John Meadows has the ability to be insightful, critical and funny (a very dry sense of humour) at the same time. An important part of his charm is that he regularly laughs at his own jokes (with everyone else, by the way). John is great at taking matters that are important to him, and the community, and making them light.

A big part of the PAB vibe has always been that content creation and digital channels are not owned by marketers and communication professionals. This is a sentiment that many in the community hold dear. And, since the conference is about creating compelling content and engaging audiences, the professionals come to the conference to learn from the amateurs who have been online since it all began (nearly half the people at PAB2010 work in PR, marketing and communication, and journalism).

John earned a standing ovation from the entire room for this serenade.

Like previous years, we put together a show of clips from the community — thoughts on how to prepare for and extend the PAB experience. It’s kind of hard to explain, but PAB is really like no other conference you’ve been to. So, the audio clips serve as a great reminder for PAB veterans and a fantastic introduction for PAB virgins. The intent for this type of show is to be listened to en route to PAB.

We received so many clips this year that we had to do two shows (listen to episode 163 and 164 of the Canadian Podcast Buffet). One standout comes from John Meadows who explained so well, what makes PAB so unique. It made me feel extraordinarily proud to be a part of the PAB community and to have the trust of others to contribute to the event.

You can hear John’s thoughts in the attached podcast.

DOWNLOAD THE PAB2010 PROGRAM

I finally caught up with the discussion this evening.  Here is the comment I posted on her site…

I don’t believe there’s any reason why being considered a niche podcaster should also be a badge of dishonour. On the contrary. I believe one of podcasting’s best qualities is that it caters to us content-hungry types in a way that mainstream media has tried and failed. Why? Because mainstream media tries to be all things to all people and we do it by finding our little spot in the grass and claiming it as our own and inviting others to join us. Podcasting delivers from the heart to the heart.

Subject specific? Niche? They’re the same thing to me. And just because your podcast caters to a specific audience (or niche) on knitting, children’s books, marketing, self discovery, music or obscure German strategy games, you shouldn’t feel pigeon-holed into speaking only on that topic. In fact, niches don’t have to be specifically about your content; they can also be about your format. For example, the only thing that threads any two episodes of Electric Sky together is the format and the interest in learning something new. Otherwise, there is little that connects a retired satellite communications scientist, a vintage war plane collector and a movie store clerk. If your audience is interested in how you share your passion, they’re likely to want to hear what you do and what you have to say about your life — which is another thing that makes podcasting such a great communications channel.

Functioning in a niche makes it easier for people to find you; it makes you and your passion more accessible. You can throw a fresh coat of flashy paint on it if that’s what works for you. Underneath it all, and to the people that need to find you, it’s still a niche.

NOTL2008, as it is known, was a gathering of about 30 people at the Prince of Wales Hotel in downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake.  It was a small and engaged group despite the over-the-top posh room the event was held in.  While the room was a concern of mine from the beginning of the day, the sessions were extremely interesting and the layout of the room quickly vanished as I focussed on the conversation.  My favourite session was Sean McGaughey‘s talk called I Never Metaphor I Didn’t Like in which he discussed podcasting, friends and community, relating real life now to real life then.

There were a lot of conversations during the weekend about the kind of event that had been originally considered — a BBQ with a few speakers which apparently had to be changed when the venue discovered it was double-booked.   Then there was talk about what the event could be including something a little more cozy like an actual gathering at a campground.  Despite all of that talk of what could have been and what could be, NOTL2008 was many things that other events haven’t been and sported a more cozy spirit which included all-you-can eat homemade chocolate chip cookies (thanks, Keith’s mom!).

It was particularly nice to see people who have largely taken a support role at other events move into a more visible role by organizing this event.  I hadn’t considered that August was a good time to meet.  I had actually dismissed the idea and discovered that it was a great time to regroup and gear up for what has historically been viewed as the coming of a new season of social media production.