The fourteenth edition of the Free Software Foundation's (FSF) annual
conference is only a couple of months away. We're well into the preparations
for the event, which will be held online on March 19 and 20,
2022. Registration is open now.
Students and FSF members associate members attend LibrePlanet
gratis. Not a member? Join today for $10 per month ($5 for
students), or register for LibrePlanet at our non-member rate of
$25 (early bird) for the two day conference at the Supporter tier
level (with perks!).
Over a thousand people participated online in the conference last
year. Free software enthusiasts from around the world joined us
in our live sessions. You can watch videos from the March 2021
conference -- using only free software of course -- on our
MediaGoblin instance or on PeerTube. Also, you can now
pre-order this year's full-color LibrePlanet T-shirt in the
FSF shop. If you order yours before the March 1, 2022, cutoff
date, you will be able to wear it to the event.
This year's event is coming together as we speak, and it is
promising to be another great two days of online excitement! Be
on the lookout for our first keynote announcements in the next
few days, and the full schedule is also not too far off. We are certain
you will not be disappointed by what LibrePlanet has in store for you
this year!
Register to help us prepare
As always, anyone can attend online editions of LibrePlanet
gratis. We will broadcast the LibrePlanet online event via
livestream on libreplanet.org/conference, and you can join
the discussion via the general #libreplanet IRC channel on
Libera.Chat, as well as the room-specific IRC channels. You can
also submit your prerecorded lightning talk at any time. No
registration is necessary to access these channels. However,
registration helps us prepare for the event. It it very useful in
anticipating the amount of server space we need, or as we plan
the number of volunteers we need for things like moderation. It
also ensures you won't be left out of any important
communications about the event. In return for registration, we
will give a small token of our appreciation at a couple different
tiers:
Participant: Registration is gratis
This level is a general-access level and is gratis. Much like any
person that doesn't register, you have access to the virtual
conference space, hallway track, and exhibitor hall. You can ask
your questions to the speaker via the IRC channels, as well as
socialize with the other attendees and the exhibitors. In return
for telling us you're coming, we'll offer you a 10% discount in
the GNU Press shop, which you can use to purchase the glorious
2022 T-shirt! This level also gives you access to attend
BoF (Birds of a Feather) sessions, and/or create your own.
Supporter (and associate members): A small contribution goes a long way
An online event is cheaper than an in-person event because you
don't have costs like venue hire, but there are still
organizational expenses involved. Registration at the Supporter level allows you to give
a small donation towards the organization of the event. We start
this off at $25 during early bird registration, which will last
until Monday, March 1, 2022, and $50 after this date. Your
financial support will enable the organization of the event. Besides our 10% GNU Press shop
discount, as a thank you for investing in the FSF and LibrePlanet, you can
participate in the LibrePlanet trivia event, and win fabulous
prizes from our exhibitors. You will receive a digital
registration badge that you can share on your personal blog, or
on social media.
Anyone who registers at the Supporter tier (including all
associate members) is also invited for the Sunday afternoon
LibrePlanet: Living Liberation afterparty with FSF staff, where
we can interact socially with each other, play games, and round
out this year's event.
FSF associate members and students have traditionally
entered the event gratis, so this year, you will enter the event
at this tier, at no cost. Members also have access to the member
forum, where you can communicate with other members. You will
also be invited to participate in the annual associate membership
meeting.
Stalwart: Your financial support makes us better
Individuals can pay $200 ($150 early registration), and corporate
attendees get access at $500 ($400 early registration). For
supporting the event at this higher level, you receive all the
previously mentioned perks, as well as our specially designed
LibrePlanet T-shirt and a souvenir USB drive with videos from
the event, so you can look back at them in the future, and share
them with your community. You'll also have the option to get an
hour of free licensing consultation in 2022, or advice in another field we might be able to help.
Sponsoring and exhibitors
Sponsors and exhibitors are key to the event's success. We also
offer unique opportunities for businesses and other
organizations to connect to and learn from a community that is
dedicated to free software. Early bird pricing for exhibitors is
happening now, and will be available until February 20, 2022. For
information on how your company or organization can have a table
in our virtual exhibit hall, or how to further sponsor the
LibrePlanet conference, please email [email protected].
Volunteer remotely
We are always looking for volunteers. Just like last year, we'll
be looking for people who can help us with moderation, room
monitoring, and other important tasks that make the event
possible. We are also working on the further development of
LibreAdventure, our virtual conference space. So if you think your
organizational or technical skills might be helpful to make our event
an even greater success, then email [email protected]
.
Thank you for supporting the FSF and LibrePlanet
LibrePlanet is organized by the Free Software Foundation, a
501(c)(3) charity. Your contribution allows us to create a truly
valuable event for many people all over the globe, by funding our
fully free servers and making it possible for us to devote the
substantial amount of time necessary to organize everything -- an
effort which is nearly year-round.
We are very much looking forward to this year's
conference. Make sure you sign up for the LibrePlanet
announcements list to get the latest updates. If you need
more information, or have any questions about the tiers, please
email [email protected].
