Back by popular demand less than a year after its debut, PodCamp WesternMass will return on Feb. 6, hosted at Westfield State College, and Winstanley Partners is a proud sponsor.
A PodCamp is one example of an ‘unconference,’ at which participants choose the topics they’d like to discuss. Podcamps aim to promote education, innovation, and collaboration between new media enthusiasts and professionals of all types, including bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, social networkers, as well as the people who read, watch, and listen to them.
Morriss Partee, owner of EverythingCU.com in Holyoke and co-coordinator of the event, said PodCamp has resonated well within the Western Mass. community because the region has a very active new- and social-media faction.
“We have a thriving community here of some truly amazing people,” he said. “This is a chance for Western Mass. bloggers, business people, artists, and academics to get together and make connections, and for everyone to learn how social media can enhance their business, cause, or organization.”
There is no agenda at an unconference, and the list of potential topics is virtually endless. However, sessions often include a ‘social media 101’ and an overview of current and emerging new media tools.
On Saturday, Feb. 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., members of the Western Mass. community are invited to gather at the Horace Mann Center on the WSC campus. Attendees are encouraged to bring laptops, power strips, and cameras, and can come and go as their schedules allow. The cost of the program is $20, which includes a box lunch and morning refreshments, or $5 for students. Participants may register on the day of the event or pre-register via EventBrite ; attendance is limited to the first 100 people to register.
Still don’t know what to expect? Read on …
About PodCamp WesternMass
PodCamp WesternMass is a community-based ‘unconference’ modeled after a popular meeting concept in new media. The first PodCamp was held in September 2006 in Boston, and the trend is now spreading across the world due to the spreading preponderance of social media. *
Forrester Research of Cambridge, Mass. predicts that spending on interactive technologies will grow to $61 billion by 2012, and that social media (podcasting, blogging, and services such as Twitter, flickr, Facebook, etc.) will drive emerging channels to $10.6 billion.
PodCamp WesternMass is designed for anyone interested in the online world to share ideas, hear from industry experts, and participate in discussions. New media marketing experts predict that businesses can thrive if they embrace social media and conversational marketing methodologies. To learn more or to register, visit the PodCamp WesternMass wiki, or keep track of PodCamp Western Mass. Tweets on Twitter by searching for the keyword (hashtag) #PCWM
PodCamp WesternMass is spearheaded by Morriss Partee, owner of EverythingCU.com, an online resource for credit union marketing professionals, and Jaclyn Stevenson, freelance writer, Public Relations Director with Winstanley Partners in Lenox, Mass., and founder of the online network Thirty-something Bloggers.
Grab your PodCamp badges here and post them on your blog, Web site or social network:
* Oh, and there’s an after party too, of course, at the Tavern in downtown Westfield! Cheers