Some wonder if that hurts my business, offering ways for folks to learn on their own. Perhaps a bit, but it’s worth it to me to see my community become stronger from a collective effort to make everyone a bit better at being a business. Plus, I have the help of some fabulous people on each team for each event (check out the team pages on the event sites – I couldn’t do these big ideas without these folks – they are awesome). That makes it a bit easier to make everyone we reach a bit more awesome.

Why would a non-social media marketing wonk want to attend a PodCamp NH or a SMBNH? That’s easy – in addition to the connections and the atmosphere of learning at each, you are guaranteed to learn something new each time. With SMBNH I’m militant about not marketing to the attendees, and encourage people to let me know if they feel any of our presenters or organizers have sold to them during their speaking time instead of educated them via a clear link on the site sidebar and on the Facebook group sidebar. With PodCamp NH that problem takes care of itself thanks to the Law of Two Feet, one of my favorite things about PodCamps everywhere.

For the truly non technical, I’m offering a class at PodCamp NH in social media applications for the trades (construction, etc). I’m also talking social media and music and possibly film. That’s three classes right there that aren’t geared toward the social media marketer, but to YOU, and looking at the sessions proposed I see many, many more. Don’t see one you need but have experience in your profession to bring to the table? Sign up for PodCamp NH then go propose your own session over at the website. We’ll be getting a first draft of the schedule posted soon (though you should note, as a user driven conference, all drafts of the session are just that drafts – it is subject to great sweeping change even during the event as the users evolve what they want to learn in real time).

If you can’t spend a weekend learning (though it is highly recommended) you can try the two hour long SMBNH once a month. The next one is this Friday. And if you don’t live in New Hampshire, you can find a PodCamp in most states and several countries on the PodCamp wiki, or find your closest Social Media Breakfast by heading over to the national web site.

See you in class – let’s teach each other something new!

There are a few admins of the calendar who can edit the events you post (Myself, John Herman, Justin Herman, Christine Major, Nick Plante, Kelley Muir, Ted Roche, Kevin Micalizzi). We can also help you post an event if you find yourself “calendar challenged” by the Google Calendar event posting interface. Other people can post events but not edit (Don’t forget to set your event to “public” so we all can see it before saving, and to include an URL for more info in your description! Make it easy for people to come to your thing!).

Here is the plain html NH Calendar link for sharing in emails and tweets and such

Here is the iCal NH Calendar link

Here is what it looks like embedded and reduced to fit a blog post window (you can grab the iframe embed code from the share calendar button, or one of us can email it to you – standard embed width is 800px, this is shrunk to 400px):

We’re adding some of the existing events this evening, check back tomorrow night and if you don’t see yours yet – ADD IT. All of NH will thank you. Have fun!

Note: If you can’t add your event for whatever reason, any of the people listed here can add it for you – get us the details

Also, We’re getting a lot of emails about scheduling around school. We know parents will make it to these events if they can, and if not – there is always next month as many are recurring. We have a quite a few single and child free people who go to these various meetups as well, so there is a nice, diverse mix of people every month as schedules change and people’s availability rotates.

Ok, are you back? Good. This post is not about ISMA. I’ve been disgusted by the whole concept of ISMA since I read Olivier’s post and realized – I know these people. These people are in my state, messing with people that others (myself, John Herman, Christine Major, Monika and Jay McGillicuddy, and more) have worked hard to teach social media ethics based on our time in the trenches, doing the work. I’m appalled, yes, but not just at the concept of ISMA and how it takes advantage of people – I’m also rather appalled at myself. After all, the ISMAs and others like them are going to do what they do – the beauty of PodCamps and breakfasts and meetings like NHMM are that people can take what they learn and use it to make something of their own out of it – we can only hope that the knowledge is used for things that are good.

See, the more I read Olivier’s post, the more the name ISMA and the names of the founders Mark and Mari nagged at my mind. I puzzled over it for a while, but in the end I’ve been busy with several companies and events this past year and I just couldn’t place why I was getting that prickly neck feeling. Then it came to me – one or both have attended the Social Media Breakfast NH I founded over the past months. This means they’ve fully been exposed to good, “do no harm” social media practices and chose to ignore them. Then the big realization hit – at PodCamp NH we were $400 away from being fully sponsored, and I was about to pay it out of pocket (after all, it’s my event and we’d raised $5600 in a week to keep it free, I was more than happy to pony up). Then Mark came over and said he wanted to be a last minute angel sponsor. I took the check, promoted the crap out of his very generous gesture during the weekend, wondered what his organization did, and then… got busy with PodCamp NH logistics and forgot all about looking into it.

How does this pertain to ethics, you wonder? Let me tell you – this pertains to my ethics. There are a lot of people out there doing social media bad instead of social media good. It’s become a caveat emptor world full of fauxrganizations like this one. It’s up to me, and other established and practicing consultants that have been doing this for a long time, to police the scammy people in our local areas and in our national space. If I was on the ball, I would have taken a moment on one of the many laptops around at PCNH and looked up the company I was taking a check from for my event. I would not have encouraged validation by association.

To that end, in keeping with my own ethics, I think I’m about to rethink the PodCamp finance model for 2010. I’m not sure just yet what will change – I sense a team meeting coming on earlier than expected so we can decide as a group what change will look like. All I know is, from here on in, I’ll be vetting the sponsors long before the events. I’ve already turned down a few panel appearances this year because I didn’t want to validate bad information by association, I’ll have to treat the rest of what I and my team do as far as event with the same rigor.

Update, March 3, 2010:

Recently it was called to my attention that someone I really, really like was an ISMA “founding member” (ISMA term). My initial reaction was one of blunt disappointment. I try very hard to hear both sides of everything, and since this is someone I think of as a really nice person (or people, actually, it’s a two person company) to boot, I talked to them on the phone extensively about ISMA, and, more specifically since they own their own company, about why they choose to try ISMA out (as well as other teaching tools, including some of my events and Hubspot’s Inbound Marketing University, plus other tools).

I wasn’t surprised at their reason, though they were not able to change my opinion about ISMA, the organization – like I said above, the people behind it seem nice enough, I can only comment on what I think of the ISMA practices. Perhaps what I like about the person I was having the phone conversation with is reflected in how many learning experiences they tried – with so much variety it seems to have tempered the influence of one misguided group and given them a base to be a better company, and knowing their personalities, I’m not surprised they wanted as much info from as many people and organizations as possible.

So, Allen, thanks for taking the time to explain your reasoning, as a separate company from ISMA, on why you saw some value in trying their program out, and thanks for understanding that while I still have to agree to disagree on the whole ISMA concept and execution, I like the more balanced overall thing you’re doing with your company in spite of that.

What is PodCamp NH?

PodCamp NH is an innovative gathering of new media enthusiasts, professionals, and anyone curious about what comes next in blogging, social media, podcasting, video on the net, and so much more. It’s called an UnConference because the attendees themselves present the sessions, workshops, and panel discussions. Get ready to connect at Podcamp NH!

Can I still attend?

Yes. We raised enough money through YOUR donations and the support of several sponsors to keep PodCamp NH free for 125 attendees! You can still sign up at this attendee registration page.

Can I still be a micro sponsor?

We would love it if you would help us keep raising money. We have covered the cost of the venue, AV equipment, breakfast and lunch but we are still trying to cover the cost of the shirts and other basics. At this point we are not accepting checks, so the Paypal button found on this page is your best best for contributing.

Can I still propose a session?

We have one session slot left. You can get with Leslie via Twitter if you’d like to claim it. You can see the sessions on this session page (and there are some GREAT ones, including a live taping of NOMX3, a NH Media Makers on Sunday, Battledecks, Creating a Twitter App, making a video from start to finished edit and promotion in 45 minutes, Beer, sessions for authors and musicians, ROI, time management, web development, and so much more.

Is there anywhere for me to stay over for both days?

Yes, there is information on accommodations and any discounts being offered on this page, and you can use hashtag #PCNHROOMIE on Twitter to see who else needs to room share.

Is there parking?

Yes

What else should I know?

You can find everything else on the official PodCamp NH blog and Twitter. The official hashtag of PodCamp NH 2009 is #PCNH. The slogan is “Learn Free or Die”

I am an idea person. I don’t like to see a good idea die on the vine, choked by excessive caution, hemming, hawing or general “over thinking”. Sure, you need to plan, but there comes a point where you also have to take that leap and try the idea out – set it free to roam the wild. It’s the only you can grow as a person or business.

Some ideas fly high, like Uptown Uncorked, the Topics on Fire podcast (currently on summer hiatus) or the recent Twitter for Dummies project with Laura Fitton and Michael Gruen that just wrapped (hitting stores soon). Some build momentum more slowly. Some struggle to get past the enthusiasm stage. Some end up being put aside as not viable after all.

Some of my projects are building momentum at a nice steady pace now, like a new book I’m going to be writing with Jim Keenan from A Sales Guy. Some are building momentum slowly, like Social Mic, a fun music side project I’m working on with Maria Thurrell and a new hush hush project I’m creating with Alexa Scordato.

A few took off like rockets, going much faster than anticipated. One of those was Social Media Breakfast NH. The people in the business community of NH have embraced this idea and are instrumental in how successful it has been, and I can’t thank you all enough for the enthusiasm you bring to each month’s meeting (next month: Education 2.0 part two, by the way – save the date: 7/17). SMBNH grew so quickly I had to bring on the fabulous Kevin Micalizzi and Matt Turner to help. Another of these is PodCamp NH, which is really starting to gather steam behind the scenes. It’s a good thing I have a good team helping with that (Thanks team: Kevin Baringer, Kevin Micalizzi, John Herman, Christine Major, Nick Plante)!

One of my favorite ideas is struggling to get past the enthusiasm stage, mainly due to unexpected issues with red tape. That one is Strong Women in Tech, which I discussed the other day. Luckily, I reached out and am now getting some fabulous responses to that cry for help, and this idea may finally push past Stage One and really take off.

Some people look at all of the irons I keep in the fire – clients, speaking, writing, side projects, blogging, and more – and ask how on earth I can do everything I want to and still have a life. Simple: my network. Every single project or idea, as you can see, involves me reaching out to someone (or several someones) from my network I think would be a great fit for the idea actually getting legs and growing. If I didn’t have a strong network, none of this would work.

It isn’t just about me tapping my network, either. My network taps me for their projects all of the time (case in point, Laura tapping me for Twitter for Dummies). Be helpful. Be willing. Be supportive. This collaborative culture and collaborative economy we are in now is a two way street. Grow your network, take leaps of faith, help, support, DO, be bold – and you will grow in return.

I don’t post more often because I like to put most of my ideas into action instead. I am a woman of big ideas, a connector, and I try to enact as many as possible, as quickly and as well as I can. I don’t like a good idea to die on the vine. A lot of these big ideas involve connecting the real world with the online world. The value of social media to people and businesses is in the connectivity it brings, and the doors that opens. This means I believe just as much in the value of face time as I do in the value of online time, and I try to instill that belief in others by building powerful real life networks.

I’ve been putting these thoughts into practice with Social Media Breakfast NH, Podcamp NH, in-person relationship building, client coaching and strategizing, writing books to make the concept easier for others like Twitter for Dummies (co-author with Laura Fitton and Michael Gruen), investigating co-working spaces like the upcoming Port Forward, real life networking whenever possible at events like NH and Boston Media Makers, local off-web events like Chamber meetings or last night’s Extreme Website Makeover event, one-on-one time with my colleagues and friends whose minds inspire me, and more. There is something about translating connections between the tangible and the intangible that makes the ideas much more vibrant and that makes the connection adhere more fully.

How is face time important for your business? Simple: it brings the human element into your brand. You can attempt to engage people online until you are blue in the face. You can throw money and resources at social media until you go broke. But if you can’t translate that rapport and effort into time off the screen somehow, you’re missing a key component to your overall social media and business development strategy. It’s not your 100 or 100,000 or more followers on various platforms that counts, it’s the number that come to your movie, attend your event, support your cause in person, talk about you to their friends, go to your concert, use your service in their homes or businesses, drink your wine in real life… you get the idea.

Never underestimate the value of face time. How do you employ face time in your business or life?

All of these ideas may be my brainstorms, but they won’t happen alone! We introduced the new team for SMBNH the other day in this post. Now let me introduce the core team who will be helping bring you PodCamp NH this fall:

I am spearheading the movement, and acting as the main point of contact and maestro of this varied group. The full roster of people rallying ’round in support of my insanity, er, I mean, big idea, is:

Leslie Poston (me): Founder of Uptown Uncorked (Business Development and Social Media Consultancy), Writer (including co-author of the upcoming Twitter for Dummies with Laura Fitton and Michael Gruen), Founder of Social Media Breakfast NH, Thinker, Doer, Facilitator, Fixer)

Nick Plante is a programmer, author, community organizer and (most of all) a nice guy. As an independent consultant and a partner in Ubikorp Internet Services, Nick specializes in helping web startups accelerate their development with Ruby and Rails. Nick is founder and chief organizer of the Rails Rumble innovation competition, an annual event promoting entrepreneurship and developer productivity in the Rails community. He also heads up the NH Ruby Users Group, has spoken at industry events, and contributes to numerous open source projects. Nick’s book, Practical Rails Plugins, was published by Apress in June, 2008. (read more about Nick here)

Christine Major has more than 11 years of experience in high tech public relations, providing her clients with the very best in public relations strategies and tactics – through traditional PR and social media programs – that match the interests of key audiences and target influencers. Christine is also very active in the social networking scene in NH and Boston as one of the organizers for the Boston Twestival 2009 and is also the founder of Seacoast TweetUps and manager of the @NHTweetUp Twitter account. (read more about Christine here)

John Herman is busy bringing his Ford Fiesta for the Fiesta Movement home to NH, but he has lots of projects going on right now in addition to PodCamp, teaching, old favorite Gravityland and new favorite – OddNogginLand. His current bio will be added shortly. (read more about John here)

Kevin Micalizzi is currently blending his web leadership and know-how with his background in communications as Community Manager at web conferencing startup Dimdim (www.dimdim.com). Over the last 10 years Kevin has lead web teams at Rational, IBM and Avid Technology, managing web marketing, engineering, operations, and production. Kevin is loving his focus on making web conferencing available to everyone, leveraging the web and social media. He has also joined the Social Media Breakfast NH team recently, helping Leslie bring each month’s meeting to life, live streaming them to the public so out-of-staters can follow what NH is doing in tech. (read more about Kevin here)

Kevin Baringer After 15 years in software for mid to large size companies, Kevin is now focusing on smaller businesses and the flexibility, extensibility and just plain awesomeness of the web and social media.  His passion is in working to blend creativity with technology in order to fashion the as-of-yet unimagined fabric of tomorrow’s society.  He also likes to play make-believe.  Kevin can be contacted through his site at kevinbaringer.com, which will hopefully soon be a font of relatively useful or moderately entertaining stuff, or on Twitter (read more about Kevin here)

For PodCamp we will be seeking sponsors so that we can keep attendance free, as well as speakers/presenters for this unconference. As soon as we get the first meeting under our belt, we’ll let you know how to contact us for a spot. Meanwhile – stay tuned, and don’t be shy! Leave any ideas in the comments for now.