Lucene Track

[Grant Ingersoll <gs...@apache.org>]

Hi Planners,

Here's our thoughts on justification for a Lucene track:

<snip>
Based on size of the Lucene community, and the success of the Lucene track
at previous conferences, we believe there is sufficient interest in a
two-day track of sessions focusing on the broader Lucene Ecosystem
(Solr, Nutch, Tika, Mahout, Lucene-Java, and Lucene ports to other
languages) ...

* Day #1: Focusing on introductory material for beginner and
  novice users of Lucene products.  These types of talks have
  routinely been "standing room only" at previous conferences.
  (In rooms with 100+ chairs)
  - High level introduction to the Lucene Ecosystem
  - Deep dives and demonstrations of the features of various
    Lucene (and related) products: Lucene-Java, Solr, Nutch, Tika,
    and Mahout.

* Day #2: Focusing on more detailed topics, that will appeal to more
  experienced users.  While these types of talks generally attract
  smaller more niche audiences than the introductory talks, they
  generally are still well attended.
  - In depth case studies of using one or more Lucene products
  - Discussions of advanced techniques for utilizing Lucene
    products to solve novel problems
  - Demonstrations of lesser known features
</snip>

And here's a brief marketing blurb for the website:

<snip>
Apache Lucene is a robust and powerful, open source, search toolkit that powers search and discovery in thousands of applications and websites ranging from very well known corporations to startups creating next generation intelligent applications.  Whether it's embedding Lucene on a mobile app or harnessing the power and simplicity of Apache Solr's free-text search and
faceting capabilities, or simply powering web-scale search via Apache Nutch, chances are Lucene has a solution to meet your needs.

The Lucene Track at ApacheCon will feature a full slate of training, talks and networking on the entire Lucene ecosystem. A wide range of discussions will cover both the technical and business details of Lucene. Networking events will help connect you with the creators of all of the Lucene projects as well as other members of the rapidly growing Lucene community. We look
forward to seeing you there!
</snip>

Also, I noticed Sally already put out a CFP for a Biz Track.  Is that something we should do to?

Let me know if you have any questions.  

-Grant