Mitch Canter getting ready to speak (credit Dave Delaney)

Yesterday downtown Nashville was invaded by 600+ of the brightest and best geeks in town as the Cadillac Ranch opened its doors for the third annual PodCampNashville.  People turned out in droves to hear speakers talk on creativity, development, design, marketing, public relations, and all other manner of speaking sessions.

I spoke on WordPress, and how to use it to take a blog from being “just a blog” to running a fully functional website.  There were lots of other great sessions, but for me the biggest draw is seeing people I haven’t seen in a long time, and just catching up with fellow WordPress fans, bloggers, and businesses who are looking to get their website into the new age of content management.

A special thank you goes out to the massive team of planners, volunteers, and other speakers – without you PodCamp wouldn’t have been nearly what it was, and as always the event is the biggest and best in the southeast (I’ve researched – our camps turn 4x the numbers of most of the other camps in the area, mainly because the other camps limit attendance – so it’s something to be proud of)

You can see some of the pictures below from the various photographers who attended.

Photo credit: Wonderdawg777 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderdawg777)

The Nashville PodCamp (coming up this Saturday) marks my 15th camp experience, both as a speaker and as a participant.  The past three years I’ve held privilege to attend camps all over the country, but the Nashville camps (and the southeast in general) seems to have the best handle on how to have a good time and teach a lot as well.

That said, there are some dos and don’ts I’ve picked up that can help you (both as a speaker and a listener) to get the most out of your camping experience.

1) Don’t go to every session slot.

Seriously.  Look at your nicely mapped out grid and see if you have an empty slot or two.  You don’t? Pick the session that 1) you know a lot about already or 2) that isn’t going to give you a lot of value and take it off your schedule – even if it’s mine .  Done that? Good.  Now use that slot to network in the halls, meet some new people, and get to know some of the people that make Nashville such a great city.  I mean, how can you meet new people when you’re too busy listening to people speak, right?  Feeling really frisky? Do it to one more and make it a point to meet someone new and learn about how you can work with them in your business or hobby.

2) Don’t spend all day on your phone or laptop.

Short tweets are good, but put your device down and get some face to face interaction in.  We have all year to talk to each other through Twitter and Facebook, but only a few opportunities to get some facetime in (lowercase facetime, you apple nerds).  Meet some new people, reconnect with old friends, or seek out people you’ve only talked to online – you’d be surprised how many you’ll recognize.

3) Don’t just sit there.

For the sessions you are going to still (after all, that’s what we’re here for, right?) be engaging.  Take some notes, tweet out a hashtag or two, and ask questions – there is no such thing as a stupid question, unless that question goes unasked.  Just make sure you’re paying attention, or you’ve wasted your price of admissions (…)

4) DO get there early.

There’s no better time to network than before this party gets started.  Doors open an hour before and that’s when the good swag is given out, and who doesn’t like getting free stuff?  Plus people are more likely to talk when they’re not scurrying off from one session to another, so you’ll have more chance to get a solid conversation in.

5) DO pack accordingly.

Make sure to bring a few essentials with you:

• Notepad and Pen
• Laptop / Smartphone (for notes, recording, tweeting, stalking, etc)
• Business Cards (to give out)
• Camera (to take photos and show people how much fun you’re having)
• Video Camera (if you’re speaking and can snag one, you can record your session)
• Power Strip (call me a boy scout, but I take these to *every* conference just because you never know how good or bad the power supply is)
• OPTIONAL: cell wireless card (we’ve been really privileged to have great wifi at the ‘Ranch every year, but you never know with so many people coming what will happen – best come prepared)

6) DO go to the afterparty

What? Really?  All these really fun things to talk about and I mention the afterparty?  Well, why not?  All the sessions are over, and the REAL networking begins here.  I can’t count the number of camps I see where people miss this aspect, but if you haven’t gotten it by now, here it is: the whole point of these camps is to meet people in person and socialize/strategize. If you’re coming just to learn some information, that’s great.  But if you can meet and mingle with some of Nashville’s finest, why pass up the opportunity?  You can grab a few drinks (or even a water) and sit down to talk tech and media with people who are out there doing it and living it – who could ask for a better lesson (or a lesson after the lesson, as it were).

So, I’ll see you guys all at the ‘Ranch on Saturday.  Bring your listening ears, your social attitudes, and get ready to get there and learn some stuff (and meet a few new people while you’re at it).

WordPress is, by far, one of the most versatile pieces of software out in cyberspace today. As a developer and designer, my first choice for any project, no matter the scope or purpose, is to see if it’s a job WordPress can handle.  9 times out of 10, it is.  People ask me how software can be so versatile, and how much work is involved to get it that way.  Honestly, it all boils down to the plugins you use, with a few special modifications here and there that most anyone can do.

This year, I’ve made it my mission to show people that WordPress can be used for, well, dang near anything!

Today was a whirlwind day at PodCampNashville.  There were so many great sessions, I saw a lot of great people, and we had a lot of fun at the after party. It’s too soon afterward to really digest things, so I leave you with my session (video is being re-encoded – will have it up ASAP)

No, no sappy Christmasy rhymes tonight.  I’m getting my gear bag together for PodCampNashville tomorrow at the Cadillac Ranch and thought I’d lay down some tips for any newcomers to the podcamp scene (trust me, I’ve done more than my fair share.  I guess that makes me a “podcamping expert” *shudder*)

1) Leave your expectations at the door.

If you’ve never been to one of these, come in with an open mind.  There will be coders, PR hacks, designers, tech geeks, and other strange anomalies, but we’re all here for one thing: to have fun and to network (ok, so that’s two things).  Get ready to meet lots of like minded people and pass out business cards.

2) Remember the Rules of Podcamp.

First rule of Podcamp – you don’t talk about Podcamp.

Wait, that’s not right.

Here are the real first rules to remember:

1. Everyone’s a rock star.  There are no keynotes and no digital dignitaries.  We’re all learning, and we’re all teaching.
2. Law of two feet – if you don’t like what you’re hearing, or you’re bored out of your mind, leave. Not the conference, mind you, but find another room that talks about what you want to hear about.  No one will be upset.
3. If none of the rooms interest you, may I suggest the “hallway track”? Catch up with old friends, meet some new ones, and just eavesdrop on what people are chatting about.  Chances are something may peak your interest.
4. Bring something to take notes, video, and pictures with.  Yes, I said and.  You’ll be on information, and new person, overload by the time it’s all over, so get ready to have trouble remembering who that one dude was or what’s-his-name with the spiky hair and bandana.

3) Bring Stuff

I’m actually breaking my own rule here.  I didn’t order business cards in time (doh!) so i’m on a skeleton supply, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t be giving the few I have out like candy.  For everyone else, I’m taking down email addresses and getting them my info that way.  Here are some other things you may want to consider bringing:

• Power Strip
• Extension Cord (those two will make you the popular kid in the room)
• Alternate Internet source (if you have it, because sometimes the Internet just goes down)
• Bottle of Water
• Notebook (the paper kind)
• Notebook (the digital kind)
• iPhone or SmartPhone (no iPad jokes, please)

So, come tomorrow ready to learn, have a good times, and drink a little beer too (thanks Yazoo!)

It’s that time again!  Time for Nashvillians and people from all around to flock to the Cadillac Ranch to get the tech knowledge on.  Saturday, starting at 9 AM (be there early to get registered, swagged up, and get your networking on) some of the best presenters in Nashville will be showing you how they do what they do best.

I’m taking the entire day tomorrow to finish preparing my slides on “How to use WordPress for Dang Near Anything” and you can guarantee that anything less than perfect for this is going to be unacceptable for me.  I checked the site signups today and found out that nearly 200 people have signed up for my sessions.  I’ve been to entire conferences that have less than that many people.  This is a true honor for me, and I’m not going to let you down.

So, by far, today’s PodCampNashville was one of the most fun events that I’ve been to in the last while. I made a lot of new connections, but the best part was hanging out at the after party and just reveling in the “real life” of things.  Sure, we all met online, but it’s a driving community spirit that keeps us all coming back for more (that, and the fact that @TROnash still has a #gpsassassins smack-down coming, but that’s beside the point).

I think my presentation went well, but it was little strange having people come up to me and say they came just to see my presentation.  It’s a little unnerving sometimes; having people who look to you in that manner is a heavy responsibility… one I take with great honor and responsibility.  Honestly, John Morgan, I’m not sure how you don’t crack under the pressure sometimes

For those of you who were at my presentation, and for those of you who missed it, here are the slides below:

And, (insert shameless plug) if you’re looking for a podcast delivered daily with a bite-sized chunk of WordPress goodness… feel free to subscribe to the WordPulse podcast!

Oh, and here’s the video from NewsChannel5 in Nashville.  I *think* I’m up on stage giving the presentation… can’t tell, though.