Podcamp rules change - for the worse?
Published by on October 29th, 2007
There is no doubt that putting together any kind of conference, whether ‘traditional’ or the new wave of ‘un-conferences’, is a tricky, intense and risky activity. But Podcamps, the podcasting-focused un-conferences derived from the Barcamp concept, are particularly tough due to the rule that attendance should be free of charge.
CC Chapman seemed to be the first to mention it publically, but it seems that following this past weekend’s Podcamp Boston, Podcamp founders Chris Penn and Chris Brogan, have decided to drop the requirement that attendance to a Podcamp must be free of charge. This immediately releases some of the financial pressure and burden on a Podcamp’s organisers to ensure that all costs are purely covered by sponsorships and donations. It also potentially offers some security in ensuring that more of who pre-registered to attend the event, will actually turn up.
Two issues here for me…
Firstly, although it is undeniable - in part from my own personal experience helping to organise PodcastconUK conferences - that it is a tough call for individuals to put money up front for a conference room booking usually well before sponsorships are secured, this does move the idea of an Un-conference several steps further away from it’s originating Barcamp concept.
Secondly, if this is also to help motivate people who pre-register to actually turn up, then there seems to be something of a problem with low attendance numbers. This was highlighted at Podcamp Europe, where I hear reported around 60 turned up, the vast majority of which were from the UK - just 60 from the whole of Europe, a place where podcasting is supposed to be on the up..? We also have the issue that attendance fee is very likely going to put off the casual attendees - the ones the podcasting space needs, those newcomers looking for info on getting started; the new blood the space needs to have for its ongoing development.
Barcamps, from which the Podcamp concept originated, seem to have none of these problems. Venues become available, sponsors are not as tough to find, attendees turn up because they are motivated to by themselves and the event itself, and nearly all are over subscribed. Recent staged availability of registration places for the next Barcamp London were being filed within minutes of release.
Is this part of the podcasting rot perhaps? I am not sure. The jury is still out on that one. But I do feel it is a sign that podcasting might be starting to divorce itself from being just a geek thing because if the potential attendees for Podcamps were all geeks, I am sure the purest form of the original Barcamp concept would also be working just fine for Podcamps.
2 Responses to “Podcamp rules change - for the worse?”
October 29th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
My thoughts exactly Neil. You know I’ve never been a big lover of the whole podcamp idea anyway. Take a read of what I had to say on the subject the other day http://greendragonmedia.com/gdblog/?p=25
October 29th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Bar camps oringiated from Foo Camp , an invite only hacker conference. BAR actually doesn’t come from another terms for “pub” but from “Bay Area Rejects”.
That said, (and I have been and am currently a podcamp organizer) Podcamp is having this conversation in an open and transparent way to see what the community reaction is going to be.
I think podcamp is NOT barcamp, and involves a wider variety of people and groups to get together- this has been one of the extraordinarily good things about podcamp- geeks, social metworks and business types sharing their strengths and knowledge in an open forum. This may mean a less dedicated and flakier lot perhaps as well.
but in the end, what does it matter if we call it a conference or an unconference if the groups of people attending remain the same?
I also think we have to be able to split the purposes maybe into 2 events- an intro event, to let the casual person come in and kick the tires, while also appealing to the advanced, graduate level crowd, who want to up their game.
Does that mean 2 separate events? maybe. And that’s ok- but I do feel a 50% no show rate can be disheartening and disappointing. When you have a certain number of people signed up to attend, you have to be prepared for all of them to attend. When only half show up, logistics are undeniably inpacted- just like if you cook a holiday diner for 20 friends and only 10 show up- that leaves lots of leftovers and somewhat sore feelings about those who bailed at the last minute. not to mntin the money and effort expended to feed the missing 10. And I do find it rude to cancel on the very last day, or simply never bothering to attend at all or let anyone know. And for that, people should simply be ashamed.