Better Late than Never NewBCamp wrap up
What could be better than spending a post-snowstorm Saturday in the company of friendly people who are excited about social media? NewBCamp in Providence, Rhode Island, was a great experience on many levels. It was great to connect with friends old and new, like Len Edgerly and Maria Thurrell.
As usual, there were too many presentations I wanted to attend and not enough time. Organizer Sara Streeters’s “speed mentoring” was a great idea and I got some great advice in a very short time.
I found Steve Malloy’s presentation on the pros and cons of privacy vs openness online thoughtful and a topic of great interest.
Sadly, I missed Christopher Penn’s presentation, but he has video on his blog post recapping the day, so I watched the second hand version this morning.
Beth Dunn had a great point about the democratic nature of UnConferences like NewBCamp in her write up:
It’s telling that one of the first “spin-offs” of Podcamp was not to create a more advanced version, not to rope off the elite and create some sort of VIP section, but to create a less advanced version, to welcome the newcomer and encourage the beginner. It’s in keeping with the underlying ethic of widening the gate, of lowering the barriers to entry, that is so pervasive in the world of social media.
I’m honored that my presentation got a mention in Beth’s entry as well. It was my first time speaking in public about social media and I enjoyed the opportunity and the interest of the audience. Len Edgerly streamed the video live on UStream so I had a couple of remote viewers as well.
At the after party it was great to hear Matthew Ebel live at last. Sadly my ride was leaving early, so I missed much of the show. Still, I have no doubt I’ll be catching up with the wonderful people I met both virtually and in person in the near future.