Dadamac

Getting started for Dadamac Day

Start here to find the information you need about Dadamac Day on Saturday November 7th 2009. We can also use this space for anyone who wants to keep in contact here - just write a comment below.

• If you have never celebrated with us before and would like to know how it came about see blog entry giving backgound
• For some idea of what will probably happen when we log on see Dadamac Day Online Programme  
• To know who has been invited and perhaps get news from people who have replied see Who is coming to Dadamac Day 
• For an idea of where people are, and what they will be doing, see Offline programmes and places 
• This is the link to the chatroom where we will be meeting.
• If you have never used the worknets chatroom before then these instructions may be useful.
• People in the UK will be joining in from a fringe event at BarCampAfrica 

The focus of Dadamac Day is simply my annual online reunion with people I value - people  who are at a distance. Originally we all connected through Teachers Talking and everyone knew everyone else. As time has gone by more of my contacts have started to join in the annual online get-together, so we cover a greater time span of networking, and a wider geographic area. This means that although I still usually know everyone, people don't necessarily know each other any more. However I hope you will all feel welcome nonetheless and will enjoy the celebration.

Every year is different. Like any party there is no knowlng quite what will happen, who will actually turn up, and how people will get on together - but with no worries about how much food and drink to get in. However, the fact that we are online and typing (instead of smiling, talking and making eye contact) presents interesting challenges. Even when the  technology behaves well, there is plenty of possibility for confusion and misunderstanding (especially where people have different delays in being able to read what is written). Fola for instance is usually in the depths of rural Nigeria using a phone and lagging behind other slow bandwidth poeple.

People who are accustomed to the luxury of face to face communication, phone calls, and continual high bandwidth may find our Dadamac Day excitement bewildering. By contrast, if you have endured the information trickle of a bandwidth challenged African cyber cafe, or taken a day to travel to one, or been thrown out when the power fails and there are not enough customers to justify using the generator, then you will have a better understanding of why it is so exciting to have a reunion like this. This isn't about the latest technology - it is about the people.