Would like to get involved

[persphone]

Hi,

I am in the Las Vegas area and am an infosec person. I also do some biohacking, primarily tDCS and Nootropics. I am just seeing if there is anyway to get involved?

Thanks,

jess

[TheCotMan]

Hi,

I am in the Las Vegas area and am an infosec person. I also do some biohacking, primarily tDCS and Nootropics. I am just seeing if there is anyway to get involved?

Thanks,

jess

The usual way to get involved is attend to see what things are like and learn about the convention. If you have attended it before, then you already know.

Next, once you have an idea what happens at DEF CON, you would likely see what opportunities might exist. From that, you would choose something that interests you, and then ask the people organizing that part of DEF CON how you can help.

Some notes on this:
* The easiest path to get involved is to participate in a contest that requires a team -- this gets you involved and introduces you to others that share your interest in the contest you joined.
* Next, find a village that includes a topic that you know a lot about, and ask to volunteer to speak on a topic, teach people about something. (You mention biohacking, so maybe try the biohacking village. Let them know what you bring in the form of knowledge and experience, and see if they can find a way to make that available to attendees. The Bio Hacking Village had a CFP still open last month:https://twitter.com/DC_BHV/status/724659284936552448 and in the forums https://forum.defcon.org/forum/defco...-cfp-reviewers : I am not sure if it still is now.)
* After trying Villages, Contest, consider Events.
* Submit a talk and become a speaker for DEF CON. I think the CFP for the official DEF CON Speaker Tracks, which gives those speakers a "Speaker Badge" has closed, but am not 100% certain. You can check. Outside of these "Official DEF CON Speakers" some contests, events, villages have guest speakers. They do not get a "DEF CON Speaker Badge" but they are involved.
* Start your own contest, village, event or party: I think the RFI for Contests, Villages Events has closed for this year, but parties can be thrown independent of DEF CON if you rent your own space for them
* Have you worked with any goons before that volunteer at DEF CON? If so, and they have a high opinion of your capacity to work well with people in their department and they have an open position, ask them if they want a volunteer. (Historically, each department at DEF CON has their own method for selection of volunteers, and most require knowing and having met the person and worked with them as a "non-goon" previously before they are vetted, and considered for work as a goon.

Turn-over for goons has historically been pretty low. Many people work 10 or more years as goons, and do not want to leave. New places are only created when the conference grows, or existing goons retire. Many are tight-knit groups of people with long histories that allow for short-cuts in communication to save time.

If you have experienced DEF CON at least once, and preferably several times, your experience of how it works is experience that can be used. Attendees get a generally unfavorable opinion if they ask a goon something basic about DEF CON that a person that attended would know, and the goon has no idea. Previous DEF CON experience as an attendee is a great help when volunteering to work in any part of DEF CON.

Find some part you like, participate with them, and see if there is a "connection" and "fit" of you with them, to become a volunteer.

With this in mind, the DEF CON forums are not recruiting for mods. We have more than enough to cover the present traffic.

HTH, and good luck!
-Cot