~ web start-up Meecard wins showcase event and £1000 in North of England’s first BarCamp ~

PlusNet played host to an internet convention this weekend (Saturday, May 28) showcasing some of the North’s most cutting-edge web-based technologies.

BarCamps are technology conferences organised and presented by the attendees, planned almost exclusively online and made popular in Silicon Valley. Spin offs have taken place globally from India to New Zealand but this was the first time a BarCamp had been held in the North of England.

BarCampSheffield was hosted at PlusNet’s offices in Sheffield city centre with more than 60 technology experts coming to share their knowledge and experience of web-based applications and showcase their work.

Running alongside the convention was a Web Application competition for people and businesses to demonstrate their technology creations, with the best application winning £1,000, sponsored by PlusNet.

Winner of the competition was Meecard, a web start-up that brings together web ‘presences’ such as Facebook, MySpace and blogs, combining the users’ details from the various sites and publishing them out through online cards that summarise all the user’s web content in one place.

Andy Mitchell, co-founder of Meecard, said: “We chose BarCampSheffield as the place to unveil Meecard, after eight months development, and we cannot speak highly enough of the reception we got from the attendees. The Meecard concept is part of the digital identity movement that is gathering speed this year and we’ll be formally launching soon, with the help of the funding we won this weekend.”

“The North of England is full of enterprising and innovative individuals and businesses but all too often we have to travel to London to talk to kindred spirits,” said Dean Sadler, CIO, PlusNet and organiser of BarCampSheffield. “BarCampSheffield is our chance to show off some of the innovative internet applications that are being developed in the North of England and share our knowledge to take the development to the next level.”

Photos of BarCamp Sheffield are available below:

Andy Mitchell and George Palmer of Meecard

Photos of the BarCampSheffield event