The web is currently undergoing a normalization toward social. Base components of the social web such as friending, liking, voting, peer recognition, etc are permeating online presence down to static business sites.  As a result, the 2010 installment of SocialDevCamp Chicago is attracting professionals from a wider variety of industries.  Registrants include web and marketing personnel from healthcare, design, human resources, non-profits, and of course software companies.  Such an eclectic audience might be viewed as a hindrance by some, particularly those believing specialization and exclusivity maximize knowledge gain.  The SocialDevCamp team, however, is excited for the event’s diversity to increase the collective “known unknowns” of the audience.

The term known unknowns is borrowed from former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and refers to knowledge “you know that you don’t know.” This is a counterpoint to “unknown unknowns” or knowledge “you don’t know that you don’t know.”  We are not implying that SocialDevCamp has any connection to politics or global affairs but WE ARE suggesting that uniting a diverse group of people via the common interest of the social web can boost curiosity, knowledge, and creativity. For example, a talented PR professional at SocialDevCamp might have executed countless successful social campaigns for large brands without exploring the functionality of software.  Listening to a session on developing apps will probably not transform anyone into a programming genius, but the new knowledge does expand the realm of possibilities for client pitches and also improves future discussions with developers.  Similarly, an experienced developer interested in the social web could gain valuable insights on building a new product by talking to experienced PR professionals.

We hope you will join us on August 14-15 at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s amazing campus center (really – a train runs through the building).  Make sure to investigate the speaker list to determine where you will create new “known unknowns.” A good start will be listening to keynotes from Chris Messina of Google and Ben Huh of the Cheezburger Network.  And in the process, you’ll likely pick up new friendships and hobbies. Check out what the event looked like last year through our recap video:

Andy Angelos is an entrepreneur and musician living in Chicago, Illinois. He is currently working on working on SocialDevCamp Chicago, ScaleWell, and an online communications firm entitled Get Talked About. He is a practitioner of thinking before talking, especially on Twitter.