Technology
The link between art and technology is both literal and fundamental within
the Burning Man Project. The artistic and the technological mind are two
aspects of the same process. Both require creativity and originality in
the pursuit of their goals. Both are passionate and dedicated to their
projects. Both expend tremendous amounts of energy toward one goal: to
communicate with others.
The tech groups supporting Burning Man have evolved as organically as
the event itself:
- By 1997 the volunteer staff had grown large enough to require
email lists to communicate with each other and with participants.
The first Web team was born, consisting
of five volunteers working from their homes.
- When the organization found its first office in the spring of
1999, the tech groups were required to wire the whole building with
an ethernet themselves, almost entirely with volunteer help, to
save money on the lease. Once moved in, the Desktop
Support team was born to help manage the computers in the office.
- As the administrative needs and volunteer groups continued to
grow, a Database team evolved to help
manage Burning Man's contacts (mailing list), volunteers, ticket
sales, DMV participants, media registration and a number of other
databases vital to the event. They did this work on the same FileMakerPro
platform that several organizational staff members had been using
for years to manage contact information.
- Shortly after the 1999 move into the Burning Man offices, a new
Mac server was procured to manage the legacy FileMakerPro system.
This new server, combined with the increasingly complex needs of
the public web server and growing extranet, created a need for a
centralized system administration function. The SysAdmin
team coalesced to fulfill this role, becoming the backbone of
the tech groups.
- In 1999, a single volunteer offered to make an interactive map
on which the Theme Camps staff could more easily assign camp placement
before the event. This project blossomed, and a software development
team and project process were born to fully address the needs of
the theme camp placement staff. The potential uncovered by this
interactive mapping project crossed into ideas the web team had
been developing, and into needs that PlayaNet
had hoped to address. This cross departmental database project became
the Special Projects team and expanded into a tool employed on the
playa in 2001 by PlayaNet, with plans for eventual deployment by
the Web team. The resources and direction of the original interactive
mapping project were re-directed toward a single database directory
intended to serve participants, Playa Information Services, and
PlayaNet.
- As the volunteer count continued to grow into the thousands, the
need to manage project teams and departments via centralized online
resources also became apparent. In response, the extranet concept finally
took off. In early 2001, the Intranet Team reformed as the Extranet
Team with a clear goal, vision and platform for development. Currently
in development with an expected launch in February 2002, version 1.0
of the extranet will provide the tools the other volunteer groups need
to better manage staff and projects. When the project is completed the
intent is to make it available for regional contacts, Burning Man theme
camp teams and other groups outside of the organization.
The technology teams are a study in healthy workgroups. Tech volunteers
come from a wide variety of backgrounds, from independent webmasters to
corporate network admins. They bring experience of the best working practices,
creating a volunteer environment that is collaborative, respectful, sometimes
strenuous, fun and exciting. As with the rest of the organization, critical
decisions are made within the consensus process. This challenging process
encourages buy-in and commitment from team members, enhanced by the opportunity
to contribute opinions and experience to a radically unique event through
technology.
The Burning Man Project has recognized the critical role that the tech
groups play in facilitating the event with enhanced communication tools,
committing some budget funding to them. The groups are still almost entirely
volunteer-based, with a small paid staff to ensure stabilization of the
systems that the volunteers, staff, and participants rely upon everyday.
Have no doubt that the tech geeks do what they do because they love playing
with technology and finding the right solution. This work has its own
reward, but in the end, they do it to maintain ability to communicate
with each other, with other groups, with the participants that make up
the Burning Man community. They may not be as visible as the Rangers,
DPW, Greeters, or Lamplighters, but the technology teams construct the
backbone of communication tools on which Black Rock City depends.
Watch in 2002 as the Technology Department continues to develop tools
to solve the communication needs of a temporary city built from the needs
of an emerging culture. 