences: the best conversations happen during the coffee breaks.

So he designed a meeting format that was entirely coffee breaks. No speakers. No panels. Just people and circles.

But there was a problem.

Corporate executives in the 80s weren't going to pay for "a gathering where people just talk." It sounded too soft. Too hippie.

So Owen added the word "Technology" to the name.

He literally branded it Open Space Technology to make it sound scientific, repeatable, and valuable to the "suits."

He hacked the perception to sell the chaotic reality. And it worked.

Today, we have a linguistic split that proves how powerful naming is.

If you are in the Corporate/Consulting bubble, you hold "Open Space Technology" meetings. You shouldn't need them, but most likely, you have facilitators and talk about "holding space." You also visit https://openspaceworld.org/ to get smarter.

If you are in the Tech/Web3 bubble, you host an "Unconference" or "BarCamp." You talk about "hacking the agenda" and "participant-driven content."

It is the exact same thing.

We are just using different wrappers for the same social physics.

We obsess over terminology to signal which tribe we belong to.

But if you strip away the "Technology" branding from the 80s and the "Un" prefix from the 2000s, you are left with the only thing that actually drives innovation:

Getting smart people in a room and getting out of their way.

Don't let the branding fool you. The "science" was just a sales pitch. The magic was always the people. And I believe that magic will always stay with people, even when we'll have magical tech. 😉

1. Unconferences aren't new. They are a rebrand of Open Space Technology (OST) from the 1980s.

2. "Technology" was a sales tactic. Harrison Owen added the word to make the format sound scientific enough for corporate budgets.

3. Bubbles define the name. Consultants say "OST." Tech founders say "Unconference." It’s the same mechanism.

4. Structure creates freedom. Whether you call it tech or not, the value comes from removing the keynote speakers.

Can you use this idea for your own project or product? Think about it.

Till next time, let's BUILD BETTER!

BFG

ICYMI: The essay explaining how Lean Canvas and Business Model Canvas can be helpful tools for founders. Read here ...

https://paragraph.com/@buildbetter/lean-canvas-adapted-for-web3-projects

Connect with me:
- on Farcaster: https://warpcast.com/bfg
- on X: https://twitter.com/aka_BFG
- on TG: https://t.me/BrightFutureGuy 
- and join YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Web3MagicPod

I still have a LinkedIn in case you're that old.