After a 'post-Podcamp Toronto '09' day of rest I'm back in the office and ready to summarize my experience. First, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The people, atmosphere, and sessions were exactly as advertised: open, collaborative, and informative.
As a sponge for new information I took in all kinds of useful tidbits. Here are my three biggest takeaways, from a more macro perspective:
- Hey corporate world, it's time to be open and transparent! As Chris Brogan mentioned in his session 'Heresy, Hypocrisy, and Sin', companies spent the last half of last century building giant walls around their processes, policies, and business practices. The time for this to change has come. All business owners, managers, and staff need to be open with clients and customers without fearing the dreaded release of information that may give competitors a leg up or drive customers away. If there's something in your operation that you're afraid to tell people about chances are you shouldn't be doing it in the first place.
- It's OK to make money. Again, this point comes from Chris Brogan (I did attend more than one session, seriously!). At last check I had to pay staff and rent and don't ever recall a time when food, gas, or an internet connection was free. There's absolutely nothing wrong with charging an appropriate amount for your services. Just remember to be honest and manage expectations early.
- Find your niche. Sylvain Grand'Maison hosted a session on finding your niche as it relates to podcasting. The same notion is true for business in general. At times it may seem difficult to create content for or reach out to only one, narrow segment of your potential target audience (at least I know it is for me), but as the saying goes 'riches are in niches.' Every business needs a competitive advantage; niche marketing is an excellent way to create separation among market entrants.
I realize the points above have more to do with business than they do with social media, but hey, that's where I'm coming from and that's what Podcamp is all about - finding and interpreting information as it pertains to you. A special thanks to Bill and Kyra for showing this Podcamp n00b the ropes. See you at Podcamp London!