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PodCamp WesternMass 2 Attracts a Crowd

by Bill Dusty

This past Saturday social media enthusiasts and avid bloggers alike found their way to PodCamp WesternMass 2, an all-day event held this year at Westfield State College.

Following up on last spring’s inaugural PodCamp, which was held at Open Square in Holyoke’s historic canal district and attended by roughly 40 eager Internet junkies, this year’s event eclipsed that attendance mark by attracting close to 100 people.

A typical PodCamp – or at least the Western Mass variety – is composed of several presentations scheduled each hour and running from the morning to late afternoon, with a lunch break in between. Anyone attending is welcome to host a session – a policy that worked out well last year but showed signs of strain this year.

Problem is, with so many people attending and only so much time and so many classrooms available for sessions, Podcamp Western Mass may have already outgrown its informal roots. Three times on the day, I found myself torn on deciding which session to attend as some of the more inviting presentations were held during the same hour of the day (although attendees are perfectly welcome to come and go from sessions as they please). That’s a credit to the talent that was on hand for the event. Whether a novice in the social media field or an experienced professional, there seemed to always be a session lined up of interest.

On the other hand, one scheduling conflict in particular ended up putting a huge damper the event for one respected participant. Local editor and journalist Mike Dobbs, a huge supporter of citizen journalism (and of the Intruder), had worked on a PowerPoint presentation the week prior to the PodCamp in anticipation of his own session there. As things turned out, however, his presentation was reduced to splitting time with another presenter, who himself then decided to take up nearly the entire hour-allotted time with his own presentation. (Read Mike’s story of what happened here.)

Mike’s a pal of mine and I didn’t like hearing that his session got chopped up. And although I did notice that at least one other session in the afternoon also got axed, I still wish things hadn’t gone the way they did.

It’s probably true, too, that this was another sign that PodCamp WesternMass 2 had turned out to be far more popular – and more populated – than even its planners had anticipated. The Camp is still in its beginning stages of development, and there are going to be kinks to be worked out as it grows. I can only hope that Mike’s harsh feelings, understandable as they are, will mend with the passing of time, because I for one would love to see him back again – as an attendee and a presenter. With years of experience in journalism, PodCamp WesternMass needs his input and wisdom. I know I appreciate both.

If you missed out on this month’s PodCamp, here is an animated photo gallery of PodCast WesternMass 2 here. And keep your eyes peeled for future PodCamps coming back to the Pioneer Valley soon. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait another year for the next one.

Finally, after the PodCamp meetup itself, a bunch of us headed out for a few drinks and some laughs. Below are a couple of pictures (okay, four) I managed to snap with my cellphone camera.

PodCamp co-organizer Jaclyn Stevenson snaps a photo of me as I return the favor.

Author John Robinson chats it up with co-organizer Morriss Partee.

The lovely and talented Merrilee Aurora Hale.

We estimated about 30 to 40 people joined us for at least the first hour or so of the after-Camp festivities.

Follow this link for more stories and photos of PodCamp WesternMass 2.

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Posted by Bill Dusty on Feb 9th, 2010 and filed under Feature Stories, Latest Posts, Society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.