This is part 1 of a 2-part series meant to help you get the most out of our first ever virtual MozFest! Learn more about the festival here.
It’s been a while, but MozFest is back! We at Mozilla are so excited to join you for MozFest 2021 from 8 March through 19 March 2021. This is our first ever virtual festival and the first of three festivals planned in partnership with our new host city, Amsterdam.
Every MozFest is different - and this year’s festival is especially so. We want to make sure you feel comfortable and confident navigating MozFest online. This 2-part series of blog posts is meant to help you do just that. In part 1, we’ll talk about logistics like how to register for the festival and use its platforms.
In part 2, we’ll get creative and share some ideas for using MozFest’s platforms to continue community-building conversations throughout the festival and beyond.
But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s start with the basics.
To register for MozFest, visit mozillafestival.org/tickets. This page will take you to a webpage where you can pay-what-you-want for a ticket to MozFest 2021.
Our schedule has gone live! Once you register for the festival, the entire program will open up for you. You can review the schedule and decide what you’d like to attend. In addition to MozFest staples like the opening plenary and Dialogues & Debate series, there will be hundreds of live sessions, as well as pre-recorded and on-demand exhibits and skillshares for you to visit at your own pace over the course of the event.
Once you have your ticket, be sure to register for the live discussion and workshop sessions that interest you the most. Attendance for most of these sessions will be capped, so sign up for them as soon as you can. From the schedule, you can click on any session that interests you. Each session will have its own page in the program where you can click on a link to register for it. The program page for each session will also have all the information you need to participate including a session description and links to share documents and external resources.Then, about fifteen minutes before the session goes live, that same page will give you a link to the session itself.
There are 3 main ways to experience MozFest this year. Don’t worry if you’ve never used them before. They are easy to use and don’t require you to sign up for an account, and staff and volunteers will be there to help you if you run into issues.
- We’re using Zoom to host live discussion and workshop sessions. This is where you’ll join other participants in a session to take part in lively discussions and make things together.
- We’re using Miro for shared note-taking and documentation. This is where you can find key resources shared by the Facilitator and add ideas, images, and sticky notes of your own.
- We’re using Spatial Chat as a social space to bring people together outside of scheduled sessions. This is where you can hangout and experience some of those “happy collisions” MozFest is known for - opportunities to meet and connect with friends, new and old, who share your passion for a healthier internet and more Trustworthy AI.
We picked these platforms because of the creative, interactive possibilities they provide our festival participants. Of course, if you ever run into trouble, Facilitators, Wranglers, festival Volunteers, and MozFest staff will all be on-call to help! (Wondering who those folks are? Check out MozFest 101 for more!)
We’ll also be on the MozFest community Slack, as usual. MozFest will happen in so many ways across this different platforms that none of us will experience it all, but there should be sessions and social moments available to every participant between them.
The best place to connect with other MozFest participants ahead of time is the MozFest community Slack. Click that link to join! You’ll find thousands of people across dozens of channels sorted by internet health issues, MozFest Spaces, social topics, and geographic locations around the world. The MozFest community Slack is a great place to build momentum surrounding MozFest 2021. MozFest is more than an event - it’s a mindset and community that continues to thrive and support its members throughout the year.
The MozFest community Slack is also a great place to ask questions about participating at the festival. You can use the #mozfest-ama and #mozfest-participants to ask general questions about MozFest and its community and you can use #help to get just-in-time assistance from the MozHelp team, which included festival staff and Volunteers.
You can also use the hashtag #mozhelp on Twitter during the two weeks during MozFest or ping @mozhelp there. If all else fails, email [email protected].
There are lots of ways to stay connected with MozFest and its amazing community. In addition to the Slack you can also:
- Sign up for our newsletter.
- Visit our page on LinkedIn.
- Follow @mozillafestival on Twitter.
You can also attend one of these brand new community calls meant especially for newcomers at MozFest. Join us on either call or both for Q&A about the MozFest experience! Click on a call to register for it.
- MozFest Newcomer Community Call 1: Wednesday, 3 March 2021: 4 AM PT/7 AM ET/12 PM UTC/1 PM CET/5:30 PM IST.
- MozFest Newcomer Community Call 2: Wednesday, 3 March 2021: 11 AM PT/2 PM ET/7 PM UTC/8 PM CET/12:30 AM IST.
We’re so excited to launch MozFest 2021 and meet you all there. Thanks for being a part of this unique event!
Chad Sansing works on leadership development, as well as Facilitator, Volunteer, and Newcomer support for MozFest. When he’s not at work, you can find him gaming, reading, or enjoying time with his family. Prior to joining Mozilla, he taught middle school for 14 years.
