This one time, at Podcamp…
March 31, 2009 — RedHeadedDivaK | Edit
Having worked in the higher education industry for the past eight years, I have experienced numerous trainings, conferences and workshops. All these gatherings entice attendees with their glossy signs, packed agendas, and overstuffed tchotchky goodie bags. You might come away with some valuable knowledge from these events, but mostly you are excited by the freebies.
So you can imagine my surprise when Tommy and I headed to Holyoke on a beautiful Saturday morning to experience Western Mass Podcamp. Dubbed an “unconference”, Podcamp promised an open and encouraging learning environment lead by no one except its attendees. It’s a day of learning and sharing social media expertise, and those who don’t understand might just call it geeky (what do they know?). We pulled up to a brick mill building called Open Square, and we weren’t sure this was the place until we saw a wee post-it note on the door simply stating “Podcamp Western Mass”. I admit it, I was rather skeptical. After all, where were the fancy signs? The suited-up attendees? The valet parking? No no, none of that here – remember, this is an unconference, and we were about to learn the valuable difference an event like this would make.
Upon entering the building and arriving on the second floor, we were warmly greeted by Morriss Partee, one of the coordinators. He immediately recognized us as “the couple” that signed up. I felt at home already! “Shays’ Rebellion” Steve Sherlock was handling check-in, and his minuteman hat set a fun vibe for the day. We joined the ever-growing crowd in the main lobby and enjoyed some coffee and muffins from the GoNOMAD cafe.
Morriss kicked off the day by explaining the ground rules of Podcamp. Basically, there are no rules! The day is yours to make. If you want to lead a session, stick a post-it on the wall. If you want to check out a different session than the one you went to, you can do that – use the “two feet” rule. 
If you notice something needs to be done, feel free to take the initiative to do so. This is an unconference, and it is for all to participate and enjoy.
Before departing for our first sessions, we introduced ourselves to the group and found out there was some amazing and interesting company among us. There was Liz Washer, writer and publicist. Marlin May aka Zentinal, owner of FantasticDimensions.com. VooDooStevie with his online show, VooDooRadio.org. Paul Monaco and Dan Swatik, co-founders of DaimokuChart.com. Fabulous Realtors Lesley Lambert and Diane Guercio. Marci Webber, owner of Naomi’s Inn Bed and Breakfast. John Elder Robison, bestselling author. Consultant Christine Pilch of GrowMyCompany.org. Fantastic area journalists and social media goddesses Tish Grier and Jaclyn Stevenson (who both helped plan the event). And so many more individuals that made this conference something outstanding!
Each session proved to be a powerful thinktank where everyone had their input. Nobody felt uneasy, and everyone felt like an equal. While I typically tilt the scale to the farthest side of extroversion, I took a backseat today. I was here to learn, to gather knowledge from these folks. I was pleased that Tommy felt comfortable enough to lead the Google Analytics section – he is usually the quieter one in these situations. I still hope my personality came out, but I hope to attend more of these functions in the future to get to know these folks even more.
It was very clear that Twitter was the preferred method of social networking at this conference. Most attendees were Tweeters, and those who were not quickly learned. Of course, Facebook and LinkedIn were also hot topics, as were advanced social media tools such as Flickr and BriteKite. Managing your online persona and hyper local blogging proved lively conversation, as did podcasting, video blogging and blogging 101.
We were saddened not to be able to attend the after party at The Mick – the board we sit on was holding a concert that evening featuring Seven Nations. It was a lot of fun but we both agreed that Podcamp was the preferred activity of the day!
So, lessons learned? You don’t need to have fancy signs and goodie bags to put on a great event. Podcamp gave us the greatest take-away prize yet – lots of knowledge, a fun-filled Saturday and lots of new and fantastic friends! Thanks to all who helped make it awesome, and we’ll see you next time!
Filed under: Technology | 2 Comments
Tags: facebook, linkedin, podcamp, social media, Technology, twitter, western massachusetts
