I got a heads up from Stephanie Ciccarelli at Voices.com – for anyone in the London, ON Canada area, there will be a PodCamp London on April 25th, 2009.

With almost half a million people living there and the University of Western Ontario smack dab in the middle of town, I think this will be a pretty popular podcamp.

It’s under a three hour drive from Buffalo and just a little over 2 hours from Toronto and Detroit so there’s plenty of reasons to check it out, learn some cool stuff and network with some fun folks.

Tags: pclo09, podcamp, podcamp london, social media, social networking by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Proving that marketing an upcoming Podcamp at a Podcamp is not a bad idea, I wanted to let my readers in Ohio know that Podcamp Ohio 2 is coming up on June 29, 2009 in Columbus.

I was in Columbus about a year ago and I want to tell you it’s a very nice area. I hope you are able to go.

Tags: commentary, pco09, podcamp, podcamp ohio, social media, social networking by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Podcamp Toronto is coming up this Saturday and Sunday. Well for me it will be Sunday (weather permitting) because Saturday is the dear boy’s birthday party, which is much more important.

But today Sean McGaughey aka ductapeguy issued on-line warrant (a meme in internet speak) and tagged all Podcamp Toronto 2009 participants (over 800 folks are registered at present) to share what they want to achieve from the event.

I usually wholeheartedly ignore these meme tags but for Podcamp Toronto I will make an exception as I think its an exceptional event. You can substitute the city of Toronto for your city (should you be having a Podcamp…and you might be) and you can compare notes with me. So here we go.

1. What are your personal goals for Podcamp?
My primary goal is simply to absorp as much new and practical information for my personal social media knowledge bank…based both on the tools I am using now and maybe even more importantly the tools I should be using. Seeing old friends and meeting new ones would be a close second.

2. What do you want to learn?
Well I guess I’d advise that you see answer #1.

3. What are you offering to share/teach others at Podcamp?
This is where I often feel I fall flat. While I have presented at Podcamp Toronto previously, I feel I have so little to offer and so much to gain. I can share my experiences in social media (everybody has them) how I apply it to my business (not anything ground breaking unless a company is doing absolutely nothing in social media at present) and how my audio production knowledge can help people produce a higher quality podcast (and I’m not sure that’s high on anyone’s agenda)

4. A little homework now: Which podcamp registrants would you like to meet? Why?
I’d like to meet any attendees whose companies are or would like to produce podcasts. I think there might be some business there for me. Podcamp is about education AND networking. But its also not about being an obnoxious sales guy so I will behave.

5. Who is your “dream interview” for your podcast? Why?
My dream interview would be Jesus Christ just because I think it would really piss off the major news media if I scooped them on that one.

6. What is your, “Can’t miss it” session at podcamp?
Obviously my focus is on Sunday so I’m looking at The Relationship Between Podcasting and Blogging: A Discussion – moderated by Jay Moonah because a discussion moderated by Jay Moonah has a pretty low sucking potential.

7. Monetize or Communitize?
Yes.

8. Who would win in a cage match: Chris Brogan, Bob Goyetche, My Marilyn, or Scarborough Dude?
Eden Spodek would whip all their sorry assess. (Can you say “whip” in a meme?)

9. In time honored meme tradition– guilt a few more people into carrying on this meme.
No. Welcome to MY tradition.

For those of you who will be there on Sunday, I really hope you’ll make a point to stop me and introduce yourselves. Thanks.

Tags: blogs, commentary, pcto09, podcamptoronto, podcamptoronto2009, podcasting, social media, social networking by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I guess when I think about it, when I came across Mitch Joel at Podcamp Toronto 2006 (I think) he was probably in the earlier stages of his Social Media career (cause Social Media itself wasn’t that much older). Maybe I will be able to say “I knew him when…”

Today in addition to running is marketing agency, Twist Image, he has become a prolific blogger and (in a slightly retro move, all things considered) newspaper columnist in addition to his weekly podcast.

Well Mitch continues to find and discuss cool things about Social Media but today he came across a very fun video about the history of the internet. The geopolitical reasons for its development and the international partnerships that built it were of news to me and gave me great perspective; to me, a perspective worth sharing.

You should take eight minutes to digest this very well produced (and obviously hugely abridged) story about the birth and growth of the internet. Thanks Mitch.

Tags: blogs, commentary, internet, marketing, pcto09, podcamptoronto, podcasting, social media, social networking by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I hope, if you’re going to be within 2-3 hours of Toronto on February 21-22, you’ll stop by Rogers Communications Centre at Ryerson University for Podcamp Toronto 2009.

To learn about social media at any level (newbie, intermediate, pro) and maybe even more importantly to actually meet the people who make up the community, this event is unparalleled.

The event is free. The people are smart and friendly. Go there.

It looks like this event will conflict with my son’s birthday party on Saturday (discussions are on going though I do prioritize birthday cake over podcamps) but I fully intend to be there on Sunday.

Tags: blogs, community, internet, pcto09, podcamptoronto, podcamptoronto2009, podcasting, social media, social networking, technology by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Usually I’ve not subscribed to the theory that if all the other kids are doing it, I should be doing it too.

As examples I never smoked, drank or did drugs. I’m not better than anyone who does those things (although I think its a rare case where I may be considered smarter) but I just never felt the need to fit in socially with such crutches. My obnoxious personality has always seen me through.

But lately as I have been studying Twitter, I did develop a case of wallpaper envy. You see for some reason (and for the life of me I cannot figure out why this happened) I clicked on CC Chapman’s Twitter home page and saw his very attractive wallpaper that he obviously created (you have to sign in to see it).

It occurred to me that this might be yet another example of a fad or trend that I had been completely oblivious to so I checked Chris Brogan’s, Leesa Barnes’ and Christopher S. Penn’s pages.

Yup, fancy, cool, well branded wallpapers on all of them.

I was yet again late for lunch; I had missed the bus, I was an east coaster working on Central time. Action had to be taken.

Well I slogged through about 20 me-made designs that technically and artistically looked like crap (clearly all the aforementioned have Macs) before I yelled “uncle” and called Ann Hackett over at aHa designs to bail me out of my pathetic state. She did.

OK, so I’m “me too” on this one. But doesn’t the page look subtle and smashing? Why, it’s Twitterific!

Tags: advertising, branding, commentary, marketing, social media, social networking, twitter by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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