Hello all Geeks!
I am Rattana, a Tech correspondent for Geeks in Cambodia. I have attended many barcamps across Cambodia such as Barcamp Kampong Cham 2013 and Barcamp Phnom Penh 2013. This year I am back yet again with Barcamp Phnom Penh 2014, giving you more news and knowledge about Technology and Startups.
Mr.Rattana Keo, a Tech correspondent for Geeks in Cambodia attended Barcamp 2014 to share his experience about this event
Barcamp Phnom Penh 2014 took place on 13th-14th September 2014 at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC). Over 3,500 participants showed up at this conference, consisting of students, IT professionals, entrepreneurs, tech enthusiasts and people eager to experience such an exciting event.
Over 3500 participants showed up on this conference at the Exhibition hall
The tech conference this year was also supported by Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), and saw Senior Minister, Minister of Commerce as well as a speaker from Google come to share their knowledge.
Follow me on my journey at Barcamp Phnom Penh 2014!
Day 1 – Saturday September 13th
8:30 am: After registration all participants gathered in the conference hall to listen to the statement given by organizers.
On that morning I decided to visit all exhibitions at the hall. Many companies were present to exhibit their products and services. The Google community also showcased their Google street view car at the venue hall. This comes after Google announced the release of new Street View imagery in Cambodia.
Google Street View car showcase at the venue hall
2PM: I attended a session on the topic “Developer and Google” by Googlers. In this session, everyone was free to ask questions to the speakers regarding Google’s service and products such as: Google translate, Google map, Google map street view, Google Apps for business, Google AdSense, Google Adwords and more.
Four speakers from Google answering questions from participants
4PM: I attended a session entitled “Video production and using the media to seek support” by Mr.Chim Moniroth. In this session he described the basics of photography and video production.
One of the things he taught was how to be a strong photographer. The 10 points to consider are: focus, composition, expression, line, lighting, depth of field, description, frame and framing, communication, and editing, he explained.
5PM: At the end of first day, Barcamp Phnom Penh organizers started the fun with games and a lucky draw session to win awesome prizes!
Day 2 – Sunday 14th September
10AM: I attended the session “How to run Google Developer Group in your province” presented by Mr. Samdy Lonh, Community leader of GDG Phnom Penh. In this session, he explained about what GDG is and what they have done so far.
What is a GDG?
Google Developer Groups (GDGs) are for developers who are interested in Google’s developer technology; everything from the Android, App Engine, and Google Chrome platforms, to product APIs like the Maps API, YouTube API and Google Calendar API.
GDG was created in November 2011 by running community events to encourage more people to code and also to increase the number of technology startups. This group will introduce new technology and manage online social activities in Google+, Facebook, and Twitter etc. Currently, GDG has 539 chapters running in 104 countries and have done 3129 events so far.
Mr. Samdy Lonh community leader of GDG Phnom Penh, shared about: How to run Google Developer Groups in your province
He also explained what one should have to be selected as the community leader to run GDG chapter. The criteria are as follows:
Experienced at running community events
Good at English
Passionate about learning new technology
Open and willing to share
Organizing at least one event in 3 months
Communication skills
If anyone of you are interested to be the community leader to run GDG chapter in your province, you can contact him or follow GDG Phnom Penh Facebook page here, G+ page here, and visit their website here. You can also apply online here!
11AM: I attended the session “Using Smart Phone for transportation” by Mr.Tith Dara. In this session he shared about his startup – a mobile application that can solve transportation problems. The name of this mobile app is “Khmer Transport”, and it runs in the Android platform. With this app, commuters can book tickets, view cars, contact drivers and monitor car availability. The application is still in development, and has yet to be released on the Play Store. Currently, he is seeking for the Transportation Company to partner with him.
Mr.Tith Dara sharing about his application to solve transport problems
3PM: I attended the last session “Google community and Google product” present by Google Community Cambodia. In this session, they presented on Google products that are already available in Khmer language such as: Google Map, Google Translate, Google Drive, Gmail, and Android OS.
Google community in Cambodia shared about Google community and Google product
Activities done by the Google community in Cambodia include: Mapup event, GBG Women, Google I/O Extended and more.
From 6 pm to 9 pm: At night, all volunteers, speakers, and partners who sponsored the event were invited to join a network dinner at Development Innovations Cambodia. People were then free to let loose and have fun.
Barcamp Phnom Penh 2014 was a very dynamic weekend for me. As an avid tech lover, these events are always a good opportunity to gain more knowledge about technology. This tech conference is reported to be the largest one here this year, with a huge amount of sponsors and partners. A huge thanks to all Barcamp volunteers who helped organize such an enriching event.
Watch them have fun below!