It’s PodcastconUK time again
I should be excited about it – but on a personal level, as a UK podcaster, this year I really cannot find any enthusiasm for it. I’ll be there because I’m expected to be there and a bunch of people want me to be there – both because of Britcaster.com and now also Podshow.
I really need to find a way to be enthusiastic about the ‘grass roots’ UK podcasting community again. That’s partly why the work with Podshow is so exciting and enjoyable: it’s not about podcasting and the community. And that’s also why I feel so positively about the opportunities available to podcasters to kick their efforts up a gear and build something more than just ‘a podcast’ – though a full discussion on that is not for this post.
What has clearly not been taken seriously yet within the public community at Britcaster.com, is the announcement that neither myself, Adrian Pegg, or Alex Bellinger (three of the four organisers of Podcastcon UK for this and last year) will not be standing up to the plate a third time for 2007. Paul Nicholls, the fourth member of the team, hasn’t openly said where he stands on that point. Personally, I think it is unlikely that next year’s event will originate from and be driven by the independent podcasting community (no, that doesn’t hint at anything Podshow related, so don’t start). If someone doesn’t grasp the torch pretty soon after this year’s event, it would not surprise me if a commercially-driven event management business fills the gap, and that would be a big shame because the sole motivation will be money.
I expect on the day, with the atmosphere and buzz, that it’ll be fun. I just hope people don’t start moaning at me on the day about Britcaster (or Podshow) – it’s really getting tired.
Hey I just played your Podcast #16 РMore Dumb Americans! Well I have been working my way backwards getting caught up on your past episodes. I am a New Yorker currently living in Flori-DA. Well I wish I could argue your point. I run into dumb folks daily. I have been to the UK and a few other places around the world and I think it boils down to people not taking the time to think, an important stage whatever your goal. People from New York I think for the most part are a bit sharper than the rest of the country but live life in awful hurry thus finding a backdoor to stupidity. I now being in FL, well we should all be aware that voting is not that difficult but we screwed that up pretty well. You push the frigging pin down in the whole or push the button. What worries me is if you can’t handle that how you decided who to vote for in the first place is troublesome. On a later episode you hit on language differences in our cultures. Interesting topic, I am sure you realize to have a fag has a very different meaning here. OK…I have typed enough. People in glass houses should not…blah blah blah .
I think I ran into a dumb guy in Dover, well no matter I love and hate many things about both countries. You have better beer but I can buy it here, what a world.
While I type this you are playing some killer blues, Very nice.
Hay, can I be a brit caster, I spent a week in london in 92:-)
Cheers,
Steve
The trans-atlantic language thing gives us endless entertainment here at home. jEN is picking up more and more British pronounciations (some intentional) and I find myself using the odd American-esque words too. Weird.
> Hay, can I be a brit caster, I spent a week in london in 92:-)
Only for that week in ’92. Time isn’t linear at Brtcaster, so it just may be possible.
neil, same here: with the german umlauts, i constantly have conversion problems for the RSS generation. But I saw that they are using CURL, which I have not yet tried to parse the stuff.
Oh, don’t get me started on handling extended character sets!
Unpleasant dialogue on the Britcaster forums earlier in the year put me off PodcastCon UK 2007. At this point, I’m feeling rather neutral about the event. I know the day will be fun, but having witnessed the planning and tiring work going into the event two years in a row (and having done a bunch of volunteering for it last year), I can’t blame you guys for not wanting the process next year.
My advice, wear one of Jen’s tshirts and be there as *her* agent
I must admit I’m a little abivelent about this year’s event. I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new people, but that could just as easily occur away from the conference.
I’m looking forward to the weekend, but that has much more to d with activities on Friday and Sunday than anything else.
Ho hum.
- Neil.
I think the event is going to be great, I’m really looking forward to it. I agree that not having the original organising team involved next year may mean the death of the event as a grassroots thing.
I’m interested in the quote ‘the opportunities available to podcasters to kick their efforts up a gear and build something more than just ‘a podcast’. I’m sure it isn’t meant to belittle the medium
Keep an eye on PodCamp (http://podcamp.pbwiki.com), which has gathered considerable momentum in the US. There is one tentatively planned for Germany, next year, too. These ‘unconferences’ are certainly community efforts and, if the Boston experience proves typical, they bring all the participants onto the same root level.
I’m looking forward to PCCUK, too. Great speakers, interesting program, what’s not to like? Maybe people should check it out at http://podcastcon.co.uk/.
-L.
Not belittling, just the principle that a ‘media brand’ has a much broader potential than ‘a podcast’, i.e. outside of the ‘podcasting space’.
Very true.
Mr D; do I detect un tad de “podfade”? Or is it just the painkillers?
there are plenty of intelligent organisers about. pass the baton and trust the process – but make sure you do pass it on, not just throw it onto the track and then wonder why the race falters…
“the independent podcasting community” – will have been transformed by 2007 into something rather different I suspect. There is quite a bit of concentration already on commerce just because there is finally some cash arriving in the industry; and the danger is that people forget simply to make good programs which keep listener/viewer coming back, forget to innovate with the medium, too readily aping old media, adopting out-moded business structures, i’d like to see PodcastCon internationalise more – that’ll keep it lively.
What’s happening Friday and Sunday then?
Friday night sees the PodcastConUK pre-conference party, organised by Jason of A Bhuddist Podcast and featuring Jummy Golding amongst others. Details can be found at: http://upcoming.org/event/121577/
Sunday night is 20×2: Where am I? at which the talented regularjen is one of the 20 invited speakers. Details at: http://upcoming.org/event/105000/
There is also a Firefox birthday party planned for the Friday night.
And a number of people are in London for the entire weekend, so hopefully there will be plenty of socialising going on outside of the conference.
- Neil.
LEM: what’s not to like?
Not saying there’s anything not to like, just saying I don’t have the enthusiasm I should for it – a personal (surprising) emotional reaction. Your comment is a little odd, Linda, and comes over more like a sales pitch.
Deek:
Nope, definitely no podfade. I still have a wealth of energy for the potential of what I’m involved in right now (not merely the ‘evil empire’) and what I don’t have time to do on a personal level; just no enthusiasm for the PodcastconIUK event itself. Maybe I’m concerned there’s nothing new within it – it’s nothing more than a ‘been there done that’ attitude. Of course, it may be simply that I’ve been far too busy to really get wrapped up in the preparations. Ask me who’s there and what’s going on and I’ll be hard pushed to give you a decent summary. But my involvement didn’t feel right, deep down, since initial discussions about this year’s event way back in April/May. I didn’t want to be part of organising even then, so it never started on a positive foot for me this year.
As far as next year is concerned, whoever stands up and shouts can have the baton – it’s not thrown into the track, merely waiting patiently on a little table next to the start line, it’s colour slightly chipped on one edge, yet remains bright. Cobwebs will start to appear by April, then by August, it will either be infested with wood lice, or bulging with cash.
> and the danger is that people forget simply to make good programs which keep listener/viewer coming back
I totally agree. We may see a dramatic swing that way over the next twelve months, then hopefully it’ll all settle down and people will finally realise that there’s plenty room for everyone. Sometimes though it feels like you’ve popped in to an empty cinema only to have someone with big hair deliberately come and sit right in front.
[...] Neil Dixon, one of the organisers of the UK’s Podcast Conference, PodcastCon, says that he and his colleagues won’t be repeating the show again next year. The first PodcastCon last year had a big buzz about it, and was truly an enjoyable day. Since then Podcasting has become more commercial. The word “amateur” clearly comes from the Latin word for “love” – “amor” – and you might say that some of the love has gone out of Podcasting as the professionals have moved in. Neil says he takes a of flack for starting work at Podshow, the podcast advertising network. I’m not sure why. No podcaster is forced to take Podshow’s shilling or dollar. Meanwhile another PodcastCon organiser, Adrian Pegg, has been trading insults with Richard Vobes who did a wonderful live podcast at last year’s show. The normally good natured Adrian writes: [...]
Blow it off and come to Edgerton, Bridgette and I would love to take you to the Decoy for Mac & Cheese bites.
Jodi, you’re on… but only if you can get me back and off to Madeira on the Monday!
Not a problem, I’m sure the Albion Airport has a flight to Madeira Monday morning.
It’ll be a blast mate, I’m really looking forward to it.