A quick rant about PodCamp co-organizers

15 Oct

Posted by: Christopher S. Penn in: PodCamp

Just a quickie, two things I want to get off of my plate.

1. Just because it doesn’t come from Chris Penn or Chris Brogan doesn’t mean you should ignore it.

Chris Brogan and I founded PodCamp, true. However, our co-organizers are every bit as important, if not MORE important, than we are, because an event like PodCamp Boston is a HUGE team effort. If you get messages from other organizers like Steve Garfield, Michelle Wolverton, Whitney Hoffman, etc., please give them as much attention and importance as a message from Mr. Brogan or me.

Our co-organizers are legitimately our equals, not our lieutenants.

2. If one organizer says no, do not ask others to say yes.

We’re a team. Yes, we can be uncoordinated at times, and yes, we can occasionally get mixed up, but by and large, if an organizer has stepped up and taken responsibility for a part of PodCamp, they own that piece. If someone is unhappy with a PR piece, you need to talk to Doug Haslam. Chris Brogan and I will NOT override the authority and responsibility that our co-organizers have willingly taken on. If someone is unhappy with the music arrangements, Michelle Wolverton is the final word on that. If someone doesn’t like that registration is a certain way, that’s Susan Kaup’s authority to change or not.

I wholly and fully endorse our co-organizers, and gratefully acknowledge that despite day jobs, families, and to-do lists that are legendary, they can still find the time to make PodCamp Boston 2 a great event. Please do not ask Chris Brogan or me to treat them with disrespect or dishonor their commitment to the new media community by overriding decisions in areas of responsibility they have willingly shouldered.

Thanks.

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5 Responses

Chris Brogan...
15|Oct|2007 1

Holy cow. That sentiment is out there? Jebus Christmas, for *.deity’s sake, don’t wait around for Penn and me, least of all me. Without the co-organizers, I’d have nothing. Absolutely nothing. You’d show up to PodCamp Boston2 (or where we told you it would be), and you’d see me and Penn holding a bunch of wiring or something. There’d be NOTHING done without all these people.

To use the vernacular, we eat our own dogfood here. Whose PodCamp is it? YOUR PodCamp. Who runs the show? YOU do. Chris and I started this with friends, run it with friends, and execute every move with friends.

If you’re waiting around for us to run every little bit, there’s a problem on your personal horizon.

These folks run the show much more than Mr. Penn and myself. We’re out there fine tuning (or in my case, trying to juggle eels). Give them your love, humans.
C.C. Chapman
15|Oct|2007 2

I’ve had several people come to me with questions, concerns or other things and act like I was the first person approaching me. In all cases I later found out that you or one of the other fellow organizers had already answered their question with a polite no and they were trying to get around that by coming to me.

We’ve always taught our kids that if one parent says no the worse thing you can do is go ask the other one. People are trying to do this here too and it is enough to drive you crazy!
Doug Haslam
15|Oct|2007 3

btw, contact info for any PR questions, as a PodCamp participant or a member of the press– dhaslam (at) topazpartners (dot) com
Christopher S. Penn
15|Oct|2007 4

@cc_chapman: *head*desk*
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