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As a manager, it is up to you to make up your mind about the deal YOU are proposing, whether work for fame, or work for cash.
It seems strange to me to see the word "non-profit" attached to an event, because it calls another world. Non-profit is something which is aimed at something else than being profitable, by nature.
Your "Going Solo" is definitively not "non-profit", even if the first one will not generate profit, it has to be viewed and considered as an investment.
OK, I wanted to go on by mail, and I found a real flaw in your design, it's been over one minute, and I still can't find the "contact" anywhere.
Strange, I remember I found it on the previous version
Marie-Aude: thanks for your comment and e-mail. I'm sorry you had trouble finding my e-mail. It has indeed disappeared from the footer where it used to be -- I'm not wild about spambots harvesting it, so I leave it on my contact page which gets way less traffic than CTTS. Also, you can find me on just about any social network these days and contact me through there, if needed.
About what you say. I know I'm the person to make decisions here. What I'm trying to say is that making these decisions is not easy (I think everybody knows that) and that most of the people I'm in contact with around this event being part of my "network", I value the relationship we have (whether friendly-business or friendship) a lot, and am still in the process of figuring how to "be the one who decides" while respecting their needs.
This might sound very utopian to you, but it's the world I live in.
There are many non-profit events out there. All the barcamp movement. The LIFT conference started out as a pure labour of love (from what I've understood) and is finally now, in its third year, managing to pay those who work months a year to set it up. I doubt reboot aims to be profitable.
So, in a tech world where so much of what we do is driven by passion, I don't find it contradictory to see "non-profit" next to "event".
As to the point you raise in your mail, let me answer it here -- because other people are probably thinking the same thing but not going through the trouble of finding my e-mail address to tell me about it (thanks for the trouble). Four months is plenty of time to set up an event (in this case, sign the papers for the venue we've chosen, finalize the program and round up speakers -- I have the three main ones already, organise wifi and catering, finalise partnerships). I'm not going to fall asleep of course, but this is not a hopeless rush against the clock which is doomed to fail.
In a fast-moving tech world, I've seen commercial events set up in less than 6 weeks from idea to event date, and barcamps are regularly organised in way less time. Often, what looks cool in your program today is obsolete 6 months from now.
So, I don't share your concern -- though I appreciate knowing that the state of things can have a chilling effect on some people.
Actually for the email, I found a good plug-in in for WordPress, that obfuscate any email in a page or a post... and I like it very much. You could also put a little bit javascript to hide it from the spammers like I do on most of the websites I author. That's the best solution, because you can also use it in the header or the footer.
One of my rules for commercial sites is "customers won't search you, you have to give them everything on a tray".
Maybe that comes from my past as a financial controller, but I have a strong tendancy to separate non-profit and profit, and I would say, even more at the stage of going solo ... which does not mean that immediate profit should be the goal, but that there is a field for real work of love, and a field for professionnal profitable activities. May be not separating them so clearly generates the kind of feelings that Tara - and you describe.
Now the profit can be something else than cash. It can be visibility, it can be experience... but it's still a profit.
And it that sense, being the ones who scales the things, because it's the event you are trying to set up does not mean not being collaborative, nor enforcing, it means more bringing a picture people can react to and take their input, which is often easier than ask them something from scratch.
E.g. "I would appreciate if you could do such and such, I estimate it such amount of work, and I think you could get such or such kind of return, do you think it's fair ?" which might be what you do actually.
What's the name of the plugin? I use JS to obfuscate it on sb.com, and used to on CTTS -- but template changes happen way too often and it's the kind of thing I forget to reinsert in the theme. I'm trying to move this kind of thing into plugins now. I agree with you 100% that customers will not search for you, and you need to stick everything under their nose.
If I don't find a suitable plugin, I'll probably just simply stick the code in the "stats" widget in my sidebar. Thanks for nudging me about this.
The thing about separating work for profit and work of love is, I think, a problem for many soloists -- because I think that many people become freelancers as a way to turn a passion (work of love) into a job (work for cash). So, we're stuck. The line between work and fun is blurred, private and personal, and it's not always easy to manage. It's a topic I want us to talk about at Going Solo, by the way.
You're right with your example -- this is what I'm trying to do. I'm just not finding it that easy :-)
The plugin is Obfuscate email http://www.coffee2code.com/wp-plugins/ it's rather old, but works pretty well
And if not, I use http://xhtml.css.free.fr/js-mail.htm with a separate js file that I can re-use on any site. Quite effort-less
I think what you say about soloist is quite true, and to be able to clarify this blur line is essential.
Maybe a topic you should put on your agenda ? ;)
OK, you said you would :)
One thing - always pay for design work if you can. It's very hard to find a designer prepared to work for nothing, because they are always inundated with offers to work for free, which often they rightly turn down. And if you do find a designer who's working for nothing, then you are in a very weak position if you don't like what they do, or need a change made. And design is so important that it's worth getting it right.
Suw, thanks -- it was kind of what I was thinking. Design is worth putting $$$ in. The question now is how much (as I mentioned, my designer will "adapt" to my budget). By design, I'm speaking "design in general" here rather than just "web design", which is a part of the package. (Lots of the conference sites I've seen are so stiff that there is little chance of looking worse, even if I take a ready-made WP theme and slap a banner with a great logo on top.)
(hint: if it is generated by something but displayed visible on the site, it IS harvestable - another reason not to put email addresses online).
You use cash or fame, whereas I would like to see a third option, the "what is in it for me". I am very much a fan of the barter system - but only if it is a true win win plus if one does not loose track of earning money.
I would not label Going Solo non profit btw, because this year it is making no profit but is supposed to be doing in the future. It must be this controlling background which makes Marie-Aude and me cringe at this mentioning ;)
I guess I use "fame" as a replacement for "what is in it for me" -- lots of people want recognition in exchange for service, when bartering. That's basically what sponsorships and partnerships are about, often.
I didn't say Going Solo was a non-profit -- quite the opposite. I said: "this is not a non-profit venture." It is a for-profit... even this year, if it's possible!
You're right, you did not say it was non-profit :) and interesting enough, I get this kind of feeling from the overall discussion in the post. I think I translated your "work for love" into "non-profit" :)
I also agree with Nicole on this "what is in it for me", it is better than "fame" because "fame" is just a part of it. Some people would look for example for an experience, and a proof that they can do something, some people would look for the opportunity to reach some others, some people might be interested on starting a partnership.
For example on one of my projects, which is fundraising, I bartered working for nothing at the beginning, till they get the funds, for a higher price at the end, that pays for my risk they never get the funding...