Yesterday I spent a bit of time at PodCamp Atlanta. I'm not a podcaster, so why was I there? Well three things: 1. Amber and Rusty asked me to kick-off the event with a keynote/session on social media and the un-conference format. 2. There were lots of familiar faces and friends that I wanted to see. 3. I'm always down for learning new things.
To kick things off I asked the audience a series of questions. It was interesting to see that the majority of the group were already creating content in some way online, i.e. podcasts or blogs. Of those, about half were interested in business cases/monetization while the other half could care less about money. They do it for passion. That passion was refreshing compared to the audience at SoCon07 which seemed mostly corporate.
At first the audience didn't open up too much. Only a small percentage had ever been to an un-con so they were unfamiliar with the format. That forced me to speak a bit too much perhaps, but eventually the questions and comments started coming. Once people realized they could say what they wanted, when they wanted the vibe changed. Good stuff.
Leonard Witt shared a great un-con experience....he wanted a more hands-on session (which wasn't on the schedule) and it ended up happening. Ask as ye shall receive :-)
However there are always the folks that want to turn a learning experience into a sales pitch. One session I sat in turned into a commercial for their services, I was really tempted to say, "This isn't about you....."
The venue was great, I especially liked the 'lounge' area which was full of comfortable leather chairs, sofas and other tables for small impromptu gatherings. When I wasn't in a session I was sitting somewhere chatting with somebody. I would say this has been the nicest conversation area I've ever seen at a conference.
Who was missing? The 'traditional' media. Amber said a bunch of folks from the AJC were invited, but didn't show up. The AJC was also a no-show at SoCon07. However, the independent/traditional media gang from Creative Loafing were there. I say independent/traditional for a reason. In the real world I think Creative Loafing feels they aren't traditional or mainstream media, compared to larger papers, etc. However, in room full of bloggers and podcasters, they are traditional media.
There was an AP reporter around for a bit. In almost-liveblogging style he filed a report soon after the event. For a bit though, the tables were turned on the AP reporter. Dave and Amber began to interview him, which didn't go too well. (Photo Below)
Congrats to Amber and Rusty for putting on a great event.
My PodCamp Atlanta photos are here, the general photo group is here.
Other recaps from: Stephanie, Grayson, Ellie's Dad and Harmen's not-so-great day.
