Startup Weekend in Atlanta – call for .NET attendees

I have been remiss in blogging about the upcoming Startup Weekend in Atlanta, so hopefully, it’s not too late to get people motivated.

If you are not familiar with Startup Weekend, read about it on the main site here https://startupweekend.com/ The folks that participate in these weekends are nothing short of amazing, with all the dedication, insight and teamwork they bring.

Last year’s startup weekend in Atlanta yielded a very cool widget and service called Skribit, designed to help relieve writer’s block for bloggers. Since attending the barcamp here in Atlanta a few weeks ago and meeting a couple of Skribit’s creators, I’ve been using it on my blog. If you are reading this via RSS take a moment to visit my blog and look for it on the left sidebar.

This year’s startup weekend Atlanta is November 7-9, and I am encouraging folks with a background in Microsoft technology and who are feeling entrepreneurial to attend. Usually what happens is the developers, architects and designers that attend are all familiar with PHP, ROR, etc. and reach for that when it’s time to implement the idea that comes out of the planning phase. In many cases there are compelling reasons to reach for things like Silverlight or ASP.NET MVC to implement the site.

There’s no default rule that says that web startups have to be done with open source technologies. It really just comes down to selecting the best tools, technologies and techniques for the job, but when people with backgrounds in Microsoft technologies don’t attend, there is no one to help ensure the due diligence is comprehensive.

But it’s not just what language the startup site is programmed in or the architecture it’s running on that’s significant, it’s also all the amazing services like Azure and forthcoming technologies announced at PDC that are also relevant, and in fact could give a startup a differentiated edge.

I’m also hoping it’s not just the coding skills and the platform knowledge that some of my readers can bring, but also knowledge of SDLC like agile approaches, or TDD, or other things that, along with raw creativity, can help a startup succeed.

I already know one .NET focused entrepreneur who is thinking of attending, and he’s confided in me that he doesn’t want to be alone in a see of non .NET devs. In addition, Microsoft is pleased to be sponsoring startup weekend, and I and my colleague Chad Brooks are also planning to attend Friday night as well as throughout the weekend. Hopefully we can share some knowledge, help with feasibility discussions, get resources, and possibly remove roadblocks as the startup team (including you, if you’ll join us) cranks their way through producing the next big Internet thing! Sign up soon, there are only a few slots left.