Christopher S. Penn – Marketing AI Keynote Speaker

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  • From mass to grass and back

    Chris Brogan and I have been watching and participating in the dynamo that is PodCamp NYC, and he recently pondered how to keep a sense of community in a large crowd? On ko chi shin – let’s look outside conferences. Remember the Dunbar number? It’s a sociology theory that says the maximum group size of any given social network in which a person can maintain stable relationships – i.e. where everyone knows your name – is about 150. Once you get beyond that, things don’t work as well, according to sociologist Robin Dunbar.

    Dunbar’s surveys of village and tribe sizes also appeared to approximate this predicted value, including 150 as the estimated size of a neolithic farming village; 150 as the splitting point of Hutterite settlements; 200 as the upper bound on the number of academics in a discipline’s sub-specialization; 150 as the basic unit size of professional armies in Roman antiquity and in modern times since the 16th century; and notions of appropriate company size.

    What does this mean for PodCamp NYC? Dunbar’s theories tend to suggest that people will self-reorganize around 150 connections, either dropping some, reprioritizing, or in some cases, like in communes, simply splitting off to a new commune or colony.

    This is what I believe will happen at PodCamp NYC, and in virtually every large UnConference. People will simply divide up into optimal group sizes for the application at hand – it may not be Dunbar’s number, which is more of a theoretical maximum limit. I believe that people will naturally self-group, and in those groups you’ll have lots of opportunities for conversation.

    What DOES need to happen is to ensure that groups are as diverse as possible – no college student group over here, no Fortune 500 executive group over there. The individual sessions, I believe, will help with that, as there will be lots of interest from all the demographics in different topics. It’s up to session speakers and ambassadors to encourage as many connections as possible, and to keep mixing things up, so that groups, while they will form, will be an enjoyable experience for all.

    Above all else, if everyone keeps in mind the central ideas of PodCamp – learn, share, grow, contribute – then everyone will walk away richer for the experience. Even though the audience size will in aggregate be large, I think keeping these tenets in mind will help encourage the grassroots experience.

    See you at PodCamp.

  • The History of PodCamp: Early Days

    A few people have asked me about how PodCamp got started, the history behind it, etc. so I thought I’d take some time to recollect my perspective of how this grand adventure got started.PodCamp more or less got started on a Yahoo Group called New England Podcasting (since moved to Google) on February 6, 2006, when a few of us were lamenting that all the big podcasting events seemed to be on the West Coast – Podcast and Portable Media Expo, Podcast Hotel in Seattle, Podcast Academy, and so forth. Initially, we’d talked about calling it the New England Podcasting Expo (I still own that domain name, amusingly), and the group as a whole had both eagerness and skepticism about creating such a large event. Some of the remarks were prescient and funny in retrospect.

    I’d eagerly vote for a Northeast/New England Podcast expo of some kind. My initial feeling is that it should start relatively small – so as to not make us all instantly insane – and then grow it. Maybe the first one or two should be like a meetup on steroids; if they can be managed well, tightly, then you could conceivably have one every six months, or even one per quarter. Certainly trying to go for a Podcast/Portable Media Expo right out of the gate would be cumbersome, but theoretically possible. – me

    The podfather of New England, C.C. Chapman, played devil’s advocate in the debate:

    Ok one thing I’m not clear on is the “WHY” for this event. I’m with John that by calling it an Expo it makes it seem like something bigger. I like the idea of having a big get together. LOVE that idea, but I’m not sure the world needs another “expo” with Podcast Hotel this month, Podcast Academy happeningi n Boston in April, the PodcastPalooza thing in Texas in June and then the Podcast Expo in the fall in Cali. Oh and don’t forget PodcasterCon in January. Kind of crowded if you get what I mean. Do we expect people to come from outside of New England to this? Just sort of playing devil’s advocate for a minute.

    Michael Johnson of the Indigenous People’s Music Podcast even volunteered a meeting room or two at Foxwoods. Steve Garfield ventured this comment about the logistics of setting up a conference:

    you could organize it as an un-conference see this:
    https://barcamp.org/

    Steve, you’re always the visionary.

    Ultimately, the time frame we’d set – a couple of months – didn’t seem feasible, so we shelved the idea for a while. Then in May, I went to BarCamp Boston and met up with Chris Brogan and Bryan Person. We ran around a lot, recording various sessions, and realized two things:

    1. BarCamp was extremely technical.

    2. The BarCamp unconference model where everyone just kind of does stuff was a really good one.

    Snarkily, after BarCamp Boston, I made something of an offhand comment:

    Well, we have standing offers from CC Chapman for Babson College and Michael Kickingbear for space at Foxwoods. We’re all Type A personalities with a billion things on our plates, which means we don’t have the time to put together a full-out, hardcore conference. So here’s a thought, an idea, something for everyone to debate,
    encapsulated into one word.

    PodCamp.

    Chris Brogan and I started talking an awful lot about a conference idea, and Chris dropped this on the group:

    I mentioned a few weeks back about wanting to get together and do some technical howto exchanges with people, basically sharing out our skill sets with the mindset that someone knows something you don’t, and you know something they don’t. Tentatively, I’m thinking about a September gathering timeframe, and probably somewhere that’s train-accessible to Boston but still affordable (free) as a gathering spot. That’s all I want to share about that right now. Does that sound even vaguely interesting? If we get enough “yes” or “tell me more” type responses, I’ll put even more effort into making it really memorable (like flying a top-shelf podcaster or 2 in to visit with us all, etc).

    Of course, we eviscerated Chris for implying that New England’s podcasters weren’t top-shelf, but once over that little bit of semantic, Bryan Person suggested:

    I, for one, will not be attending the Expo and wouldn’t be opposed to a local hands-on session in September. Mrs. Person is pregnant and due the second week of October, so I need to be close to home. I throw this out: what about a PodCamp the Saturday after Labor Day, September 9? Just a thought.

    And the official announcement from Chris Brogan:

    The plan for the event is a 2 day UNconference, similar to BarCamp in format and style. We’re at the very early planning stages, and need lots of help from whoever can participate in some way. Remember, unconferences are built by the participants, for the participants, and are fueled by your participation as an attendee.

    At this point, we need it all: venue, sponsors, helpers, podsafe bands

    You can help by going to https://podcamp.pbwiki.com (real live URL forthcoming – thanks Chris Penn and Financial Aid Podcast), signing up, signing in, and thinking of ways we can get this all put together. The password is: nepod

    This won’t be just another meet-up. The style and format of events like this is such that we can have gear show and tells, podcasting 101 talks, panels on how to work with bands on getting more podsafe music, and whatever else interests you. If you’re interested in podcasting at any level, there’s something that someone else will want to talk with you about.

    Reading up about how BarCamp works is a good way to understand what we’re doing here.

    At this point, it was mid-June, around June 20. The rocketship took off after this – the organizing team of Steve Garfield, Chris Brogan, Bryan Person, and me got off the ground. After about 6 weeks of search, we settled on historic Bunker Hill Community College with the help of Adam Weiss and the Boston Museum of Science.

    PodCamp Boston arrived in the blink of an eye, literally. At one point during the setup process, we weren’t sure we’d have enough money to even have the event, and the next thing we knew, we were 33% over our needs. One week, we weren’t sure 100 people would come, and two weeks later, we had 400 people registered, of which about 300 attended.

    Some quick looks back:

    [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=729mmj0aaMg[/youtube]

    [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfN_7y9vvq0[/youtube]

    [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WAw4NLEZdQ[/youtube]

    The funny thing was, the roller coaster didn’t stop at Boston. It kept rolling, kept picking up steam:

    Podcamp Atlanta – March 16-18, 2007 at Emory University
    Podcamp Toronto – February 24-25, 2007 @ Ryerson University
    PodCamp Second Life – January 26-28, 2007 in Second Life
    Podcamp Germany – January 12 – 14 in Berlin
    PodCamp Copenhagen – December 10, 2006 in Copenhagen
    PodCamp Kompresory – Dec. 11-12, 2006, Atlanta
    PodCampWest – Nov. 18-19, 2006, San Francisco
    PodCamp Pittsburgh – Nov. 10-12, 2006
    PodCamp Boston – September 9-10, 2006. The first-ever PodCamp!

    This weekend, April 7, is PodCamp NYC, in the heart of the city that never sleeps. We’ll have over 1,000 people registered to attend, over 60 presentations, and new opportunities to build and grow our community.

    What a wild ride.

  • UnOfficial Guide to PodCamp NYC 1.8

    Lots of updates. This sucker is now 35 pages, 3.9 MB, but hopefully worth it. Crossposting here for those who read CSP.com and not FAP.com

  • Bum Rushing spreads

    I love how the term is now synonymous with gaming charts – YesButNoButYes is asking for help Bum Rushing Technorati. Bum Rush is yet another meme in the new media world that has redefined an archaic piece of language into a brand, and that’s pretty darned cool.

  • TwitterPitch

    Laura Allen, one of the organizers for PodCamp NYC, is famous for her 15-second pitch consultancy, in which she helps refine people’s personal branding statement to 15 seconds or less. Here’s a challenge for Laura and everyone else:

    Can you fit your personal pitch, grammatically correct, inside one Twitter, 140 characters?

    Should you be able to?

  • The PodCamp NYC Top 20 People You Must Meet

    After reading my partner and friend Chris Brogan’s latest post, I’ve put together a list of the Top 20 People You MUST Meet at PodCamp NYC. All of them have something in common, and all of them should be on your “networking list”. More in a minute. First, the list:

    • Andrew Gallagher. Technology Coach,NYC Department of Education.To learn more about posting and hosting PodCasting on the Internet. I have used GarageBand to produce some PodCasts, but have yet to learn how to post them on iTunes.
    • Anne Fraser, Participant. I have enjoyed listening and viewing podcasts and teaching teachers and senior citizens the advantage of podcasts in their lives. I would like to learn more about podcasts and how they are useful to people of all ages.
    • Ava Barzvi I’m just starting to think about starting my own podcast, after helping others promote theirs!
    • Ben Velez. Marketing. Looking to learn the basics to set up and grow my own podcast.
    • Bill Rowalnd. Eager participant, newbie interested in learning more about this creative medium.
    • Carol Cox. Science teacher, The Dalton School. Looking to learn what is new and how toapply it to my classroom work with the little ones – I teach gr. K – 3.
    • Cynthia Meyers. Professor, College of Mount Saint Vincent. Wants to learn more for teaching a New Technologies course.
    • Darlene Liebman. Producer, HowCast. I want to start a podcast, but not sure how.
    • Dave Mangano. New podcaster, who wants to network and learn from others about developing content and building an audience.
    • Dina Rosen. Asst. Professor, Kean University. Looking for information on practices and research related to podcasts, especially as a learning tool.
    • Faith McLellan – Participant. Looking forward to learning the ropes!
    • Gary Taylor Assistant Headmaster, Wooster School. Learn about social media and marketing opportunities vis podcasting.
    • Gene Desepoli Looking for a good understanding of what I need to get started in podcasting re: equipment and services like libsyn, wordpress, etc.
    • Greg Cannon Participant looking for ideas, inspiration, and some ideas on possibly starting a podcast.
    • Jacqueline Cantwell. Law librarian, Brooklyn Supreme Court of Law. Our library is thinking of starting podcasting. I need to get up to speed on technology and content presentation.
    • Jacqueline Dolly Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, Junior Achievement of New York. Wish to learn more about podcasting and techniques/strategy.
    • Jill Neimark, Participant. I look forward to learning How to Podcast.
    • Nancy Sharoff. Ellenville Elementary School. I’d like to learn more about podcasting and how to incorporate it into a 5th/6th grade math class.
    • Scott Russell. I hope to learn more about the Podcast culture and get ideas to motivate my efforts to create a Podcast of my own.
    • Tynisha Thompson I am hoping to learn more about podcasting and network with some of my podcast heroes, like Leesa Barnes and Jason Van Orden. I’m hoping to get the kick in the pants I need to start my own podcast this year.

    Now, what’s the common thread? These people are a selection from the registrant list of new people in podcasting, either looking to get started, or just fresh out of the gates. They are tomorrow’s rockstars. They are the people who are going to bring fresh ideas, fresh concepts, and fresh talent to podcasting, to keep it new and exciting, to dream up ways of using new media that aren’t even on our radar scopes now.

    If you come to PodCamp NYC looking to meet rockstars, you will. But if you come to PodCamp NYC looking to meet tomorrow’s rockstars, you’ll get an inside edge that no one else has.

  • Twitter Updates for 2007-03-29

    • Doing a little stumping on LinkedIn for PodCamp NYC. They’re still short about $5K despite massive campaigning. #
    • Going to go hunting for venues for JobCamp now. #
    • Planning out tomorrow’s episode. It’s Financial Aid Podcast #500. Got something to say? 206-350-1208 #
    • In Second Life at Matthew Ebel concert. https://www.MatthewEbel.com/treehouse/ #
    • Matthew Ebel concert MOVED: https://www.matthewebel.com/treehouse #
    • @DrewOlanoff: urltea.com #
    • @JaffeJuice: ask Chris Brogan to do his BarCamp Boston presentation on social networking in the 1700s. It’s phenomenal. #
    • asleep #
    • Off to work. Got new Matthew Ebel bootlegs loaded on the iPod. #
    • Final call for comments for Financial Aid Podcast 500: call 206-350-1208, leave a message! #
    • @Bryper: heck no. The community’s been so generous with feedback, there’s not much show left for me to do 🙂 You all rock! #
    • Pitching in as I can to help PodCamp NYC. Budget shortfall ~ $5K due to venue change. Sponsors needed, financialaidpodcast at gmail.com #
    • PodcastingTricks.com says avoid Google Pay Per Action. I think Scott’s conclusions are wrong. https://www.christopherspenn.com/youve-discovered-the-missing-link/ What do you think? #
    • @jmoonah: Don’t discount Soundtrack Pro. For intense audio editing, it whips the pants off of Audition. For super fast video prod – iMovie #

  • Scott Bourne says to avoid PPA – but he may be wrong

    Scott Bourne, author of the PodcastingTricks.com blog, had this to say about PPA recently:

    This allows advertisers to define an expected result such as a user downloading a demo version of software or buying a book. When that action takes place (and only when that action takes place) the publisher of the ad gets paid.

    Here’s the problem with PPA and other recent advertising schemes aimed at requiring online media advertising sellers to perform at levels over and above their competition. . . It isn’t fair!

    Let’s say you run an ad for Visa. The action they are willing to pay for is applying for a credit card online. As the publisher, you only get paid if that transaction takes place as described. For instance, if your audience sees/hears the ad and takes action somewhere else (by calling an 800-number or applying for a Visa card at their bank) you don’t get paid.

    So while the advertiser gets exposure, gets to extend or re-inforce their brand, gets to educate their prospects, you ONLY get paid if the transaction happens immediately at your site.

    Here’s where I think Scott’s conclusion doesn’t work for me. Advertisers are willing – at least the ones with foresight – to pay more for performance, particularly in highly competitive verticals. The further down the funnel a PPA program can go, the more the advertiser will pay, because you’re offloading risk to your content producers.

    As an example, I work at the Student Loan Network, and we have both an affiliate program (which is essentially PPA) and Adwords campaigns. We pay up a fair amount per click via Adwords, but because of constant abuses on the content network, we’ve restricted our spend to the search network only, meaning that podcasters earn NO money from us whatsoever.

    Conversely, for every returned student loan consolidation application we get from you as an affiliate, we pay $100. Given that most podcast web sites don’t drive huge volumes of traffic (thereby making CPM and PPC worthwhile), running media-style impression campaigns still won’t pay off.

    PPA/Sponsorship/Affiliate programs stand, in my view, to be the best bang for the buck for podcasters because podcasters have a close relationship with their audiences – closer than, say, an advertiser in the NY Times or on FOX. If you’ve earned your audience’s trust, when you tell them to check out product X on your web site, you should see high conversion, and with PPA, that means the potential for some serious revenue.

    Are you reinforcing the advertiser’s brand with PPA? Yes – but no more so than with CPM or PPC advertising models. At least with PPA, chances are the payouts will be higher – and if you can’t motivate your audiences to support your show via the advertising channel you’ve selected, then it’s more an indicator that you need to boost your persuasion power with your audience than a flaw in the advertising model.

    But I may be wrong, too.

  • Twitter Updates for 2007-03-28

  • Preserve the chain – how to make blogtag more valuable

    I inadvertently put a twist on blog tag games that makes total sense. When Chris Brogan tagged me with Aidan Hatch’s game, I added to it that you had to keep the chain alive – repost everyone who was tagged before you. This accomplishes three things:

    1. Lets you see who has gone before you and how long the chain is.
    2. Gives inbound link love to those before you
    3. Incentivizes you to preserve the rule so that people you tag link back to you in future generations

    The last time we saw this kind of link generation was with the 2000 Bloggers project, and that brought lots of link love to everyone involved. This is a classic network effect – every person who fully participates brings added value to all the other participants, and encourages future participation, just like the purchase of every fax machine makes previous buyers’ purchases more valuable.

    Finally, a benefit to those social scientists among us – this lets you create trees and maps with greater ease.

    The next time you play a game of blog tag, will you preserve the chain?

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