A question I get often at events is, “So what exactly do you do?”
It’s a reasonable question, as it’s hard to imagine that someone pays one to be a community builder, especially when community seems to often happen at social events, and bars, and various other places that don’t seem to the purist like “work.” But the very essence of how Jeff Pulver built his VON conference experience, and now the Video on the Net conference that I’m responsible for is through building an engaged community.
It’s Always Meeting
Businesses run on money, technically. If you don’t have money, there’s not really a business there. It’s more an organization of people, or some other thing. And some businesses receive and spend money in very non-personal fashions. Banks don’t care about me, for instance. They just want my money in their network so they can use it to make more money. But in lots of businesses, and especially my world of Internet TV and events, people are EVERYTHING.
- I meet people. I go to events to get to know the faces and conversations attached to a name.
It’s About Learning
You can watch PowerPoint slides all day and not really “get” what the product does. So, I spend time with the people who make the products, and I try to shake them out of their pitch and into the real world. I ask questions. I figure out if they should be sharing their product with the larger Video on the Net community.
- I learn about products and services for the Internet TV industry.
It’s About Camaraderie
There’s nothing in a business meeting that will give me the same sense of people as when we’re talking about their struggles, or sharing a funny story about creating a particular Internet TV show. There’s nothing that compares to laughing over coffee or beers or sandwiches and hearing about how someone surprised their coworkers by having someone famous know them through their “secret life” online. I love meeting people and hearing what makes them passionate.
- I make friends that know I care.
It’s About Future Business
Things change all the time. It’s great to know who people are, what they do, who might need a colleague in a project or future venture. I like knowing who has which skills and being able to connect them to needs. In my professional role, I also like helping video people get more attention. I like helping important companies reach larger audiences. I like building community from the stage, the crowd, and the restaurant. I feel this makes for a world of abundance, where people will share, will open themselves to possibilities, and will understand when and when not to engage with my organizations to receive value.
- I arrange business for friends, and for my organizations.
It’s About Building Learning Communities
PodCamp, different than my other two gigs (but similar in that I serve a lot of the same functions) is about me getting people who know something together with people who want to know something, and facilitating an exchange of information. It’s about helping people build an understanding of using new media community tools to build their brand, educate others, establish relationships, extend conversations. That work is mostly evangelizing, bringing awareness, and driving more attendance of quality people to share their passions freely.
- I look for new blood to join the PodCamp revolution.
So, lots gets done when I’m face to face, and when I’m not, I’m usually working on various things that I hope will bring the future forward in a way that’s useful to the people who matter to me. (Mostly people like you who read this blog).
Does this help explain things? Ask me a few questions? I’ll answer everything as best as I can.
Photo credit, Whitney Hoffman
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