The Spirit of PodCamp

The most important thing you should do at any PodCamp is connect with other people. More important than learning how to compress video, far more vital than the debate of Google Adsense over Commission Junction, is the basic act of pressing your hand into someone else’s hand, looking into their eyes, and making sure both of you know how to get in touch after the event.

Open for Learning with Minimal Ego

Learn tons. That’s the reason we’ve all gathered. If you have questions, there are hordes of people who can help you get an answer. If you have what you think is the DUMBEST question in the world, ask it. Throw it right out there. Say, “I don’t get it.” And say that often.

Start sessions of your own. There are things you can teach others. Team up with others who are already presenting on a topic that matters to you. Bring conversations and participation to every session you see. That’s the point of this. Share what we know. Grow together. Learn.

Everyone is a Superhero
The most important message I impart whenever possible is simple: you are a superhero, whether or not you’ve embraced that yet. By “superhero,” I mean there’s what you do in your day job, and then there’s the power of this new/social media to permit you access to worlds that were previously either not-so-open to you, or that would’ve taken longer to reach. (I am living proof of this in action. I went from strange mid-level guy in a wireless company all the way up to strange-works-with-the-chairman guy at an innovative technologies and conference business).

Finding your powers isn’t all that tricky, but it requires a certain belief in yourself, and a few tools that more than half the folks who come to PodCamp know about with or without expressing it directly. Find your superpowers at PodCamp. No, really.

It’s Not All About Making A Living
The truth is, we’d all love to have a day job making media. If you could throw away what you do day to day and just shoot a videoblog or make a podcast or text blog all day, that’d be pretty cool, right? But then, there’s the reality that lots of people aren’t making it. TONS of people aren’t making it on their new media venture or are just barely scraping by. And yet, there are others who’ve discovered that podcasting and videoblogging and whatever you want to call it has rewards that go beyond extracting a paycheck.

For now. Sure, let’s always look for the way we’ll all get rich from this, but please don’t think the sun rises and sets on that. If you’re here representing your company, you’re going to learn that this medium permits strong relationship-building. It builds brand awareness beyond whatever a marketing team wants you to believe. It’s a chance for transparency that will bring return on influence (ROI, how strange).

This is YOUR Damned Event

Forget EVERYTHING you read that makes you think otherwise. All PodCamps, EVERY PodCamp is your event. There are people working their heads off to organize this for you, to help make all the pieces line up. They’re missing sleep. They’re not getting paid. They are begging, borrowing, and reaching out in every direction to make this happen. But don’t you think for a minute that YOU aren’t the center of the event.

But just like Spider-Man, “with great power comes great responsibility.” Every spilled drink is YOUR job to pick up. Every lost soul in a hallway is YOUR duty to bring to the right place. Every session that runs a little late is because YOU and the participants let it go late (which isn’t nice to the next, incoming session). You create and control everything.

At PodCamp Toronto, where I just participated, I put this into action when I felt like a bottle of water and a piece of fruit. I walked across the street and bought as much water and fruit as I could carry. Why? Because it wasn’t Leesa and Jay and Mitch and Julien and whoever and whoever’s duty to do that. It was mine. I was there.

Running a PodCamp
If you are (for whatever odd reason) enamored with the idea of running your own PodCamp, here are some thoughts just for you. COLLABORATE. This is hard. The more people helping organize, the better. Remember that always. Use your crowd. Source out.

Further, if you’re going to make a PodCamp, consider a few things: is there enough community nearby that you can sustain it? Is the area you’re intending for the camp easy to reach by planes and public transportation? Can you get enough folks from other communities to make it just a little more than a local meetup? (Not that local is bad and meetups are bad, but if you’re going to go through all the effort, raise the money, and bring something together, the goal might be to grow the area’s community.)

But truly, it’s your show, so do it your way (following the precious few guidelines we have laid out at PodCamp.org).

See You At PodCamp?

Will I see you at PodCamp soon? I hope so. And I hope that you make the of the opportunity as possible. Get to know new folks. Exchange business cards. Make new friends. Start new collaborations. And grow the community.

Last word: PodCamps are often gateways to other communities and events. Watch out. It’s addictive. : )

Chris Brogan is co-founder of PodCamp. He keeps a blog at [chrisbrogan.com].

(photo credits: BryanPerson, Bryan Person again, M0xie, Photopia,Financial Aid Podcast)

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