PodCampSLC Is Getting Close

We only have five days before PodCampSLC kicks off. The current schedule we have at the moment:

9-10 Come by and get your name tag, get a seat, and schedule your discussions
10-11 Kick off and Keynote by Michael Harper, Professor, Utah Valley University
11:15-12:15 Attend Session 1, join another discussion, or start your own
12:15-1:15 Lunch
1:30-2:30 Attend Session 2, join another discussion, or start your own
2:45-3:45 Attend Session 3, join another discussion, or start your own
4 Wrap up, comments and final thoughts

There will be a Podcasting Genius Bar -- Completely open access to recorders, cameras, software, and experts. Michael Harper, from UVSC/UVU, is driving this offering. Please contact Michael with suggestions or to volunteer -- harpermi AT uvsc DOT edu.

We need to be out of the building as soon as we can after the wrap up.

Bring your friends, business associates, anyone who is interested in sharing ideas or learning more about new media. Thanks, and we'll see you there.

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Announcing PodCampSLC - January 2008

Hello everyone, well, you knew it was bound to happen. PodCamp has come to Salt Lake City, Utah. On Saturday January 26th, 2008, at the Salt Lake Main Library building, 210 East 400 South, we will hold the first PodCamp.

The web site address is www.podcampslc.org. You can confirm your registration at the Upcoming.org site.

If you would be interested in helping with the organization of this event, please send an email to podcampslc AT gmail.com.

We still have a lot to do and need a lot of help. Please consider volunteering. We also need people to present, so if you're a new media guru or RockStar, please let us know what you can share.

There are also sponsorship opportunities. We would love to share those with you as well.

PodCamp isn't just about podcasting! If you're interested in blogging, social media, social networking, podcasting, video on the net, if you're a podsafe musician (or want to be), or just someone curious about new media, then please join us -- and bring a friend or colleague.

The event will be free of charge to the public but we would really appreciate advance registration so we know how many people will be attending.

We have also created a Facebook group where we will communicate a lot of the activities of the PodCamp. If your not a member of Facebook we encourage you to join. It's a great opportunity to connect with others who have the same interest as you.

Please blog about this event as often as possible. Spread the word. Invite your blog readers, your podcast listeners and your videocast watchers. We want everyone to attend, from beginners to pros.

There will be more information to follow.

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5 Ways I Find Time To Create Media

Another question from Chris Brogan, and one I'm asked a lot, is how do I find time to Blog, Photowalk, Podcast and connect? It's a great question. The simple answer is I just make time. I have set myself up so I can blog or podcast from my laptop or my PDA, and I carry my camera where ever I go so I can capture pictures at events I'm at or when something happens around me. I've also trained my mind when I see something interesting I quickly decide if its something I can blog about. A lot of times I'm taking notes and capturing ideas that I want to blog about later.

Here are some things I do to find time to make media:

1. Schedule it. Yes, schedule it. I look at my weekly schedule, decide where you can take 1 hour, 30 minutes, even 15 minutes, to create some type media, and block out that time.
2. I have my blogging and new media tools with me where ever I go. My family thinks its funny that I take a backpack with me where ever I go. In my pack I typically have a laptop, one or more cameras, several Moleskin's, a voice recorder and my iPod. Of course the iPod doesn't let me create media but I can preview media with it.
3. Each morning I look at my schedule and my blogging list so I know what to be looking for and thinking about during the day.
4. I use a blogging client on my laptop. Specifically I use Windows Live Writer. This program, besides being free, allows me to post to several blogs, create drafts, manage external content such as photos, audio and video files. I can write on and offline when I have the time. This actually allows me to write in small blocks, which is sometimes all I have.
5. Process photos, video or audio while you're on the bus, watching TV or waiting in the Doctors office. Use automated processes to upload pictures to Flickr, clean up audio files and compress video. You can even use services such as Jott, Utterz or Twittergram to podcast on the go. You get to record your thoughts on the go and have the services post to your blog. It's pretty fun. Give it a try.

There is one thing I have come to appreciate about creating media and blogging, I need to have my priorities straight. My family is very patient and allows me to spend time pursuing it, but you have to make time for them too. Want more time to be involved in the creation of new media, make sure all your other priorities are in line.

Seriously though, the reason I find time to do a lot of what I do is because I like to participate. I like connecting with others who have the same likes as I do. I like sharing through my blog, my photos and my tweets. You may find the time it takes to engage in all the social networking is more than you are willing to commit. I think that's perfectly acceptable. Do what you can. But most importantly have fun.

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Speaking at the Utah New Media Conference

I will have an opportunity to speak at the Utah New Media Conference on October 18th. The topic will be Podcasting. I will be sharing the stage with Lorri Randle of MediaJoltz, who will speak on Videocasting.

I will share more on the event as it approaches. I do know that the topics covered will be Blogging, Podcasting/Videocasting, Social Media (Facebook, MySpace) and Monetizing your website.

Make plans to be there. Visit the conference web site here.

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July Utah Blogger Dinner

Here are photos of people in attendance. We had almost 20, 17 I think was the number, right Jason?

We met at Goodwood in Draper. I like Goodwood, sort of like Famous Dave's only fancier. The food was ok, but the amount of room we had was much better than at Applebees.

There was a lot of discussion on Social Networks. Jesse Stay walked us through the basics of creating a Facebook Application. That was very interesting.

All in all it was good times at Goodwood. See everyone next month.

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Isn’t social networking just contact hording?

There is a lot of hype today about Social Networking. Wikipedia defines a Social Network as

A social network is a social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are tied by one or more specific types of relations, such as values, visions, idea, financial exchange, friends, kinship, dislike, trade, web links, sexual relations, disease transmission (epidemiology), or airline routes.

Huh? That sounds like psycho babel. Here is an image of a social network



So basically, the idea is to create an extended network of like minded people for the betterment of the network.

But as I look at the hundreds of "Social Networks" today, all I see are people trying to accumulate the most number of links, emails, track backs, nodes, what ever. I see little networking and trying to build something. I only see contact hording.

For good or for bad, Facebook is a great example of a "Social Network". It encourages its members to create groups, join groups, upload videos and pictures, tell everyone what books you're reading and what music you're listening too. MySpace also encourages its members to link together, post about each others MySpace site, change the look and feel, share music you like, pictures, and now video.

But with all this sharing, we still don't feel each other. Now I'm not trying to get all sappy on you, but its true. If you never actually talk to or see a person live its hard to establish a lasting relationship. That's why mail order brides have never really caught on.

Some folks are taking their Social Networking to the next step which is having local meet-ups, and getting to know each other for real. Chris Brogan does this. Jim Long does this. I'm sure there are many many more that do this too. We have even tried it in Salt Lake City, Utah, with some success, and are trying harder to make it happen more often. With the creation of PodCamps, FooCamps, BarCamps, XCamp and YCamp, people are actually building off-line relationships that strengthen their online relationships.

I encourage you to take your relationships off-line when possible. Start your own PodCamp, BarCamp or SocialCamp. Do it. You'll be surprised. If you can't start one, then go to one. Go to many. Heck make a career out of building and strengthening the Social Networks which already exist. Chris does this.

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The New Media elite? Hardley.

I stumbled upon this blog off Valleywag.com today purporting to have a list of the who's who in New Media. I had to laugh my a$$ off reading the names. Here are some of my favorites:

• Michael Buhr, Sr. Director of Corporate Strategy, eBay (who is this guy and what does eBay have to day with New Media?)


• Â Jeff Bezos, CEO, Amazon (two questions, what does Amazon actually make, that is New Media?)


• Mark Weinberg, Director of Engineering, Zune, Microsoft (how does the Director of Engineering for the Zune qualify as a who's who in New Media?)

See, to me, people that are influencing New Media are people like Jim Long, Chris Brogan and CC Chapman. Even Cameron Reilly at The Podcast Network has a bigger influence on New Media than the people on the list seem to have. Are we just bandwagoning the term New Media?

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