2019 Call for Speakers

Building Strong Foundations

Deadline : April 19

Everything starts with a good foundation. Content- and data-rich experiences rely on a backbone of well-designed metadata frameworks and vocabularies to provide maximum usability and flexibility to users and information managers. Before launching new information systems and applications, it is critical to get the semantic structure right, and that means understanding how to design a good, solid taxonomy from the ground up.

This year’s conference focuses on building strong foundations. If you’re new to taxonomy, this means using the latest methodologies and best practices so that you can support all the latest, taxonomy-driven functionalities, from personalization to machine learning. For those already in the field, it means finding opportunities to shore up and expand your foundation to support more advanced capabilities.

We’re looking for speakers who can share their practical experience in creating taxonomy frameworks that have stood the test of time, including tried and tested taxonomy design methods, implementation approaches and ideas for expanding the application of taxonomies.

Below you'll find everything you need to submit a proposal to speak at Taxonomy Boot Camp 2019. We thank you in advance for your interest and hope to see you in November!

About Taxonomy Boot Camp

The Taxonomy Boot Camp program is designed to provide something for everyone, from taxonomy newbies to seasoned experts (and everyone in between). Beginner sessions provide those new to the field with the nuts and bolts they need to get up-to-speed and give more experienced practitioners insight into how others have evolved their approaches. Also hear case studies, practical sessions on taxonomy tools and methods, and cutting-edge developments in the field.

Taxonomy Boot Camp is the only conference dedicated to exploring the successes, challenges, methodologies and products for taxonomies. Share your experiences, knowledge, and work with taxonomies, ontologies, folksonomies, tagging mechanisms, and other techniques for organizing information at this one-of-a-kind boutique learning and networking event.

Suggested Topics

Topics for Taxonomy Boot Camp include but are not limited to:

Presentation Formats

Taxonomy Boot Camp features three different presentation formats, including:

Advice for Presenters

We’re always on the lookout for new, fresh presenters – so don’t hesitate to submit! Here are some helpful tips on how to get your presentation selected.
 
Be specific
Don’t try to cover all things taxonomy in the space of 45 minutes (let alone 20!!), it’s too much. Writing up a submission is one thing, delivering it is another. Broad topics often come across as rushed and confused. Try to whittle your concept down to a small, tight idea and then submit that.

Teach them something they can use
This year’s theme is “Building Strong Foundations,” which means we’re looking for techniques, tools, and concrete ideas that people can take home and apply to create a solid taxonomy. You might have some theoretical grounding you need to do for the talk to make sense, but keep the theory concise and make sure your takeaways are practical.

Give examples
We’re hot for case studies and visual examples of taxonomies in action. Be sure to mention what real-world examples you’ll be bringing to bear in your presentation.

Know your audience
Sharing insights about taxonomy is not about how clever you are, it’s about how clever you make your audience feel. Taxonomy Boot Camp caters to both novice and intermediate information management professionals, so make sure you tell us which group you’re targeting and match the tone and level of information.

To participate in Taxonomy Boot Camp 2019 as a possible speaker, please submit your proposal no later than April 19, 2019, here.