Just got back from Workspace, where Net Tuesday – the monthly meetup of folks interested in using the social web to change the world – wrapped after a fun panel on podcasting, pulled together by Joe Solomon.
This was my first opportunity to serve on a panel moderated by Dave Olson, whose infectious brand of high energy, wit and playfulness makes it easy to overlook the fact that you’re also learning a heckuva lot from him. (That, and the fact that there’s a good chance he’s made you wear a goofy hat. Flickr photo by Raul P.)
The panel also included Vancouver podcasting mover-and-shaker John Bollwitt, who turns out to be an utterly limitless source of fantastic advice on everything from an inexpensive, easy-peasy podcasting rig (an iPod Nano plus a Belkin TuneTalk Stereo) to IODA’s Promonet as a source of podcast music. (Check out his Podcasting 101 blog post.)
Keeping up with the succession of URLs we tended to spew was Roland Tanglao, who not only diligently popped them up on the LCD projector but also streamed the whole thing on his Qik account… and served as a panelist in his own right, drawing on his extensive experience as the quintessential early adopter.
(Sorry you missed it? Good news – thanks to Rebecca Bollwitt, you didn’t! I’m hereby proclaiming her as Vancouver’s inaugural liveblogger laureate.)
As so often happens (and fair enough, with social media), the real star was the audience. We were kept hopping with smart, lively questions and insights – and the whole experience has sharpened my thinking about podcasting considerably. I’ll be mulling this over for a while to come.
Thanks to everyone who came, to my co-panelists, to Dave and especially to Joe for organizing.
I knew your wit and insight would be a key addition to the panel and i wasn’t wrong. You were always ready with a witty rejoinder or wise nugget of wisdom. No doubt that was as much fun as a panel can be – spontaneous, educational and diverse. Thanks a million RC – your talents know no bounds!
Rob: I was the dude in the glasses who scored the hemp hat for asking a question about podcasting being a worthwhile time investment for a resource-strapped social change organization. Just wanted to say that your insights and commentary were extremely valuable. I especially appreciated your emphasis on storytelling and narrative – it’s a lacking art.
And thanks for having me, Dave!
Kevan, I was really glad you asked your question. No matter how much you love podcasting, sooner or later you’re going to encounter a board member, or E.D., or funder, or someone in a position of authority who’ll ask you to justify the resources going into it. And the state of non-profits being what they are these days, hard defensible metrics will give them a lot of reassurance.
Of course, Dave’s right, too – extreme obsessing about stats and RoI can suck the vitality out of the medium.
Rob – It’s the end of the week already and I’m still recovering from your awesomeness @ the last Net Tuesday. It felt less like a panel and more like we all won backstage access to a super secret awesome club.
You rocked – Thank you for making the evening such a wild success!