Let’s take care of our community
By their very existence, Podcast meetups and Podcast conferences reinforce a sense of community among their participants. PodCamp Toronto was no exception. In fact, PodCamp Toronto had the greatest number of sessions on the concept of community of all conferences I have attended and followed. That made leaving the event early to catch a flight to Vancouver much harder.
From the back seat of the taxi, I reflected on the weekend; the incredible people I connected and re-connected with, the amazing talent and creativity, and the new ideas to explore. The willingness to share and support proves that we really are a community.
After a few minutes I realized that I could see the decay of Toronto’s once-thriving industrial area zipping past my window — the graffiti and decomposing buildings that line the Gardiner Expressway. They were once the sign of a thriving economy and the industrial age. Now they are the scars of neglect; waiting to be made into something new.
For the Podcast community to thrive in the long run, and to help silence our critics, we will need to take good care of our community. We must continue to share with and support each other, and work hard to prevent and repair any decay.
This is our community, let’s take care of it.
February 25th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
The importance of community and relationships was made very clear to me this weekend. From the help that a single link to a fellow podcaster will do to their search rankings to the encouragement and inspiration you get from conferences like Podcamp and small meetups.
I met a lot great people at Podcamp and learned alot from everyone. I think the best way we can keep our community thriving is by the continued exchange of ideas and by paying closer attention to the relationship we have with each of our audience.
This weekend taught me that the most important thing as a podcaster is to be open, honest and respectful of your audience. It’s not a quest for the most listeners but one for the most meaningful relationships with them.
February 26th, 2007 at 9:28 am
The important point I took away from this was that we owe it to more than one community. We owe it to ourselves to take care of our own built up audience and the community that surrounds it, but we also owe our efforts to bridge our influence into communities that really need help. Pick one. Doesn’t matter which, but find your cause and support it through your efforts.
I suspect your cause would be children’s literacy programs. But what do I know? : )
February 26th, 2007 at 9:51 am
Brent… Your last paragraph sums it up perfectly! Thank you for being part of an organizing committee for an incredible event. It was great to finally meet you, and I am looking forward to our next opportunity to chat.
February 26th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Chris… I’m beginning to lose track of my causes. :)
February 26th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Mark, it was great to meet you and ‘exchange bookmarks’! I have a new look about podcasts, podcasting and podcasters.
February 26th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
It was such a pleasure to spend time with you at Podcamp Toronto. I think we can all feel stretched some times, but I find I always have more than enough time for friends and things I am personally invested in. The things that have to go are the things I am not fully committed to, mentally or emotionally.
Hope you have safe travels-
Whit
March 3rd, 2007 at 2:57 pm
[…] Let’s take care of our community […]