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How much would two days with 200 of the smartest people in new media be worth? PodCamp Boston 6 is just around the corner, September 24-25, 2011 at the Microsoft N.E.R.D Center in Cambridge, MA. Join up to 200 of your fellow new media practitioners for 2 days as you learn, share, and grow your new media skills together.This year's theme is "the ultimate takeaway" for those old and new to the fun and learning of Podcamp. Too many conferences simply throw random stuff at you and leave you to fend for yourself. Maybe you learn something, maybe you don't, but you have precious little in the way of takeaways. We aim to change that experience for you. During the weekend we will be creating a collaborative guidebook using Google Docs collections that will help you create a blog, podcast, social media channels, and more. The presenters will provide frameworks and starting materials, and then you and your fellow participants will lend your shared notes and insights to it. At the end, you'll walk away with a true book of PodCamp that will help you long after the weekend is over. What might you learn? Here's a quick look at just a few of the sessions:
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"There are only two things of importance. One is the customer, and the other is the product. If you take care of customers, they come back. If you take care of your product, it doesn't come back. It's just that simple. And it's just that difficult." -- Stanley Marcus
Meantime, Chris Brogan when told John was going to be there, had already read John's book (Look me in the Eye; in the center) and wanted to meet him.
It was a pleasure to introduce the two during the lunch hour.
Thanks to CC Chapman for this photo. I took one also but his came out way better.
#pcb4
I'll have mine here eventually.
It was a great event and I have a few takeaways to share. Just need to integrate the time to post those with everything else going on this week.
In the meantime, watch the Twitter stream or the Flickr group.
Was the Welcome Desk that hard at PodCamp Boston for something to have puzzled Doug Haslam (@DougH) and I so?
At least for the moment that @CC_Chapman captured it was!
More reflections and pictures to come from the energizing weekend spent at PCB4 on the lovely UMAss Boston campus.
Lots of folks have written about their experiences at PodCamps past and what they're doing to get ready for PodCamp Boston 4. We wanted to take a few moments to reinforce some things that will help you get the most out of your PodCamp experience, whether this is your first or fiftieth PodCamp.
1. PodCamp promotes the Law of Two Feet. If you're not getting what you want out of any activity, session, discussion, or conversation, get up, walk out, and find something that makes better use of your time. PodCamp is full of people who have rich knowledge and experience from all walks of life. Everyone has something to share, to teach, to learn.
2. PodCamp is what you make it. I compare it to an artist's setup. The organizers, the event, are basically setting out an easel, canvas, paint, and brushes for you. You and your fellow participants determine whether you take home a masterpiece or a blank canvas. Not sure where to start? The best way to experience PodCamp is to make a list of burning questions you have about new media before you go, and then ask around at the event and get different perspectives on your questions.
3. PodCamp is not BarCamp, WordCamp, FooCamp, or *.Camp. PodCamp is probably more structured and certainly organized differently than other unconferences you've been to by design. It was our experience very early on at the first PodCamp Boston that for folks who are new to new media and new to unconferences, additional structure helped them make the transition from their experience with other conferences to a new media conference easier. If you're an unconference veteran, you'll find a day-of wiki and plenty of open space to do as you like. If you're brand new to PodCamp, you'll find enough on the schedule to make you comfortable (or justify the expense to a boss who isn't coming!) while letting you experience the unconference format at your own pace.
4. PodCamp promotes the Law of Null Space. We do our best to pick venues that have lots of open space, flexible seating, and opportunities for ad hoc discussions and conversations. The formal programmed sessions exist only as support for people not already engaged in great conversations of their own. If you and a few like minded folks want to talk about something, broadcast it on Twitter, yell it in a hallway, and gather people to the nearest convenient space to have the discussion you want to have.
The formal discussion schedule for PodCamp Boston 4 has been posted and can be viewed on our Schedule page. A few notes:
1. Don't print it out just yet. It's subject to change.
2. You'll note there are 3 rooms and 1 space (possibly more) that are designated as open/unplanned. These are spaces that are lounges with comfortable seating designed for all the impromptu conversations, discussions, guitar performances, etc. that happen at PodCamps. We'll have a wiki page up on the day of the event that will let you schedule these spaces freely, and they're being left up to you entirely.
3. Did we mention it's subject to change?
4. The most important part of PodCamp isn't the schedule or planned discussions. These are at most a third of your PodCamp experience, if that. The real juice is in all the hallway conversations, all the side chats, impromptu activities, etc. that happen spontaneously. The planned discussions are there just to give you some starting points for discussions.
5. PodCamp obeys the Law of Two Feet: just because you sat down in a scheduled discussion doesn't mean you have to stay there. You are expected- obligated, really, to get up and walk out if you're not getting what you want out of the discussion. Go to another one. Go to an unplanned space. Get the most out of PodCamp by doing what you want to do, listening to the conversations you want to listen to.
Beginner, intermediate, or advanced - what’s next is on everyone’s mind, right?
If you’re wondering what’s next in social media, there’s no better place to find out than at PodCamp, regardless of whether you’re just getting started or you’re a veteran practitioner. Unlike other conferences which are just talking head affairs, PodCamp gives you the opportunity to learn, share, and grow your skills at any level, helping your community as it helps you
Podcasting and social media has gone beyond the geek set this year and many of us are engaging with businesses and corporations to educate them. At Podcamp Boston 4 lies the opportunities to teach people and companies about podcasting and social media. Learn from others who have a wealth of knowledge to share.
The peer-to-peer learning available from this event has a great return on investment (ROI). What ever you can put into it, you will get something in return.
