Maker Party/Get involved

We’re having a party and you’re invited!

WHO: You and everyone you know

WHAT: Let’s get together to make cool stuff and share it online

WHERE: All over the world

WHEN: June 15, 2013 – September 15, 2013

HOW: It’s simple! Follow one of these easy steps:

1) Attend an event in your area

2) Make something online and share it with the community

3) Create your own event and teach or learn with your peers

RSVP: Confirm your attendance by sharing your events and stories with the world. Tell everyone about your party and show off your work. Use the hashtag #MakerParty on Twitter, Thimble or Popcorn Maker or share your best work using the hashtag #webmakerwin

Let’s get this party started! Here’s some info to get you in the know:

From now to September 15, people around the world will meet up at great events, make cool stuff and share it all online. Let's work together. Our community and network of partners are crucial to growing this movement. There's no way any one person or organization can do this alone!

The goal of Maker Party: host a worldwide party celebrating all the amazing things we can make and learn thanks to the web.

“The web gives us all the chance to be creators, makers and inventors . Maker Party is about joining thousands of people across the globe to make something amazing, teach each other new skills, and have a great time doing it.” – Mark Surman, Mozilla’s Executive Director

Get Involved: Attend an Event

Attend an event

View our global map and see what maker parties are happening in your area. Sign up to attend the event or reach out to the host to volunteer and be a mentor.

Get Involved: Make Something

Make something

Are you already making things online? View our template to share with us what you’re making and add it to the party. Check out some of our maker templates and remix them to make something of your own. Learn how to make your own customized movie poster, post card, poster, photo album and more!

Create your own or remix an existing version of a web video, documentary or gif with Popcorn Maker. Popcorn Maker helps you easily remix web video, audio and images into cool mashups that you can embed on other websites.

Create your own or remix an existing version of a web pages, meme, greeting card or poster with Thimble. Write and edit HTML and CSS right in your browser, then instantly preview your work.

Need inspiration? Check out what the community is making.

Need a bit of mentoring, need help starting to build a Make? The Content Team will also be available throughout Maker Party for those who need a bit of creative inspiration in the form of templates, example Makes, online tutorials and in-person Webmaker demo sessions. You can get live support using our chat room on IRC. You can do this by downloading your favorite IRC software and pointing it to the server irc.mozilla.org and channel #makesmiths. Or just join the chat room in your web browser using this link. You can also join the Makesmiths Google+ Group.

Join the #teachtheweb Webmaker Mentor community on Google+. This is the place to find other mentors around the world, share ideas, get access to resources, find new partners and get peer support.

Get Involved: Create an Event

Create your own event

Follow our step-by-step guides to plan your party

• Small-sized party: Kitchen Party
• Medium-sized party: Hack Jam
• Large-sized party: Hive Pop-Up
• Use our resources to customize your own event!

Learning Kits

Access our activity kits that are filled with information and resources for you and your team to start making things for the web using the Mozilla Webmaker tools. Kits range from fun topics regarding digital storytelling to making a commercial. Each Hacktivities kit includes information on icebreakers, introductions, hacking tutorials, demonstrations, feedback opportunities and more that is sure to make your event a success.

• Online Storytelling
• Revolutions in Media
• Remix Hacking Guide
• Ways of the Web
• Make It! Share It!
• X-Ray Goggles Kit
• Thimble Hacking Guide
• Popcorn Hacking Guide
• Thimble for Journalists

Want to create your own Activity Kits? Here are some templates to get you started

• Make a Kit
• Hackable Goals
• Hackable Activity
• Hackable Resources
• Hackable Profile
• Webmaker Starter Make Templates

Event Resources

SWAG

What’s a party without any lootbags? You can request Webmaker stickers, t-shirts and tablecloths that you can use at your events. There are differently swag packages depending on your event size. Please allow for 1-2 weeks for delivery. You'll need a link for your event and a shipping address.

• Request swag for your party!

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENT

• List your Maker Party on our global events platform.
• Remix and build a webby invitation to your party.
• Have you and your guests create web pages for the stuff they made.
• Email Template
• Promote your events using this handy press kit that we developed

LOGOS AND VISUAL ASSETS

Useful graphics assets for branding or co-branding your events:

• Maker Party logo
• Maker Party wordmark
• Maker Party banner
• Maker Party email graphic
• Maker Party brand palette
• Maker Party animated GIFs
• more Maker Party assets

Spread the word

RSVP your attendance and help us spread the word so others can join the party. By sharing our event info, blog posts, photos, and the inspiring creations our follower build - we will create a compelling worldwide Call to Action that moves consumers of the web into makers of the web. In turn, by sharing your Makes and creative Maker Party outputs above, we'll make sure your hard work gets the kudos it deserves!

How can you help us spread the word? Here are a few quick ways you can help:

• Show it off. Post the Maker Party Logo on your website. Don't forget to link it back to the Maker Party!
• Brag. Tell the world what you're doing as a part of the Maker Party. Don't know how? Use this quick paragraph as a guide. Need more words? We have a full list of talking points to use this summer. And don't forget to share your best work using the #webmakerwin tag so we can share it too.
• Tweet about it. Use the hashtag #makerparty when you're talking about events! And check out our full best practices guide for more help with social media.
• Tell your friends! Send an email to your list announcing what you're doing as a part of the party—and inviting all of them to join. Looking for the right words? Use this Sample Email Template to send an invitation to your list.

Show off your work

To give the best Maker Party outputs the attention they deserve, whether these Makes are created on Popcorn, Thimble or XRay Goggles, our Content Team will crawl through the Maker Party world each day to find the next best thing.

Get your project featured by following one of the steps below:

Step 1, share your make on Twitter using the #makerparty hashtag. You will not only get our attention but you will also showcase your work among other makers.

Step 2, give your content some relevant tags so others can find it better. Be sure to include the #makerparty tag wherever you can. Here are some instructions on how to tag your work in Popcorn Maker and Thimble.

• In Popcorn Maker, go to the 'Project' tab after saving your project and notice the field at the bottom that asks for tags. Separate them with a comma (no spaces) with things that help identify your project, i.e. cats,texas,cowboy,hilarious

• On Thimble, you can add a special meta tag between the <head> </head> section of your webpage that adds them to the webmaker.org search engine. Make sure you have one line for each tag. It should look something like this:
  • <meta content="cats" name="webmaker:tags">
  • <meta content="texas" name="webmaker:tags">
  • <meta content="cowboy" name="webmaker:tags">
  • <meta content="hilarious" name="webmaker:tags">

Also keep in mind that the team is especially keen on featuring Makes which are "irresistibly remixable" to others using the site.

Additional Resources

Access all resources and information on our “home base” for Maker Party: https://webmaker.org/party

Maker Party News Channel: http://blog.webmaker.org/tag/maker-party

Frequently Asked Questions: (coming soon) (draft in progress here)

Webmaker's project gallery: See what other people are making. Got a great Make that illustrates your Maker Party experience? Want one of your constituents to get some love? Our Webmaker Content Team will be around to feature and highlight the best Makes, giving your outputs the attention they deserve.

Maker Party Partners

Hosted in partnership with the National Writing Project and the MacArthur Foundation, Maker Party partners are helping us offer a truly diverse range of events all over the world. From CERN’s Citizen Cyberspace Centre and the New York Hall of Science to Girls Learning Code and IndieWebCamp, we’ve joined together to bring together everyone interested in making and learning together. Here’s a snapshot of how our partners are getting involved,

• Black Girls Code will run 10 coding workshops across Africa and the U.S.

• The MIT Media Lab is inviting kids to program stories, games and animations.

• DIY.org will make 250,000 projects with kids

• The Maker Education Initiative will teach teachers

• Girl Scout Troops will issue merit badges for digital skills

...and many more. See the complete list here .

What happens after the party?

Maker Party runs from June to September, but Mozilla’s hope is to build a lasting network of people around the world who want to teach people web literacy and digital skills. In September, we’ll be inviting mentors and local organizers to stay involved in Webmaker -- including participating in the 2013 Mozilla Festival in London this October, opportunities for continued online mentoring, local organizing, and a chance to shape where we take the Webmaker program in 2014. In many ways, Maker Party is a kickoff for these lasting activities.

Questions? Need Help?

Still have more questions? Check out our full Maker Party communications guide: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Maker_Party/Communications or email makerparty@mozilla.org with your questions! You can also tweet #teachteweb with your question. Tweeting is often the fastest and easiest way to get help.