Podcamp Philly 2009

I went to Podcamp Philly 2009 yesterday held on the Temple University campus, hoping to meet some people involved in social media and to learn as much as I could. The good news is that I wasn't disappointed. I met a lot of talented people who are energetic and filled with passion to make things happen. I liked that. During the opening session, we were asked how many of us were first-timers attending a podcamp and I would say that more than 3/4 of us were newbies. I wasn't expecting that (and neither were the organizers), but it was interesting to be in my home city and to see who showed up.

I think the most important thing that I learned is that I have a lot of learning yet to do in understanding who are the movers and the shakers in the social media field in the Philadelphia area. The sessions that I chose to attend dealt with search engine optimization (SEO) as I thought this topic I was weakest. By the end of the day, my head hurt with all the information I had learned. And although I was glad that I brought my laptop so that I could write up my notes, I was surprised that there wasn't any wi-fi or direct network connection so I could have internet access. I believe there was some issues with Temple University and I (and other attendees) were frustrated with the lack of internet access. I had envisioned being on Hoot Suite sending out tweet, but that wasn't meant to be. Not only did I not have internet access for my laptop but, for some reason, Temple is a dead zone for T-Mobile's service. I had to walk out of the building to near the street to be able to pick up a sliver of service so I could send out messages on Twitter. In speaking to other attendees, I know that a few had similar problems with AT&T's service too. I definitely wasn't anticipating that. Having no internet wasn't the end of the world, but I'll admit that I was rather jealous when I sat behind Matthew Ebel in a session and he was all fired up. (Matthew, awesome shade of purple for your nail polish. I really liked the color! Very cool!). 

Taking the lack of internet connectivity aside, I learned a lot about social media, was able to give some advice about podcasting and my brain still hurts about all I've learned about SEO. A quick story before I go. While attending the "Jumpstarting Your Podcast - From Nothing to Raging Success" session run by Steve Cherubino I was surprised to see so many people packing the room wanting to learn about how to start podcasting. At one point during the session, I was able to share some of my knowledge of podcasting with the group and then I realized that next month I will be podcasting for four years. My collectible card game podcast, The Magic Sock (Magic: The Gathering related), started out as a fun way for me to learn about podcasting. Four years later, I have a solid listener base, a working relationship with the PR company that promotes Wizard of the Coast's products and access to the R&D staff who work at Wizards (who I can interview for my show). I've learned a lot over those four years, but what I am most excited about is how much podcasting has changed and how using social media has opened doors for me. It's a wide, wide world filled with possibilities. Now I just need some time to process all I've learned and see how I can take that knowledge, applying it to my work.

To sum up, Podcamp Philly 2009 rocked and I'm glad I had a chance to go. If anyone is interested, follow me @ronvitale and send me a note. I'll gladly share my notes from yesterday's sessions.

Comments

[Louis Trapani]

I am glad you attended, had a good time, and got something out of it. In less than two weeks I will be at the BlogWorld and New Media Expo (see: http://arttrap.com/?q=node/263 ) in Vegas myself. It should be fun. It is always frustrating when you can't connect to the net at events. There are certain areas in the hotel where Gallifrey is held which are cut off (no mobile service or wi-fi).

Once a location and date is set for PodcampNY, I hope to drop by there too.

Cheers,
Louis

[Ron]

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Re: [RonVitale.com] Louis Trapani submitted a comment to 'Podcamp Philly 2009'.
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Ron Vitale
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To: reply-3P3N5JDGWNZI_4A7848ZZ77RF@typepad.com
Louis,

Thanks for the feedback. Let me know how the New Media Expo and Blogworld in Vegas are. I'm always curious to hear how these events go. Take care!

ron

[Donna]

Hi Ron! It was a joy meeting you at PodCamp! What a fantastic experience PodCamp was. I know what you mean when you wrote your head hurt from all the info getting crammed in. Me too!

I am going to either transcribe my notes and send to you are if I get lazy I will scan and email. Thanks for sending yours over.

--Donna