by Jason Lally, experienced hacker with Code for Communities & Code for America
How to make the best of Hack4Colorado and win serious cash!
Hack4Colorado is upon us and we are really excited. We want to make sure you have a good time and are successful, so here are some tips to make the best of your hackathon weekend and win up to $6k CASH!
Come prepared
It’s really important to do your research ahead of time. There are plenty of resources available for you to prepare. First thing, understand what the judges are looking for. This is a civic hackathon, so come with an understanding of what civic hacking means. Check out this quick video from the Sunlight Foundation to get oriented and then check out the civic hacking blog posts from Code for America. Finally, learn as much as you can about the APIs and datasets that will be available as resources to you during the weekend. You can start with the webinar overview on APIs and data, but don’t neglect the list of data and API providers on Hackerleague. While you will not use all the data or APIs in your weekend project, take this as an opportunity to learn about things you may have not made time for before. So remember, be a good code scout and be prepared.
Use sharp tools
Don’t invent things you don’t have to. Use the tools available to you that are designed to make development easier.
GitHub (or other source control services)
If you don’t know how to use source control software, get up to speed quick. You can take a quick git course brought to you by GitHub and Code School. This course will also make you sign up for a GitHub account (which is free) if you don’t have one already. If you are more familiar with other services, that’s fine, but make sure you know how to use source control or are at least familiar enough with one that you can lower the learning curve on others. But if you don’t know any right now, keep it simple, learn git and get a GitHub account. You won’t regret it.
Platforms as a Service
There are many platforms designed to get out of your way and make deployment fast and easy. The platforms vary in features and capabilities, but there are a lot of good choices. There’s plenty of advice out there on which platform to use, so I won’t go in to detail, but here’s a list of well known options:
In general, use tools that will require little configuration and effort on your part and allow you to focus on the real problems. No one will be handing out prizes for the best sysadmin this weekend.
Design Frameworks and Templates
If you have a design superhero on your team, you may want to ignore this advice, but in reality, every team should just start with some sort of CSS/HTML framework. Twitter Bootstrap is a popular one that will give you more than just structure, but some common UI elements. There are plenty of others out there. For example, here’s a post from Web Designer Depot on 30 useful frameworks for designers, and a little more googling will give you even more choices. Also, you may have your own boilerplate templates you want to start with, just make sure you aren’t spending your afternoon defining basic layouts and making your app responsive when you can get that for free from a framework.
Constrain your solution
Don’t try to solve all the problems and be realistic. You only have the weekend to build something that falls in one of the many tracks of Hack4Colorado. Choose simplicity over complexity. And keep in mind that you can keep developing after the weekend with your new friends. If you can get a small application that demonstrates a command of the issue and does it beautifully, you’ll really impress the judges. Think of this as your working prototype and your launching pad for something more, not the final product.
Get your pitch down
Take some time even at the beginning to envision your demo and pitch. Focus on what you need to show the judges and audience to demonstrate how your hack is unique. Work backwards from there and set your punch list at the beginning to make sure you can accomplish your pitch. And of course, iterate a couple of times, but start with a vision. Also, don’t show anyone how to log in to your application. We’ve seen enough login screens. Focus on what makes your hack different.
Define winning
It’s easy to get caught up in defining winning as being awarded a prize. But it is important to define winning in other ways. This weekend is a great opportunity to learn, network, and have fun. Make sure you don’t lose sight of the opportunity to meet others, exchange ideas, and grow as a developer, designer or problem solver. Even if you don’t carry home a cash prize, hopefully you will carry home a lot of experience you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Also, this is an opportunity to get plugged in to a larger community working on civic hacking and innovation in Colorado through Colorado Code for Communities. Regardless of your team’s outcome, there are lots of opportunities to hone your skills and build networks in a collaborative environment throughout the year. Winning is more than the prizes, it is about being connected and feeling connected to something bigger.
Take care of yourself
This is an intense weekend and it’s easy to get lost in the bleary-eyed 2 AM code sprint, but it’s really important to take care of yourself. Remember to drink lots of water.
Beer, coffee and energy drinks, although liquid, will not give you the nourishment your body needs from good old-fashioned water. Take naps! You may find yourself better able to complete a task or solve tricky problems with just a little sleep. It’s good to step away from the computer from time to time. Give yourself permission to leave. It’ll make you more productive and less cranky. Even if you don’t take a nap, at least go for a walk, stretch out, and get some fresh air. Changing your environment up can help you be more creative and productive, especially when you’re in a rut. Feel free to bring a toothbrush if you plan on staying through the night. Brushing your teeth can give you that fresh feeling and help energize you in the morning. And no one else will complain if you have minty fresh breath. And finally, take care of each other. Make sure your teammates are eating, drinking water and stepping away. Give everyone the mental encouragement they’ll need and remember that this is fun!
Have fun
And that brings us to the most important of all, have fun! This is really about doing what we love in community. Sure, the competition is great, but many of you come because you love the challenges. And not to mention lots of entertainment for the code weary, including Nerf gun wars and big wheel races. This weekend is not just about the hacks and apps that come out of you and your team, it’s about celebrating a community of folks dedicated to using technology to solve tough civic and community problems. Budding entrepreneurs, creative people, problem solvers, community activists, designers, and the like will come together this weekend to be Geeks for the Good of Colorado.
Look forward to seeing you all this weekend! Remember, do your homework and rest up, it’s going to be a fun weekend!