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
Category: PodCamp
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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?
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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.
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The Fifth Rule of PodCamp
Chris Brogan and I have been discussing the four rules of PodCamp and have agreed to expand this ruleset to include one more rule for current and future PodCamps, to insure continued trust from the new media community:
Rule 5: The financials of a PodCamp must be fully disclosed in an open ledger, except for any donor/sponsor who wishes to remain anonymous.
In recent discussions, we’ve talked about the value of transparency and trust, and having open books for all the world to see will continue to build on the trust the community places in PodCamp events. Except for anonymous donors, it’s expected that you’ll post a ledger detailing income and expenses down to a transactional level.
This doesn’t mean that you couldn’t make money off of PodCamp, but it does mean that you have to disclose it. If, as we did after PodCamp Boston, you have a balance of funds left over from a PodCamp, that’s fine – organizers are free to do with it as they wish, as long as it is disclosed. (For the record, the balance of funds from PodCamp Boston 1 are sitting in an ING Direct account awaiting use for PodCamp Boston 2.)
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PodCamp on a cruise ship
I’m going to PodCruise. Hell, I’m sponsoring. This is such an awesome idea – because after you factor in hotel and meals, attending a PodCamp usually costs a fair penny anyway.
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Brand as information source – my drive to PodCamp Toronto
I had an interesting experience on my way to PodCamp Toronto that I recorded as audio, but unfortunately, the quality of the audio was less than ideal, so I’m turning it into text. When I first entered Canada (thanks to the folks sitting at the table next to us at dinner for clarifying what Canada was, a former Dominion and now a federal constitutional monarchy – the US is a federal republic), I saw some brands that I completely did not recognize.
What was interesting though, was that other brands that I was familiar with conferred information about the unfamiliar brands. On the drive to Toronto, I first encountered a sign for Tim Hortons almost as soon as I entered the country. I had no idea what Tim Hortons was at all. However, what helped immediately was that it was next to a Wendy’s and McDonald’s logo on the road sign. That instantly communicated that Tim Hortons was a food source of some kind.
In this case, known brands established the function of another brand. While they didn’t necessarily convey any information about the quality of Tim Hortons, it told me enough to know what general function Tim Hortons played.
In another instance, driving along the QEW, I saw a store called Chapters. It was somewhat apparent that Chapters was a bookstore of some kind, but what really made it obvious was the positioning of a Starbucks coffeeshop in the corner of the Chapters. In this case, architecture and design of another brand indicated to me what the main brand was all about, much more so than the name or logo. Christopher Alexander, author of The Timeless Way of Building, calls this a pattern language of architecture – how we use a space defines the space. How bookstores use coffeeshops not only define the coffeeshops, but also define the bookstores.
The most interesting thing to me as a marketer, driving into Canada, was that purely Canadian brands had exactly zero brand equity with me, being an American who doesn’t get out much. As a result, I was being exposed to their brands for the first time, and I took note of what their brands conveyed and how quickly I “got it” with regard to their brands.
In an environment where brands have no equity, no mindshare, functionality is king – the brand name itself has to provide useful information so that I know what it does. On the top of the obvious charts: ScotiaBank (extra props for sponsoring PodCamp), Bank of Montreal, Maple Leaf Foods, Rogers Communications. On the list of brands whose names conveyed no useful information: Leon’s, Tim Hortons, Aviva, Country Style, and Domtar.
If you’re not a brand equity leader, or if you’re the leader with only a certain segment of the population, make sure your brand name conveys useful information in and of itself. Edvisors, Inc. is not as helpful as Student Loan Network or Financial Aid Podcast. Tim Hortons doesn’t say as much as Dunkin Donuts, but says about as much as Starbucks. If you’re in a niche market and looking to expand, think about what your brand says to someone with whom it has no equity – do they know enough to at least inquire about you if they need services in your vertical?
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PodCamp NYC Hotels
One thing that’s missing from the PodCamp NYC boards is where to stay. No host hotel seems to have been selected. In my brief research, here’s what I’ve found.
On Travelocity, searching for hotels with free High Speed Internet Access yielded these nearby results:
- Best Western Seaport – 33 PECK SLIP AT FRONT ST – New York, NY 10038 – $218/night – .39 mi
- Hampton Inn Manhattan Seaport – 320 PEARL ST – New York, NY 10038 – $209/night – .43 mi
- Holiday Inn Downtown – 138 LAFAYETTE STREET – New York, NY 10013 – $233/night – .49 mi
There are other hotels in the area, but Internet access is unconfirmed at them.
What have you found?
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The Spirit of PodCamp: Rockstars
In talking this week with folks from the various PodCamps about things like logistics and fundraising, one discussion that hasn’t happened which I think is worth mentioning is the topic of rockstars.
Rockstars, loosely defined, are the A-List, “name brands” in any given vertical. In podcasting, they’re the people who tend to have really large audiences and recognized personal brands – Andrew Baron, Amanda Congdon, lonelygirl15, Robert Scoble, and so forth. Rockstars are great to have if you’re a conference planner because they add name recognition to your event, encouraging sponsors to contribute more, encouraging attendees to pay more, etc.
UnConferences like PodCamp are a different breed. Rockstars are of course more than welcome, because it’s a bonus for attendees to be able to talk and network with people they might not otherwise get a chance to, but PodCamp is not about the rockstars of today, at least not to me.
From my perspective, PodCamp is about finding the rockstars of tomorrow, the people who have got great things ahead of them, and if you’re smart, you’ll get to know them and become friends with them early on. For example, one of the folks who “get it” about PodCamp is Jeff Pulver, who, when he saw what Chris Brogan was capable of, offered him a job on the spot. PodCamp is about meeting people and learning what’s possible, what you can do, and how you can help podcasting and new media grow as a medium.
Everyone who attends PodCamp and participates is a rockstar of tomorrow – even if they don’t know it. One of the central tenets of PodCamp is “everyone is free to participate” – so be sure to attend sessions by people you’ve never heard of. If you have something worth sharing and contributing to the community, by all means please participate!
There are gems to be found in unexplored territory. Make as many new friends and relationships as possible at a PodCamp near you.
Be sure to check out the PodCamp homepage for upcoming PodCamps.
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PodCamp NYC Needs Your BRAIN
Chris Brogan has a thing he calls Friend-Sourcing; others have called it collaboration, the wisdom of the crowd, etc. Regardless of what you call it, here’s the situation at PodCamp NYC. The event is moving along smoothly except for one thing. Due to liability and regulations which they have little control over, the New School cannot grant Internet access to PodCamp NYC. After all the lawsuits about the RIAA going after colleges recently, I can’t blame them one bit – PodCamp is a great social movement and a great learning opportunity, but if I were the dean of the New School, I don’t know that I could risk the potential of a lawsuit – justified or not – from the RIAA. One lawsuit could literally put you out of business.
So, the short version is that PodCamp NYC needs a wi-fi solution (and the RIAA are a bunch of boobs). Some options being explored are things like a permanent dedicated line from a fixed wireless vendor, but I KNOW there are other solutions out there. There was an episode of Geek Brief TV a while back when Cali had a Wi-Fi access point with an EVDO card slot that she used as their permanent wireless solution at home. If I remember correctly, it delivered close to 1 Mbps downstream. I think she said the solution was about $300; a few of those floating around and you’d have coverage. It wouldn’t be OC-3 quality, but it’d be better than going dark.
At BarCamp Boston, a takeaway from that event was that if you give a bunch of geeks a solution, they tend to point out the flaws in it, but if you give them a problem to solve, they LOVE taking ownership and making it WORK.
So, how can YOU help to solve the blackout at PodCamp NYC?
