A lot of people have been attending Everything Open for years and years, and have built up a shared knowledge of terms that make no sense to newcomers!
If you hear/read a term that seems like inside knowledge, don't be afraid to ask, and please add it here for other folks!
Attendee-organised gatherings or persistent chats about particular topics or goals.
Organising BOFs is being done mainly through the BOFs page, and advertised in the [Matrix][/Matrix] server.
Named after "Birds of a feather, flock together" to reflect a gathering of people with similar interests.
Another Linux Australia conference, PyCon AU has a great explanation with tips on how to organise and run successful BOFs.
Referring to talking to people in the hallways between or outside the formal talk rooms, or chatrooms. Reflects the valuable connections and community gained.