Due to venue commitments, all PodCamp Boston 3 tickets are non-refundable as of July 1, 2008.

Next Steps:

To avoid any security issues, PodCamp Boston 3 will not permit any day-of registrations by cash or check. Folks are welcome to register on the day of the event via the electronic registration page, using a credit card. A laptop with Internet access will be available at the registration desk to assist you with day-of registrations, plus anyone with one of those fancy iPhones!

Next Steps:

BrainTorrent will be a new kind of session at PodCamp Boston 3!

BrainTorrent collaboration sessions will be on the Third Floor of the conference center, in the Rotunda Room.

Download the video as an m4v file here.

Next Steps:

We inquired recently at nearby hotels for group rates and amusingly, one group rate was higher than an individual rate. Here’s a Google Map of area hotels.

A popular option is the Brookline Holiday Inn - at $176/night, it’s by far one of the less expensive hotels in the Boston area, and is still clean and comfortable. Downside: you’ll probably need a cab to get to PodCamp quickly, as it’s on the C Line, and PodCamp is on the D Line. You can take the C line into Kenmore Square and then take the D Line back out, but expect that to take between 30-45 minutes.

A convenient option for mass transit is the Midtown Hotel, just 3 stops on the D Line from PodCamp. Downside: convenience comes at a cost.

Next Steps:

CC Chapman, one of the organizers of PodCamp Boston 3, asked yesterday how scholarships might work for PodCamp Boston. We’ve come up with a solution that will allow you, whether you’re an individual or organization, to offer scholarships for PodCamp Boston 3. Here’s how this will work.

First, the sponsoring person or group should email using the contact form on this site or podcampboston at gmail dot com. In the email, please detail:

1. The TOTAL amount of the scholarship ($250, $500, etc.)
2. The amount of an individual scholarship ($5, 50%, free ride)
3. The email address to send a Google Checkout invoice

We’ll invoice you for the amount of the scholarship in total and provide you with a set number of “discount codes” similar to online coupons. If you sponsor $100 and request 20 scholarships, we’ll give you a discount code that will work 20 times for $5 off, and it’s up to you as the sponsor to determine how you want to hand those out.

We look forward to seeing some creative scholarships!

Next Steps:

After a few months of research and groundwork, PodCamp Boston 3 will be held at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School on July 19 & 20, 2008. We’ve scheduled it during the summer, when it’s more affordable for venues, and not *too* close to PME/NME and PodCamps Ohio and Philly.

Here’s where it gets interesting. The venue, after all is said and done, will be about $35K for the amenities package, or about $25K for the space, plus A/V and Internet access.

PodCamp Boston 3 will be the first PodCamp that is also substantially sponsored by YOU. To help offset the fairly large price tag of the venue (and other schools & conference centers were of comparable cost), PodCamp Boston 3 will be the first PodCamp to revert back to the FooCamp model (the original unconference, before BarCamp) of using paid tickets for admission.

The Harvard medical school conference center holds about 400 people. With $50 sponsorships per person plus some corporate sponsorships, PodCamp Boston 3 should be able to break even.

We hope to see you at Harvard this summer. Sponsorship tickets are now available.

Next Steps:

Volunteers and organizers (also volunteers) are what power PodCamps. They make all the magic happen, and without them, there would be no PodCamp at all. That said, being an organizer of PodCamp, particularly PodCamp Boston, requires a healthy commitment of time and resources you have to be able to dedicate above and beyond your day job, family, hobbies, and other interests/priorities in your life. Here’s a rough idea of the level of commitment you’ll need to be able to offer to be an organizer of PodCamp Boston.

3 - 6 months out

Be able to dedicate at least 2 - 4 hours per week for sponsor outreach, volunteer and participant outreach, conference calls usually at night, and other activities including making promotional materials.

1 - 3 months out

Be able to dedicate at least 5 hours per week, or an hour a day, for the above activities, plus logistics, supply ordering and pickup, phone calls to vendors, venues, and sponsors, and other activities.

1 month out up to the event

Be able to dedicate at least 10 hours per week, or two hours a day, for the above activities, plus more frequent conference calls, supply runs, and other tasks. You may need to own or have ready access to a vehicle.

The day before and the days of the big event

Be able to wholly dedicate the day before PodCamp (usually a Friday) as a vacation day from work or school, and expect to be at the venue for a good portion of the day, plus shuttling from other suppliers and vendors as needed. You’ll need a mobile phone, ideally with text messaging capabilities, and be available for virtually all of the time the event is occurring.

The days and weeks following the big event

Expect to contribute an additional couple of hours per week for a couple of weeks after the big event for after-action review, collection of supplies and other resources, and planning for the next event.

If you’re able to make these kinds of time and energy commitments, PodCamp Boston needs you!

PodCamp Boston 2 concluded on October 28, 2007 with more than 700 participants and some of the most amazing discussions yet at a PodCamp. Mark Blevis and Bob Goyetche will be releasing the audio and video from the event as soon as they’re able; as it’s a volunteer effort, please be patient.

PodCamp Boston 3 is in the very early planning stages for an expected summer 2008 event.

PodCamp Boston 2 has concluded with about 700 people who visited Boston, had a great time, and learned, shared, and grew their new media skills. For those who were able to make it, it was a sincere pleasure having you in the home of the revolution, and for those who couldn’t make it, there are many PodCamps coming up around the world that you can attend, available here:

http://www.PodCamp.org

This followup note is to let you know of three critical things. First, if you recorded anything (video, audio, etc.) please let us know so we can include it in the PodCamp Boston podcast by replying to this message. We’d love to bring together as much of the event digitally as possible for all the folks who couldn’t make it. Stay tuned to the blog as we publish media from the event!

http://www.PodCampBoston.org

Second, Blogger and Podcaster Magazine has created an opportunity for bloggers and podcasters to be listed in the USA Today new media directory both online and in the print edition. If USA Today’s demographic is a good fit for your audience, they’ve put together an opportunity for you to advertise your new media venture.

http://www.PodCampBoston.org/usa

Use promo code PODCAMP to receive the first month free and 20% off everything else. Additionally, Blogger and Podcaster Magazine will pay $10 to the PodCamp Foundation per signup, which will help fund Foundation activities (such as future PodCamps), so it’s a double win.

Third and finally, we’ll be releasing a survey in the coming days to ask you to rate and review your PodCamp Boston experience, whether you attended or not. We’d love your help and input on that survey on what we did right, where we can improve, and what we should plan to include in PodCamp Boston 3. Please make sure podcampboston@gmail.com is added to your address book so we can get that survey to you!

Thanks again to everyone - whether you attended or not - who made PodCamp Boston 2 a tremendous success, and we look forward to seeing you at a future PodCamp!

Warmest regards,

Christopher S. Penn
Lead Organizer, PodCamp Boston 2
and the PodCamp Boston 2 Organizing Team
http://www.PodCampBoston.org

–

PodCamp Sponsor Thanks

-= Platinum Venue Sponsor =-

VON/Video on the Net. http://www.VideoOnTheNet.com

-= Gold Sponsors =-

The Student Loan Network http://www.StudentLoanNetwork.com
Jeff Pulver http://www.JeffPulver.com

-= Silver Sponsors =-

Rockosphere.tv http://www.Rockosphere.tv
Topaz Partners http://www.TopazPartners.com
Steve Garfield http://www.SteveGarfield.com
CC Chapman http://www.CC-Chapman.com
CM Access http://www.CMaccess.com
Porter Novelli http://www.PorterNovelli.com
Berkman Center for Internet & Society http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/

-= Bronze Sponsors =-

Blue Sky Factory http://www.BlueSkyFactory.com
FoneShow http://www.FoneShow.com
MarketWire http://www.MarketWire.com

-= PodCamp Sponsors =-

BostonNOW http://www.BostonNOW.com
Podango http://www.Podango.com
Microsoft Channel 10 http://www.on10.net
Meeting Tomorrow http://www.MeetingTomorrow.com

The Superheroes of PodCamp Boston 2

One of the problems with an event the size of PodCamp Boston 2 is that things get lost along the way and after. Events like that need a public face or two, but rarely does the rest of the group get publicity. I want to take a moment to single out six individuals who made PodCamp Boston 2 possible; without them, there would have been no event at all, period.

Whitney Hoffman: if there’s a human being who can be said to epitomize the “organize” part of organizer, it’s Whitney. Without her, quite frankly, this ship would have been sunk. From smaller details like how many signs should be printed to large things like calling the Boston tourism bureau to secure the Seaport Hotel as a venue, Whitney made the vast majority of PodCamp Boston operations work seamlessly; but then, I would expect that of someone who both the ADA and the NFL have tapped to manage part of the Super Bowl’s operations.

Steve Sherlock: Steve Sherlock was our true collaboration enabler, arranging weekly conference calls and providing detailed transcripts of who attended and takeaways from the meetings. Steve also co-piloted registration with Susan Kaup and made that just work, too. Hint for future event planners: the conference call is a GREAT idea, and second hint, if an organizer doesn’t make at least 50% of the calls, they’re not an organizer, just a tourist.

Michelle Wolverton: or Chel, as she’s more commonly known. Chel picked up a ton of administrative details, stuff that seems unimportant but will quickly grow to nightmarish proportions if left ignored, like contract dates, reminders, etc. Chel also took leadership of managing ALL the PodCamp Boston event entertainment on Saturday night, a mammoth undertaking given how many multiple, conflicting priorities there were. If you had any fun Saturday night, she’s to thank for it.

Susan Kaup: or Sooz, depending on the context. Sooz brought us game day operations, including BostonNOW’s sponsorship of registration, and I swear she knocked over a Staples truck to bring as much stuff as she did. Sooz also organized our ad hoc volunteer teams and recruited additional people to help manage registration operations.

Dave LaMorte: Dave stepped up and brought serious horsepower to game day, managing all the directionals, signage, and other organizational things that helped you find your way to where you needed or wanted to be, from lugging around aluminum meter boards to managing the posted grid.

Last but certainly not least, Marni Shapiro of pulvermedia. You know the really nice venue we had, sponsored by VON, and the great A/V, seating, water, chairs and tables, sponsor setups, building interface, wireless, network connectivity, laptops for presenters, FANTASTIC audio systems with twice-daily soundchecks, frequent notices about building information, food court availability, and a billion other things you probably didn’t notice? All that stemmed from Marni’s desk in her role as VP of operations for VON and pulvermedia. If there was a compliment I could give her and her team, she’s VON’s Whitney Hoffman, who at the end of the day just gets it done, period. No excuses, no meandering, no bullshit. It’s done when you need it to be done, and that’s all there is to it.

Now, this is not to say that other organizers didn’t contribute, because they certainly did, but I wanted to point out that these six folks went far, far beyond expectations to make PodCamp Boston 2 a success. If I ever wanted to run an events business (I don’t) or anything which required operational excellence, these people would get job offers immediately.

- Christopher S. Penn, Lead Organizer