Hello Wikimanians "Poor us, Europeans", I thought when it became clear that wikimania (or how we'll call it this year) will be held in Boston. So far away, and só expensive... A ticket costs soon €500,--, and then we have to sleep, eat, drink, and have some fun. a lot more then I spend usually on my hollidays :P So I wanted something else for the poor people who can't afford it to buy a ticket etc. Something in here. And I thought up some kind of own, a lot shorter conference, in the Netherlands. Organized by the Vereniging Wikimedia Nederland (Dutch Chapter) I hope to have a conference of one (or maybe two, but probably not) day(s) with some lectures of Wikimania, but also, very important, discussiongroups ''about'' the subjects that were mentioned during Wikimania. Some workshops (how to bot etc) and these small-scaled discussiongroups should make the conference different from the Wikimania in Boston, especially because it will be for the largest part in Dutch :) This way I hope to get a bunch of people together, to let the community get to know eachother, to make friends irl, but also not to kill Boston in its number of visitors because we attract a lot of people. It will become a conference with a very different character if it's up to me, however it will have a link with the Boston-conference. The link will on my behalf exist mostly in the subjects and some speakers, and of course I hope to get the Dutch and Flemish enthousiastic for both events. It will be a great impuls for the Dutch community (and as you probably already all know, we NEED THAT ;-) ) and for the Vereniging. As you are all working very hard on getting a program together for Boston, and orginizing a great event in Boston, I would like to hear your opinion about this. I can take those advises into the plans to create something approaching perfect :P Please give your comments on this and (i need that really) keep me somehow please informed about the growing of the program (as long as it is not discussed on this list) because unfortunately MetaWiki is a true MazeWiki. Thank you in advance. greeting from the Netherlands, Effeietsanders