PodCamp Boston
Last week Podcamp 5 Boston was held at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center. For those of you unfamiliar with Podcamp it’s a nationwide “unconference” that holds meeting and discussion rooms about podcasts, videos, blogging, social media, you name it anything new and exciting. The crowd is a healthy mix between media mavens and newbies and the atmosphere is casual and friendly.
Turns out the first Podcamp ever was in Boston at Bunker Hill Community College (you might remember this place as the school from Good Will Hunting where Robin Williams taught). Now Podcamp is virtually everywhere and if you miss it you can stream from the web. The tickets are around $50 each and are well worth it. It’s a two day event starting at 8 A.M. on a Saturday (groan) and ending around 4:30 on Sunday. Afterwards there are parties and networking events for those super networkers out there.
This, however, was my first experience at Podcamp. I recently attended the 140 Characters Conference and did not know what to expect from Podcamp although I had been told this would be “bigger.” 140 Characters was in a theater venue downtown and there was little to no discussion. Most of the bottom sections of the theatre were generally full but it felt like a small event. Strangely, Podcamp Boston felt even smaller though there were certainly two to three times the amount of people there. Each discussion was in a small classroom. There was free wifi that did not freeze (ahem unlike the 140 Characters) and the venue was beautiful. Located along Memorial Blvd. the Microsoft Research and Development Center is right on the Charles River in Cambridge with a clear view of the entire Boston skyline. The modern building is in great company being sandwiched between Harvard and Yale buildings.
September 25th was a beautiful day and crew boats and sailboats littered the water. Breakfast and lunch are provided catered. Boloco happened to be one of the sponsors and served an array of healthy lunch choices.
Consider this a briefing on the meat and potatoes of Podcamp. I will be uploading a few blog posts on notable topics presented. I have attached the guidebook for this year’s camp to give you an idea of the discussions covered and some of the presenters.
