Everything you're missing if you don't know what a hackathon is

Tired of doing the same thing every weekend? You stay with your friends and you end up in the same old pub, drinking the same old beer, talking about the same old topics and seeing the same old faces.Would you like to do something different? Why don't you sign up for a hackathon? Send? Yes, a hackathon.After the jump we explain what it is and why it is very cool.

Put a hackathon in your life

The word hackathon, which, as you might have intuited, combines the terms of hacker and marathon , refers to a meeting of programmers .In the same space and for a limited time of (maybe) a couple of days.And, from there, to develop, create and program.All at once and in search of the invention, improvement or implementation of a software (or hardware) , because the hackathon focuses on a specific topic , in a line of work that stimulates its participants equally.

The hackathon is an example of how collaborative work is one of the great tools of our time .Participating programmers have the common goal of building together, without letting the egos interfere, but in a participatory way and moving forward together for the final purpose, joining their resources, their ideas, their skills, their talent...And getting that solidary and collective way of functioning to be an example for other areas of our life.

In addition, it does not only refer to programming, if you are passionate about these issues but you are rather clumsy or simply, you have no idea of moving forward with software, there are many other facets within a hackathon with which you can collaborate: graphic design, text correction, documentation ...The important thing is that each one contributes their knowledge, ideas and suggestions, so that the final result is rewarding and very rich.

An experience full of positivity

In addition to the enthusiasm that it can mean for a person to participate in a collective project from which an interesting computer software can come out, the hackathon brings many advantages to those who decide to collaborate with it.

On the one hand, it is a very interesting experience to include in our curriculum , since it can be considered as a work experience.It is a different contribution, original and, for Of course, linked to the new trends , something that is very attractive for any company.In addition, there is the fact of expanding our network of contacts and meeting interesting personalities with whom we can coincide again in the not too distant future.There is an exchange of ideas, learning and collective work, so personal enrichment is also essential.

For a company it is also very interesting to be linked in the organization of this type of events.Of course, this allows it to be at the center of research and innovation, reinforces its image and becomes closer to the public.it helps you to pick up innovative ideas .Even those that may not have an immediate effect, in the medium or long term can be presented as very useful.And, of course, the hackathon is the best place to find new talent .It is an ideal scenario to see how a person develops and works as a team, as is his creative process, etc.

How do I organize it?

Everything you're missing if you don't know what a hackathon is

You are already convinced, the rhythm of the hackathon runs through your veins and you are looking forward to start creating and innovating, to collaborate with others, to develop that project that will leave the world with your mouth open.Stop.Keep calm and don't miss this list of tips and suggestions to start your own hackathon.

Solid community : For many experts, it is impossible to celebrate a good hackathon if we have not previously dedicated ourselves to creating a solid community of users.Encounters, talks, conversations to make sure that in your hackathon will participate certain people who can guide the work of others and act from a field of solvency.Your presence will also help many other people come.

What we want and why : In the hackathon, people meet for a specific purpose.This is the one that interests you and not anyone else. Set goals of the hackathon and make everyone very aware of the common objective for which they work.We must focus on a topic.In addition, it is very interesting to have “facilitators”, people who work as a link between the teams, who ask questions , which make information flow from one place to another. communication is essential and its channels are also.

And in the end : Many hackathones establish a competition between teams to give more action and encourage the work of the participants, as well as their desire to achieve good results.It means that in the end the projects are presented and a jury rewards the best.Be very clear who this jury will be and that it will be valued.When the hackathon is over, in addition, it is interesting that the work is not there, but that it continues to grow and adding, keep the communication with the participants, help them in the process through the search for alliances and cooperators... The hackathon may only be the beginning of something much bigger .

Materials and equipment

Of course, you will need certain tools without which it is impossible to hold a hackathon .Surely you already have them in mind, but review our list just in case:

Wifi.

Open ports

Wired connection (it is very useful)

Same broadcast

Plugs

A workspace with tables, chairs, blackboards...

Projector (not essential, but makes things easier)

Camera of photos and/or video to immortalize the highlights and share them on the network

Folios, pens, post-it...

And have very, but very, thought about what the meal break times will be.And have the food ready, of course.

Some examples

Surely you will not be surprised to know that Facebook is one of those companies that knows how to take advantage of all the advantages of the hackathon to take full advantage of the talent of the programmers gathered there and the ideas that jump like sparks of fire. chat, the timeline or the famous "like" have been ideas of the numerous hackathones internal that celebrates the company.

In fact, the vast majority of the big tech companies celebrate hackathones , like Google.They also do so institutions related to these issues, such as MIT.The most geeks media also participate in they, to a greater or lesser extent, because they are also interested in being very present at these events for their audience.

On the MLH website (Major League Hacking) we have grouped some of the most important hackathones in the world for students, for everyone who is encouraged to participate in them.So, next events are the HackMTY from Mexico, celebrated in August; the BigRed/Hacks of New York or the Hack The North, organized by the University of Ontario, in Canada, and also in September.

If you do not want to travel so far and prefer to stay in our country, you can consult Hackathon Spain, in which the most outstanding events within the world of hackathon meet. uCode EINA is celebrated this weekend and is organized by the School of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Zaragoza.Hackathon Mobility BCN is celebrated in Barcelona between the 11th and the 19th of this month.Its purpose focuses on the new mobility solutions presented by connected cars and the driving experiences born of this model.

And you, do you know what hackathon you want to participate in?

Image | Manuel Arenas, sdhacks, pixabay

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