Here are some of my lessons learned from PodCamp:

• It’s all about the content. This is the general theme that came from just about every session I attended. No matter what you want to podcast about, it’s about the content. On top of that, be authentic. Don’t read from a script, don’t try to be what you’re not. Most memorable quote? It came from Mitch Joel: “Be you because someone else is already taken.”

• Always take a road map with you. Never rely solely on Google Maps, Yahoo Maps or handwritten notes. Otherwise, a 10-hour drive becomes a 14-hour trip through 7 states (New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Mass, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont), and 2 provinces (Quebec & Ontario). Thankfully, Jay, Char & Tera kept me entertained with quotes from the Simpsons. They even put my name to song – I just wish I had my recorder turned on.

• Unconferences are great because you get to learn from those in the trenches – the actual people who are coding and making things happen. Most conferences invite people to speak who don’t even touch a lick of code and instead, give you their 5000-ft viewpoint. On the flip side, some of these very people at these unconferences are the ones that will never be invited to speak at conferences because they haven’t learned how to present in front of crowds. My suggestion? Join Toastmasters.

• Make a list of everyone you want to connect with before you get there. Check out the registrants’ list (if available), google their name, visit their website and make it a point to meet them. I listed all the people I wanted to meet and I can happily say that I did it.

• Find your country folk and make some noise. I immediately found Bob, Mark, Julien and Mitch, who staked their claim in 1 area of the conference room. It was nice to go to the same area and find them to complain about the lack of Tim Horton’s and end everything with “eh” without someone laughing and saying, “You ended your sentence with ‘eh’.” We ended up handing out honourary citizenships to C.C., Bryan and Chris.

• Focus less on the technology of podcasting and more on creating your platform. Suzanne Falter-Barns really drove this part home in her session on Sunday morning. Too many of us focus on the intricate details of our craft, instead of marketing our expertise to a wide audience. The Knitting Guy is a great example of someone who is using podcasting as a tool to market his expertise.

Here’s a summary by Beth of my session on Saturday and here’s a slide show of some pictures I took on Day 1. And here’s a picture of Julien, me and The Knitting Guy that Mark Blevis took.

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